#Road2CIM Marathon Training: Week 7

Week 7 had more hill repeats and increased mileage on the long run. It was my longest run yet. I had never run more miles than a half marathon before. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little nervous after last week’s “bad” run, but since this was just a training run, there was really nothing to lose but only to gain. So I headed out repeating one of my favorite mantras in my head: You can do hard things!

The nerves were for nothing. I felt really good on this run. Maybe it was the proper carb loading and hydration or a good night’s sleep, but I had no problem finishing these miles. I didn’t even need to take any walking breaks. I think it also helped a lot mentally that I had some marathon goal pace intervals on deck because they broke up the run into digestible chunks. 

Focus for the week:

I’ve started the second 6-week block of this marathon training, which focuses on enhancing aerobic power. In this phase, the training shifts the emphasis towards developing the endurance and efficiency of our cardiovascular system. It’s designed to elevate the aerobic capacity, enabling us to sustain higher intensities for longer periods of time. This phase is an opportunity to build a solid foundation for future performance improvements and overall stamina. 

WORKOUTS

Monday – 15 min lower body mobility + 30 min yoga flow

Tuesday – 30 min strength + 6 mi easy + strides @ 9:37 min/mi (morning temp: 57°F) 

Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.

Wednesday – 6.4 mi hill repeats @ 9:25 min/mi (morning temp: 59°F)  

Fuel/water: Graham crackers pre-run, didn’t carry water.

Thursday – 30 min strength for runners + 20 min ride + 10 min yoga

Friday –  30 min bike bootcamp + 4.6 mi easy @ 9:43 min/mi (morning temp: 55°F) 

Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.

Saturday – 15 mi @ 9:12 min/mi (morning temp: 61°F) + yoga

Fuel/water: 3 sheets of graham crackers + 16 oz water one hour before my run.. During the run, I fueled with fruit crusher after 4 and 12 miles. 6 energy chews after mile 9. I drank 12 oz of electrolytes.

Sunday –  5.6 mi @ 9:52 min/mi (morning temp: 63°F) 

Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.

TOTAL: 37.7 mi/ 61 km
MARATHON TRAINING MILES: 190.4 miles / 306.7 km

Marathon Nutrition

I had graham crackers again before I left for my long run and I meal planned for the week and made sure I had carb heavier meals for the two days beforehand. I took two apple mango fruit crushers (from Trader Joe’s) and some ProBAR Bolt Energy Chews. I fueled every 30 min or 3-4 miles and had 12 oz of electrolytes. I felt much stronger during my run this week and I hope it’s partly because of the fueling tweaks.

My daily macro needs per day (calculated from this marathon nutrition guide).

Protein	105 g	4-5 servings	25g/serving
Carbs	462 g	18-19 servings	25g/serving
Fats	66 g	6-7 servings	10g/serving

This week I averaged 102 g of protein, 80 g of fat, and 240 g of carbs per day. I’ve been slowly upping my carb game – although I think it’s just because I am eating more graham crackers. Haha.

How I refueled after my long run

TL;DR – summary of the week:

I had a solid week, completed all my training runs, and ran my longest run to date and freakin’ crushed it. I was a little wary after last week’s bonked run, but I felt good this week and had no problems finishing the miles. This gave me a huge confidence boost (because to be honest, my mind still wavers between “are you crazy?” and “you got this!”).