Monday, July 5, 2010

Week 3 of Chicago Marathon Training is Complete

I just completed week 3 of my 17 week Chicago Marathon training program.  Great week, my knees are getting much better, and there is no question that cross training has actually helped my running and my body feels much less fatigued running only 4 days a week.  Overall, I got in 7 workouts in 6 days, swimming twice (once on Monday morning and again Monday night, trying to get some swim time in as my first triathlon approaches), running 4 times, and cycling once (62 miles).  My first triathlon is this Wednesday, and I'm definitely nervous about the swim.

My average heart rate definitely came down over the week, as my fitness improved.  It was extremely hot in New York City all week (99 today), with all of my workouts being done in the 80-90 degree area (even at 7:30am).  My goal has been to run slower, but my times below don't reflect that (even though my runs were all very easy this week), as I think my cross training has helped to get me in better shape and therefore reduce my average heart rate.

Here is a summary of my workouts for the week:

Monday Morning- Swam 1 mile in 40 minutes

Monday Night - Swam half a mile in 19 minutes

Tuesday - Ran 4 miles on the bridal path at a pace of 8:23 per mile, average heart rate 157

Wednesday - Ran 5.13 miles around the Central Park loop at a pace of 8:36 per mile, average heart rate 148.

Thursday - Ran 4.5 miles on the bridal path at a pace of 8:09 per mile, average heart rate 159

Friday - Off.  I didn't realize it until I look at my workout log, but I had worked out for the last 15 days in a row and 20 of the last 21 days.  My swimming and cycling workouts are MUCH easier than running, so those almost feel like off days from a body fatigue standpoint.

Saturday -cycled 62 miles over the GW bridge, up River Road in New Jersey (which is extremely hilly and tough), up 9W, back down 9W, down River Road, and down the west side of Manhattan.  Total miles 62.32, average heart rate 142, max heart rate 169, average speed 16.3 miles per hour (we were pushing, even on the hills), average cadence (74, getting better), 4,523 feet of elevation gain (i.e. very hilly), 3 hours 50 minutes for the entire bike ride.  Best of all - I learned how to stand up on the bike while hill climbing, something I couldn't do last week.  I've only had my bike a month now, and I've done a long ride each weekend (24 miles, 41 miles, 52 miles, and 62 miles).  I definitely plan on going less miles this weekend! Check out the Garmin Stats from my bike ride here

Sunday - Ran 9.05 miles, average pace 8:43 per mile, average heart rate 149.  It was very hot, so I went out very, very easy.  I was surprised at my pace, as my goal was to be in the 9:00-9:30 range.  I forced myself to go slower and take it easy, and therefore felt great after the run. Garmin Stats for my 9 mile run

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