50k training: week 8

Wow, another great week of training and the Mid-Maryland 50k is less than a month away! With the Salisbury marathon as my main focus, the 50k will fit into the schedule as an extra long run, but I am still anticipating several extra days of recovery the week after. Given all that, I am not anticipating much of a taper before the 50k, but will look to keep my mileage around 60 miles a week. Here is a snapshot of the week:

Monday: 7.76 miles, 1:15:34

Tuesday: 10.34 miles, 1:29:00

Wednesday: 6.05 miles, 58:54

Thursday: 11.18 miles, 1:29:56

Friday: 6.33 miles, 54:15

Saturday: 24 miles, 3:28:46

Sunday: Rest

Weekly Total: 65.6 miles

This week was almost entirely group runs, which was absolutely fantastic. I was a bit sore from the 10 easy, 10@marathon pace miles on Monday and Tuesday, so the group runs were a nice distraction that helped me go longer when I would have been tempted to stop on my own. I have really enjoyed hopping into a local group run early on Wednesday mornings and felt ready to go for my solo workout on Thursday.

The plan was to run 10*1km repeats at cruise interval pace, which I was guessing would be around 4:05 pace. I had a one minute jog recovery. My pace guess was correct, as I averaged a 4:04 pace. It was low forties and a light rain, which I ended up really enjoying. I felt comfortable and like I could do a few more reps at the end, so I am overall pleased with how the workout went.

Then I had to turn around and run a group 10k the next morning on 2.5 hours of sleep after a lot of tossing and turning. I don't know if any fellow mamas have dealt with this issue, but I get terrible insomnia when I try to night wean my kids. It is quite frustrating, but I have learned that when I cannot fall asleep, letting my body rest and not getting overly stressed about sleep is one of the best ways to maximize the time. I got a lot of reading done that night.

I called Saturday morning a group run sandwich, as I started and ended with solo miles and met up with two different group runs in between. My legs were hurting a bit after mile 20, but I finished the run well and had a good nap after. I have been using dates (the food!) as my fuel every 5 or so miles and that continues to work for me. I think I will carry a few dates during the 50k and marathon, as well as take one or two caffeinated Gatorade Gu packets on the course. This strategy will minimize what I have to carry, which is definitely my preference.

I am thriving on the higher mileage; the only drawback is that I have to get it done early in the morning, as having runs at least an hour long makes it harder to squeeze it into the evening when I am tired, need to put the kids to bed, have quality time with my spouse, and all the other demands of life.

I did learn from the long run that my core is weak. My posture felt negatively affected, so I will be doubling down on getting a core workout and some basic strength training moves in at least five days out of the week.

This week will have a 12 mile marathon pace workout and a mixed pace run that will consist of some tempo paces, followed by some speedier reps to keep turnover high. I am looking forward to the challenge.

Enjoy your miles!