The week started with a work-related trip to Sedona for one of my favorite clients, Pink Adventure Tours. I had the presence of mind to take my bike with me. I had charted a 20-mile route through Boynton Canyon (similar to the route I had run during my tough half-marathon in Sedona earlier this year).
After the meeting, I set off on my bike under the hot sun (albeit much cooler than the scorching hot sun of Scottsdale). In a few miles, I realized that the up-and-down hills of Boynton Canyon are short but steep. The thin air in the mile-high elevation of Sedona didn’t help as I struggled up the hills only to coast down catching my breath. It was a slow and hard but stunningly gorgeous 20-mile ride!
After resting on Tuesday and an easy run on Wednesday, I ran hard mile-long fartlek intervals (times 4) on Thursday. My toughest run of the week (and of the entire Chicago Marathon training so far) came on Sunday with a 16-mile progression run. I started slow at a 9:00 per mile pace only to accelerate ever so slightly each mile to end the 16th mile at a whopping 7:20 per mile pace. That’s almost as fast as 10k race pace for me!
- Monday, August 7: Bike Ride | 20.2 miles | 1:22 hours | Boynton Canyon Hills, Sedona
- Tuesday, August 8: Rest Day
- Wednesday, August 9: Easy Run | 4 miles | 33:48 mins | Treadmill (The Village)
- Thursday, August 10: Fartlek Interval Run | 10 miles | 1:22 hours | Treadmill (The Village)
- Friday, August 11: Rest Day
- Saturday, August 12: Easy Run | 4 miles | 34:17 mins | Treadmill (The Village)
- Sunday, August 13: Progression Run | 16 miles | 2:12 hours | Treadmill (The Village)
Another successful week of Chicago Marathon training; about 8 weeks to go…