Akron Marathon Training: Week 4

Training for a race is a balance between pushing hard to obtain a PR and making good choices on when to pull back to regroup.  This week of training has been about following a favorite Latin phrase of mine: tantum quantum.  Roughly translated, it means "as far as," which, when applied, recommends a person use a technique or practice as much as it is helpful.  And if it doesn't work, don't use it!  While simple, it's an effective way to make a training plan personal and apply to my own situation.

Monday-Tuesday: Cross-training - As I had decided on Sunday, I was going to spend the following days working on my strength, flexibility and recovery.  While yoga isn't the most high-energy activity, it can cause you to break a sweat!  I've also discovered areas of my body that I rarely stretch, but need to get into the habit of addressing.

Wednesday: 7 Miles Biking - In other exciting news, I finally have a bike AND a way to transport it - yay!  After taking more time than it probably should have to hook the bike rack up to the car, my wife and I headed down to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.  While not moving at an exceedingly fast pace (one of us is currently 6 months pregnant!), we followed the trail down to Point State Park to sit by the fountain for a bit.  As lunchtime approached, we decided to head back to the car, though did make a mental note to visit the Strip District for lunch on our next pedaling adventure.

Thursday: 4 Miles - Like many runners, one of the final things I do before going to bed is to look at the following day's weather forecast to figure out when it would be best to run.  In having been woken up during the night by torrential rain and thunder and knowing that a similar fate was predicted for the daylight hours, I attempted to time my workout for the two hours between storms.  I made it as far as finishing my warm-up before the rain started coming and the thunder rolling.  I was then relegated to the treadmill for the remainder of the workout.  All in all, things felt pretty good in light of my return to training.

Friday: 10 Miles - Of any type of workout, long runs are my favorite; going the distance at an easy pace just feels right.  As I warmed up for my run, my legs felt light and loose with each step being smooth.  The miles seemed to melt by as I made my way around the loop course twice.  The only thing I still need to figure out is a good energy source - tried another energy chew brand but still didn't like it.

Saturday: 6 Miles - In not feeling like hills, I chose a route that would be relaxing so I could recover from the previous day's workout.  While I was in the midst of my workout, I went past a large group of people who I assumed were hikers based on their gear.  Though I was a little confused, I did Google the place where I saw them only to discover that where I live apparently has an entire conservancy dedicated to exploring the Western PA trails.  Cool!  I may just have to join them one day.

Sunday: Speed Work - We all know how I feel about speed work.  For how much I despise it, I suck it up and get it done.  The workout began and ended with a mile at tempo pace with two 800s at 5K pace in the middle.  I guess the one benefit of speed workouts is that they don't last too long.

While the week didn't start out ideal, I'd say that things turned in my favor as training resumed.  I am sure that at some point in my running future I will make a mistake like I did last week, but I'm confident that it's possible to get back on track with a little common sense.

Happy running!
Sean