Skip to main content

London Marathon: Week 8 and 9

The past two weeks have gone excellent! I increased my iron intake (which was low a few weeks ago) and have been able to hit some key workouts since. Looking back to my previous training workouts, the 16mile tempo was over 90 seconds faster than I did it in 2014. I've made significant improvements even within this block as I averaged 5:12 for the 3x3 miles on Feb 25, then 5:15 for the 3x4 miles on March 25 and now 5:09 pace for last week's 3x5 mile (April 9). The 3x5 mile MP interval set was the fastest I have ever averaged for any MP intervals. In 2014 I was able to manage 5:15 pace for 4x4 miles and ended up having a great race 3 weeks later. With all the reps, I've also payed close attention to my average and max HR to make sure I'm not over training and staying within my aerobic ranges. I've kept my AHR around 158 for most of the intervals and tempos. Looking ahead, in the next week, I will take a bit easier on training as there really isn't much fitness that can be gained in the final 2 weeks leading up to race day. The focus will shift to maintaining current fitness and freshening up all systems for race day. I will put a bit more emphasis on making sure I'm getting the proper recovery (sleep, nutrition, PT, massages etc) and paying close attention to all little things. Thanks for reading and your continued support.

Week 8
Mar 28  Mon AM 5 miles PM 13 miles + normatec recovery
Mar 29 Tue AM  5 miles PM off (rest)
Mar 30  Wed AM 5 miles   PM 14 miles w/ 1-2-3 fartlek (On at 5:00/mile, Off at 7:00 per mile), 1:26min
Mar 31 Thu AM 5 miles 29:49 PM 14 miles (1:28)
Apr 1 Fri AM off (rest) PM 5 miles
Apr 2 Sat  AM 5 miles  PM 18 miles w/ 16 mile Tempo at Marathon Pace (1:23:21/5:12.5 per mile) 5:20-5:20-5:19-5:19-5:18-5:18-5:15-5:16-5:15-5:14-5:11-5:08-5:05-5:03-5:01-5:00 , AHR = 158
Apr 3 Sun  AM 10 miles (63min) PM 12 miles (1:17min)
TOTAL 111 miles


Week 9
Apr 4  Mon AM 5 miles PM 10 miles
Apr 5  Mon AM 5 miles PM 10 miles
Apr 6  Wed AM Physical Therapy PM 13 miles w/ 10 miles of uptempo (6:09-5:49-5:42-5:52-5:31 = 29:04) straight into 5 mile tempo (4:50-4:53-4:56-4:56-4:51 = 24:29) via GPS, AHR =159, MaxHR  = 180
Apr 7 Thu AM 5 miles (31:43) PM 14 miles (1:36)
Apr 8 Fri AM 5 miles PM 5 miles
Apr 9 Sat  AM 5 miles (31:29) PM 20 miles (1:49:47) w/ 3x5miles at Marathon Pace, 
AHR = 159, MaxHR = 169
5 mile (5:19-5:16-5:15-5:12-5:10=26:12)
1 mile recovery (5:51)
5 mile (5:16-5:13-5:11-5:08-5:04=25:51)
1 mile recovery (5:51)
5 mile (5:12-5:07-5:05-5:02-5:00=25:25)
Apr 10  Sun AM 
off (rest)  PM19 miles as easy as possible (2:15min, AHR = 128bpm) + normatec recovery
TOTAL 116 miles  


Pictures from past 2 weeks:


 Tested out the full uniform (shorts and singlet)I will wear in London to see how it holds up with sweating and chaffing. I was very pleased, thank you Brooks!


Physical Therapy at Pinnacle, continuing to do the little things to stay healthy



Comments

  1. Delighted that I found your site, fantastic info. I will bookmark and try to visit more frequently.
    workout clothing

