Schedule
- Goal Race: 3:30-4:00 Berlin
- Plan: Pfitz 18/55
Date | Day | Workout | Results |
---|---|---|---|
2025-06-02 | Monday | Rest or cross-training | Yoga and mobility drills |
2025-06-03 | Tuesday | General aerobic 16.1 km | 18.08 km @ 6:17/km |
2025-06-04 | Wednesday | Recovery 6.4km | 12.18 km @ 7:04/km |
2025-06-05 | Thursday | Lactate threshold 12.9 km w 6.4 km @ 15K to half marathon race pace (4:16-4:22/km) | 6.4 km LT @ 4:17/km Total: 16.01 km @ 5:45/km |
2025-06-06 | Friday | Rest of cross-training | Recovery 11.24 km @ 7:29/km |
2025-06-07 | Saturday | Recovery 6.4km | 11.99 km @ 7:07/km |
2025-06-08 | Sunday | Medium-long run 22.5 km | 24.06 km @ 6:11/km |
- Totals:
- Expected: 64.40 km
- Actual: 93.56 km
Thoughts
This week presented a new stimulus for me in this 18/55 journey - a long run immediately after another was intimidating given I am careful to not overwork my legs and ankles.
Anything over or equal to 16 km is a long run for me and Tuesday’s workout was one. I am always on alert for my previous posterior tibial tendon’s (PTT) flare ups immediately after a quality workout such as last Sunday’s but luckily there was none. I was able to execute the run within my Zone 2 without any problems.
The two recovery runs on Wednesday and Friday were interesting because I used my new Saucony Triumph 22s after looking for slow, protective cushioned shoes for such days. Unfortunately despite getting my preferred size of 28.5 cm, the shoes felt a bit tight on the forefoot area. The laces kept unraveling as well which added to the frustration. It wasn’t an enjoyable first impression. By Saturday’s recovery run, I switched to my Asics Superblast 2s which were the next best thing available.
Thursday
Another LT run, another day of working my feet to the best of their abilities. I started with the usual 5 km warm-up before the main block. I did five to six strides before the last 500 m as gathered from several people’s pre-race rituals.
As always I made sure the first lap was controlled to not be too fast or too slow at 4:22 and as a lesson learned from the previous LT run, I made sure to not fall off or get too comfortable in the second lap. I observed that whatever happens in the second lap dictates the rest of my performance (mostly mental motivation) so I made sure to be within the target range and a 4:16.
I was listening to my playlist and by chance it played an upbeat song I loved during the last two laps causing a last 4:12 kilometer. It was short but hard and I was glad that it was over.
I also considered that the warm-up was a bit too long where I was itching to do it after 3.2 km. I will try to experiment in future LT days to see if this is really a bit much or I need to shorten it if I feel my legs are ready enough. The cool down’s length is not a problem because I don’t usually thrash my feet after these rigorous trainings so I can still do an easy and slow run afterwards to go home.
Sunday
The longest run I have ever done was last September’s 27 km, a few Sundays before my supposed Eindhoven Half Marathon, and unfortunately I injured my ankles, the PTT to be specific, causing my first Did Not Start (DNS) record in all of my races.
I was a bit scared but I am more confident this time that I am better prepared and know when to hold back by observing the various niggles on my feet.
I decided to go to the scenic route to break away from the previous day’s repetitive paths. It was great in early mornings because there’s little to no people and cars around. I can focus on my running without too much distractions from traffic.
As usual I have two main blocks from the book: starting the 1/4 at 20% less than my target marathon pace (5:30/km) and the rest at 10% less than my MP.
I only struggled by the 18th kilometer because it was the end of my large loop and I still had 6 km left. I decided to go to a familiar route to complete the rest to keep the decreasing motivation at bay. It was a bit hard because my brain is used to seeing the 18th kilometer mark as the place where my workouts end but I had to focus because it wasn’t the case here.
Fortunately I was able to finish it with extra two kilometers because I wanted to close a solid loop in my map. I focused carefully with the foam roller massages on my legs when I got home to wrap up the week.
Overall
After three consistent weeks of not following the target totals of 18/55 with an average of 90 km, I decided that I am prepared to push it further. My main motivation was reaching this stage without any signs of overtraining both in my legs and feet and feelings of drained energy during the day.
I was still sure that I am not going to dive into 18/70 but I found a nice middle ground - an unofficial 18/63 by Aaron from thebottlefarm. It incorporates the 10 km recovery runs I already switched for rest days with some handpicked quality workouts from 18/70. I believe that I am ready for this plan so next week, we start with its fourth week in line with my current timeline.