Marathon Training - Weeks 12 - 14 Recap

No use wasting time...I'll just get down to the recaps:

Week 12 Recap

Total Mileage:  31 miles

Workouts:

• Bicycle trainer session
• Interval run
• 2 x 3 miles (6:31/mile average pace)
• Nine-mile race-pace run
• 6:48/mile average pace
• Eight-mile maintenance run
• 7:56/mile average pace
• Brick workout
• Five-mile run (7:27/mile average pace)
• Bicycle trainer session

Week 13 Recap

Total Mileage: 47 miles

Workouts:

• Five-mile maintenance run
• 8:24/mile average pace
• Interval run
• 2 x 3 miles (6:31/mile average pace)
• Nine-mile race-pace run
• 6:46/mile average pace
• Bicycle trainer session
• Six-mile maintenance run
• 8:29/mile average pace
• Endurance runs
• AM:  Twenty-miles (7:58/mile average pace)
• PM:  Two-miles (9:30/mile average pace)

Overall I was pleased with Week 13.  It was one of my highest-mileage weeks yet but I appeared to prepare for and absorb the training well.  The twenty-mile run was a bit more difficult than I anticipated, particularly at the end.  I think a combination of tweaking my nutrition strategy and increasing temperatures near the end of my run started to take their toll.

The two-mile run later in the evening was rough at first, but I kept the pace nice and easy, allowing my legs to loosen up a bit.  Such runs are designed to help aid recovery and I feel it worked well overall.

Week 14 Recap

Total Mileage:  19 miles

Workouts:

• Nine-mile race-pace run
• 6:49/mile average pace
• Ten-mile endurance run
• 7:32/mile average pace

As well as Week 13 went, I was a bit disappointed with Week 14, mainly when it comes to volume of training.  Although I bounced back quickly after the 22 miles on Sunday, I decided to take Monday off for some extra recovery.  I arguably should have run, but I didn't want to risk running on less-than-fresh legs and get injured in the process.  It's too late in the game to take unnecessary risks, after all.

Then life got in the way, as it often does.  I ended up taking a couple unexpected days off elsewhere during the week due to some work and family obligations, so I ended up running only twice.

Thankfully, the runs themselves were very good, in particular the race-pace run.  It was outdoors with a little bit of wind at times so it was a solid effort.

There is also a bit of a silver lining...given Week 13's high volume it was time to have another deload week, which I intended to use during Week 14.  I just didn't intend to deload as much as I did, but we'll see how things progress in Week 15.  I have a twenty-two-mile run lined up, as well as a 10K tune-up race.

My training should start to taper in a couple weeks so it's time to continue to maintain focus and push hard!