The first training week of my preparation for the half marathon and marathon is over.
Read the report on each individual preparation day here:
The first day of preparation for the marathon and half marathon
The second and third days of preparation for the marathon and half marathon
The fourth and fifth days of preparation for the marathon and half marathon
Today I will talk about the final 2 days of preparation and draw conclusions throughout the week.
Sixth day. Saturday. Recreation
Saturday was chosen as a day of rest. It is imperative, no matter how many times a week you train, one day should be done with a full rest. This is an essential element of recovery. Without this day, overwork is inevitable.
Moreover, it is best that it be the same day every week.
Seventh day. Sunday. Interval work. Recovery Basics.
An interval training session at the stadium was scheduled for Sunday. The task was to run 10 intervals of 3.15 kilometer after 400 meters of easy running.
In principle, training is already familiar to me. In the summertime, I did this kind of interval work, only with rest between 200 meter intervals, so the task seemed quite feasible given the increased rest time.
However, this time the task could not be completed even by 50 percent. There are many reasons.
Firstly, the body has just begun to be drawn into such a training regime, so it does not have time to fully recover from previous loads. This is the main reason.
Secondly, the weather was windy. Moreover, the wind was so strong that when I ran a kilometer stretch and reached 100 meters downwind, it overcame it in 18 seconds, when I ran 100 meters, where the wind was blowing in my face, then in 22 seconds, and with great difficulty.
Thirdly, the relatively large number of clothes, compared to the summer version, when only shorts and a T-shirt are worn, as well as training sneakers, which weigh 300 grams each, while the competition ones weigh no more than 160 grams, also made their own adjustments.
As a result, I made only 6 segments of 3.20 each. The legs are "wooden". They did not want to run away at all. And the fatigue accumulated over the week affected the result. Therefore, instead of 10 segments at 3.15, I made only 6 at 3.20. Terribly dissatisfied with the workout, but I reasonably think that there were reasons for this.
In the evening, it was necessary to run 15 km at a slow pace for 4.20 minutes per kilometer.
However, even here I was not lucky. It started to snow towards evening. This would not have been a problem if it had not been for the fact that the outside temperature was above zero, and the snow fell about 5 centimeters. As a result, a terrible snow porridge formed, on which it is impossible to walk or run. And taking into account the fact that I live in a private sector, where the nearest asphalt is only a kilometer from my house, then this kilometer would have to run not only over the snow, but also over the terrible mud.
Of course, from time to time you have to run on this kind of snow, especially in spring, when there is such a mess for a week or even two. But this time I didn't see any sense in it. Taking into account my morning workout, I decided that this was a reason to take additional rest, as I felt that I was not getting a full recovery.
Looking ahead, since I am writing this report after the first training session on Monday, I will say that the rest was beneficial. The training session was excellent both in terms of well-being and results. Therefore, if you understand that you are tired both mentally and physically, then sometimes it is worth making yourself some additional rest. This will only be a plus. But this does not mean that such rest should be done in case of any signs of fatigue. Only as a last resort.
Conclusion on the first training week
The first training week was rated “good”.
Completed the entire stated program, except for one day. The total mileage was 120 kilometers, of which 56 was tempo work, and the rest was recovery running or running at an average pace.
Interval work caused the most difficulties. The best workout, in my opinion, was the 15 km tempo cross.
The tasks remain the same next week. I haven't changed the program for two more weeks. But a slight increase in total mileage and uphill intervals is needed. So next week's goal is 140 km total, and an increase in interval work of about 10 percent each workout.
P.S. My training week consists of 11 workouts. That is, I practice 2 times a week. This does not mean that results can be achieved only with this amount of training. The optimal number of workouts per week is 5. All those who left Reviews after achieving the desired results in running, training according to the program that I made for them, did 4, 5, maximum 6 times a week. Therefore, I can safely say that it is quite possible to reach the 3rd grade if you practice only 5 times a week.
