Dopey Training Week 10 of 18

Week 10 was a second recovery week after doing consecutive runs of 10 and 20 miles in week 8.  And I needed the second week, I still feel like I am recovering, with lingering soreness and fatigue after each run during this two-week period.

Week 10 ended with the start of a four-day travel adventure on Saturday.  I knew beforehand that I would not run during this trip.  On top of that, I had a commitment on Friday that was not going to leave me enough time for a long run.  I needed to juggle my planned runs for Week 10, which meant front loading higher mileage earlier in the week, which probably led to feeling sorer and more fatigued.

Here is how my actual mileage compared to the plan for the week starting November 6: 

Week 10

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Total

Plan

Rest

7

Rest

5

Rest

10

Rest

22

Actual

8.3

Strength

10.5

Strength

4.4

Travel

Travel

23.2

I covered 23.2 miles at an average pace of 10:48 min/mile, a little bit slower, but more or less consistent with the previous week.  The weather on Wednesday was miserable - windy and rainy.  I decided it was time to reacquaint myself with a treadmill at Planet Fitness.  This was the first time I was on a treadmill in 8 months.  It was not too bad.  Having pace, distance, and heart rate on the display in front of me allowed me to be very calculated about my run.  It also enabled me to continually increase the pace in the later miles, which probably led to more fatigue and soreness.  I am a victim of my own faults.


Now I have four days of travel adventure, which hopefully will be more like rest days, before I resume the Dopey Buildup in week 11.  I am hoping to come back with refreshed legs and more energy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Training Plan Update – Final 9 Weeks

Image
It’s the beginning of November and I just completed week 9 of 18 in my training plan.   I am half-way there (que Bon Jovi).    In week 8, I completed back-to-back runs of 10 and 20 miles.    The 20 miler was not pretty, but I completed it bringing the total mileage for week 8 to 40 miles.    Week 9 was a recovery week with a total of 22 miles. Back in the first few weeks of my plan, I shifted my schedule one week earlier starting in week 2 to sync up with the Badgerland Striders Buildup program. I have remained one week ahead through week 9.    After a difficult 20-miler in week 8, I am allowing myself two recovery weeks (22 miles total each week).    This will shift me back to the original plan I created in August.    I do feel beat up and generally fatigued.    I need to let my body heal before I begin the final stretch. To recap my evolving Dopey Training Plan, in March I created my  Long-Range Plan , back when I struggled to cover 20 miles a week.    The purpose of that plan was to
Read more

runDisney 2024 Dopey Challenge Day 4 – Marathon

Image
When I woke at 1:30 am, I was ready to go tackle the marathon.  I got up with a sense of excitement, today was the last day of the Dopey Challenge.   I knew that once I crossed that starting line, it would only be a matter of hours before I crossed the finish line and completed the runDisney Dopey Challenge. I went through my morning ritual once again.  The preparation the night before was a little more challenging because I had to include enough fuel for a 5–6-hour journey.  My FlipBelt was loaded with four Hüma gels, 3 extra servings of HEED electrolyte powder, and a dozen electrolyte capsules as well as my phone and a spare GoPro battery.  I slipped the belt on, laced up my shoes and headed out to catch the 2:30 am bus.   I ran into some friends on the bus and upon arriving in the pre-race gathering area, about 3:00am, we were able to snag an open picnic bench.  We sat and chatted about many things and before we knew it,  it was 4:00 am and time to head to the corrals.     Each of t
Read more

The End of The Long Road to Dopey

Image
It’s now almost two months after the 2024 runDisney Marathon Weekend.  And I am still amazed that my Dopey Journey has come to a end, and a successful one at that.  It’s been 4 years since I first planted the Dopey Challenge seed in my brain.  Since then we have had a pandemic that nearly shut the world down, I suffered a bout of COVID that has perhaps done permanent damage to my heart resulting in episodes of irregular heartbeat,  I retired from my lifelong career, and I suffered a hip injury that took over 6 months to recover from. In February 2020, I imagined that I could and would run an 8:30 pace for the 5K, a 9:00 pace for the 10K, a 9:30 pace for the half-marathon, and a 10:00 pace for the marathon.  I even did a test run on a treadmill where I ran a 5K and 10K back-to-back at my target paces with a short rest in between.  By the time I got to the starting line in Walt Disney World, I had added 2:30 per mile to each of my target paces.  And what I ran was even slower than that b
Read more