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Ruben! Sounds like things are going well. Now that your tapering and have extra energy don't start doing batting cages or cleaning the roof or anything else like that. Man I haven't been the same since putting up with this runner lady who stalks me from blog to blog just because I like to mix it up a lil on my comment posts. I could post a comment on a running blog in New Zealand and she would find out somehow and greet me by saying my "real name." Ruben.....she is crazier than me but she is just so so so so so very good at hiding it. And she is very, very, very, very mean and if she could have me dead she would throw a party. I am not mean. I love all runners. One must accept all runners. But when I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat from a nightmare thinking that she is at my door it just gives me the total creeps. Swear to God on my Daughter's life that happenned. So now I am just one boring paranoid comment writer who can't have any more fun. It stinks. Really does. All I know is that this lady could drink 20 beers at 11:00 p.m. and at 5:00 a.m. she could get out of bed and go for a 20 mile run at just over a 7 minute pace. God damn it. I am not going to say her name but it's FACT. Yes she can. I am not stupid. I read her blog. When a female can do that it means that she could also get very, very, very, very, very, upset and angry and go totally crazy house on an individual. She is also a genius at making other runners think that I am hatchet Harry. But at the same time she laughs at me, goes ha, ha, ha, and calls me a complete wimp. She knows I am not mean one bit and completely harmless. She is really very, very smart. She knows I like to have fun and joke. It really stinks so now I am just a boring old blogger. I am sorry. I will never be the same because if I joke a lot sometimes I get a lil manic and just pour too much of my ignorant and goofy stuff on. This runner wants to wipe me off the map. Sorry Ruben! That's why I haven't been commenting much because if I get a lil too carried away and say something really, really, really goofy there will be repruccussions. Just got really, really incredibly tired of it all. I never even got a speeding ticket before and I never did anything criminal and I never touched drugs and never been drunk before and she wants me dead. Sorry Ruben. Take care. Your running well and your on top of your game. Great work! Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Ruben, sorry I went on and on and on but this lady set me up good. She posted permanent stuff on me so that when you google my name it sounds like I am hatchet Harry. I joke a lot but I wouldn't post permanent stuff like that about her or my worst enemy. She has a photo of her on one of her posts that shows her firing a gun at beer cans with my name below. She could care less. She won't take it down unless I never make one more comment on "ANY RUNNING BlOG" ever again. Prisoners have more options than me. Is she serious? Let it go lady already. What is she thinking? Ruben, I am not even mad one bit at her. I believe it's the only thing she knows. I am stunned. But the real problem is that I totally believe it helps her sleep at night. Honest to God. That is scary. What do we have here? All because I went on her blog and commented a "care bear" approach to help her run faster and flirt a lil. That was very, very, very stupid of me. I thought 99.9% of runners were free spirited. They actually are. That's it. I'm tired. Stay healthy Ruben.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Ruben, sometimes when a runner tapers the person starts getting a lot of energy back and you may want to hit the weights hard. Be careful. Probably not telling you something that you don't already know but it's sure better when I'm blabbing and not causing a boatload of trouble. Stay healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Ruben, Only the Best of luck! That MP run a while back was especially nice. It was a great run. You got it in at the right time. When you go to London try to go with similar foods that you usually eat. It doesn't stress the body as much. Your the same physical runner that ran that very fast Boston time a year ago. If your on your game like you usually are in big races you will get it done. Take care

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ruben I hate to do it but I have to because things could get a lil crazy and out of hand soon on this blog after you finish London. People need to know right now that this is a high security zone with me in charge. #1 Nobody will be permitted to comment under the influence of alcohol. #2 The word "Cheers" is not allowed. #3 No Craft beer drinkers are allowed to comment ever.#4 No runners who claims to be mountain alpacas or mountain lions or or mountain llamas or who knows what else is going on up in the mountains to the north are allowed to comment. This blog isn't about getting all fired up because your running up and down mountains all day. This is about pounding the miles on pavement. So I got everything secured and ready. We are taking this very seriously Ruben. It has been nice and peaceful and quiet in here. It gonna stay that way! Care.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sorry Ruben. You put a lot of work into that race. No one can out work you that is for sure. If you can get into some schedule were your running 5k and ten 10k races to keep you sane from boredom and a ten miler once in a blue moon and then hit a marathon while staying healthy 2:17 could happen soon. Then more work! I will shut my mouth now. The most important thing is you got out of that medical tent. Faster times can come. Very fast times Ruben. Your as tough as they come. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Ruben, haha nice job at that Westford 10k! Moulton has been running those 7:30 miles on the treadmill for years. Sounds like the perfect pace to heal old injuries and muscle fibers. Maybe one day he will make a comeback because he was really fast. And if I was him now I would go to fun runs and small bar races ( I sincerely and truly don't drink but have had great success myself )once in a while just to crush people. He would have to be inconsistent though because up and coming runners would sure like a chance, haha.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 2016 New Bedford Half Marathon Results: Ruben Sanca vs.Nate Jenkins
    www.espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/13713188

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sanca, UMass Lowell, Phi Slama Jama,asphalt

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Total Pageviews