I recently increased my training mileage for the Dopey Challenge coming up the first week in January. While I won’t have time to get in a 20 miles training run before the races, I do hopefully still have some miles on my legs from the NYC marathon that will count towards the long runs. It would be ideal to get in 20; but 16 was the most that I could fit into my schedule. Having done the Dopey Challenge three years in a row already, I feel comfortable that I will finish the races with no issues.
In the past two weeks I was able to do a 10K long run, a 10 miler, and a 16 miler long run. Sprinkled in between those long runs I averaged 3-4 mile runs in warm, cold and snowy weather.
Here are the stats of the runs:
10 Mile Training Run
Nutrition
Breakfast was oatmeal
2 cups of caffeinated tea
Time of day
I began the run at 9:50 a.m. and finished at 12:00 p.m.
Weather
When I started it was 25 degrees and windy. I was considering skipping the run but wanted to get the miles in.
Fuel on the run
Nothing. I had breakfast just before my run so I didn’t feel I needed to bring anything.
Gear
C9 fleece lined long tights with a skirt over it, Hartford marathon long sleeve shirt, Achilles short sleeve shirt, warmer running jacket, ear warmers, hat, gloves.
Pace
I maintained my 30/30 for almost the entire run. At mile 9 I found an injured bird and walked up our street with it and gave it to my husband to put in a safe place. Then I had to walk the remainder of that last mile in my driveway. That killed my overall pace.
10 mile run splits
16 Mile Training Run
Nutrition
Breakfast was 1 packet of oatmeal
1 cup of caffeinated tea
Time of day
I began the run at 10:00 a.m. and finished at 2:00 p.m.
Weather
When I started it was 33 degrees and breezy. I was halfway up my street when I turned around and went back into the house to get a running skirt to cover my bottom and my legs and my buff to use for my face when the wind picked up. I didn’t think it was that cold out; but I am glad I added those items to my wardrobe.
Fuel on the run
Pretzel fish and a bottle of water. I took in the pretzels and some water around miles 6 and 10.
Gear
Target fleece lined long tights with a skirt over it, Hartford marathon long sleeve shirt, warmer running jacket, NYC fleece hat, gloves. I wore one of the yoga bras I use, but it wasn’t a proper fit and cause a little chaffing.
Pace
I maintained my 30/30 for almost the entire run except for the large hill at mile 8. At mile 13 I was struggling to keep up my running page. I believe this is because I just ran a 10 miles a week prior and increased the mileage greatly from 10 to 16 in a week’s time. When increasing my mileage I prefer to do it in 3 miles chunks every 2 weeks per the Jeff Galloway training method. However, I was under the gun with time prior to this race so I needed to get the miles under my feet, which meant I had to do more walking than running after mile 13. However, I am ok with that, I still got the miles in. This just means that I will feel more fatigued the last 10 miles of the marathon on race day. Mile 15/16 ended in my driveway so I had to walk out the rest of the distance there which slows my pace down.
16 mile run splits
Post Run
I heated up some leftover fish, rice and broccoli, had a chocolate milk for my recovery meal. After a shower I resumed my normal activities of the day. I didn’t feel any pain, just the typical soreness. I’m happy that my hip is loosening up and not causing issues after the longer and shorter runs.
Taper Time!
Now that my longest run is done, I am focusing on this time to rest up my legs for the races. I will limit my runs to 3-4 miles. I did find this to be very successful with my NYC marathon. I had rested my legs well during that taper and felt really good on race day. With just about a week until the races I really must hold back on my runs. I will use this time and focus on my pre-race nutrition, race costumes, packing, and a little strength training.
I’m looking forward to running with Team Shenanigans and all the fun we will have out on the course. As the race draws near you may want to estimate your finish time based on your training runs. Although, when running with a group like Team Shenanigans, we plan on having as much fun on the course as possible. A PR is not expected for this race, unless you are planning for your slowest marathon ever! Running with the group is always my favorite. It helps take away the pain, or at least distract you from the pain and the miles left to finish. You may also make a new friend along the way!