Dopey Training Week 11 of 18

Week 11 started with the last two days of a 4-day travel adventure which saw us on our feet for hours on end touring our nation’s capital. I did not come back with refreshed legs as I had hoped.  But that is probably how I am going to feel after traveling to Orlando and attending the runDisney Expo the day before the Dopey Challenge begins.

Here is how my actual mileage compared to the plan for the week starting November 13:

Week 11

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thurs

Fri

Sat

Sun

Total

Plan

7

Rest

Rest

5

8

18

Rest

38

Actual

Travel

Travel

3.2

6.4

13.3

18.1

Rest

41

Since I missed Monday’s planned 7-miler, I tried to make up for it by adding a 5K on Wednesday, extending Thursday’s 5-miler to a 10K and stretching Friday’s 8-miler to a half-marathon. We had a batch of nice weather for mid-November, and I thought I should take advantage of it. I was also curious to see how I would feel after running the full distances for the first three days of Dopey.

 

My average pace for the 5K was 10:14 per mile, for the 10K was 10:11 per mile, for the half-marathon was 11:14 per mile, for the 18-miler was 13:23 per mile and my average for the 4 days was 11:57 per mile.  The difference in pace between 13-mile and 18-mile runs should not be that great, over 2 minutes per mile.  That’s an indication that I burned myself out on the first three days.  For the next Dopey Simulation, I need to go slower, perhaps walk more, on the first three days.

 

Now I have two days of recovery followed quickly by the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, perhaps an excuse for additional recovery days.  The next Dopey Simulation is week 13.  In week 11, I achieved an important milestone, though ahead of schedule.  For week 13, I am going to dial it back and stick to the plan.  

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