QUICK POINTS
- New training plan
- It's hot out there
- Marathon training runs.
1. New training plan
In a previous post, I mentioned that I am not feeling the marathon training plan that the My Asics app has constructed for me. I did not care for the program because there are no gradual long runs - basically you go from 8.5 mile weekly longs to 11.5 miles, then to 18.5 miles. However, I did find a plan that is a little more suited to how I would like to do my long runs.
I'm in the second week of this plan and so far it is going ok. The first month of the plan lays the foundation for the rest of the 20 weeks, then the next months incorporates tempo, fartlek, and hills training runs.
2. It is (going to be) hot as hell out there.
Ok, so it is not THAT hot outside . . . yet. But, anyone who has experienced an NYC summer knows that July and August can be unbearable, in terms of temperature. My issue is I am a terrible runner in hot weather. For what ever reason, my body overheats VERY fast, which is weird on the genetic level because half (probably more) of my DNA comes from the Subsaharan part of Africa. For example, I did my run around 8;30am and the temperature was around 75, I did the run fine but I felt crappy at the end. At this point, 75 degrees will be nothing compared to the 90+ degree weather later in the summer when my long runs will be 15+ miles. Obviously, I managed to do it a few summers ago when training for the NYC Marathon but I just stopped for some long runs (i.e. at 18miles for a 21 mile long run), because it was too damn hot. Then, on top of that I get annoyed with holding a bottle of water for more that an hour and the sunscreen becomes all sticky and icky.
Some options:
- Do the runs at 3am
- Do the runs on a treadmill and incorporate “hills” by increasing the grade. I think that running 18 miles on a treadmill would be insanely boring. Hell, I think running 3 miles on a treadmill is insanely boring.
- Run at night. It’s still can be hot but not as bad.
Maybe the late evening/ night may be the better option. According to accuWeather , the 64F is the average temperature in Montreal during the last week of September. Perhaps, I can do the shorter runs in the heat and the longer runs at night. We will see how this plays out. Any tips or suggestions for summer running?
3. Marathon training runs
One of the cool things about living NYC is the fact you have so many different places (new and old) to see while training.
Roosevelt Island run - 4.1 miles.
oosevelt stand is a small sliver of an island that is located in the East River. Well actually it is a tidal strait and not a river, but I guess saying the East Tidal Strait would be too much of a mouthful. I used to live on this island for about five years, so I wanted to incorporate a short run that started on the island and ended on the Upper East Side. Also, I wanted to incorporate some hills in the run by climbing the helix toward the Roosevelt Island bridge and running across the Queensboro Bridge. The run itself was a little tough because I took a week break from running so I was getting back into sport again.
Bushwick to Williamsburg Run 5.7 miles (supposed to be 6.0 miles)
I was supposed to run the NYRR Retro 4-Miler race but I overslept on Sunday morning and missed the race. Argh!!! So, wasted money and a wasted 9+1 opportunity to qualify for 2017 NYC Marathon. I did an semi "in and out" run where I ran to the East River and finished the run at the gym to an HIIT workout.
This run incorporated the Williamsburg Bridge, which has quite a bit of graffiti and kind of defines the bridge. I wonder when does graffiti becomes 'art."?
