Post-TOU Training and Big Races for the Fall

I took a day off after the TOU Marathon, and then the next three weeks have looked like this:

At first glance it looks like the worst post-marathon recovery period ever designed, but like I said after the race - I wasn't running all-out, and I wouldn't have been able to train like this afterwards if I had. I realize its sort of walking a fine line and a risky move to "train through" a marathon, but I might have pulled it off.

Week #1 after the marathon was just very easy running and a lot of time spent stretching and in the hot tub - keeping the muscles loose. Six days after the marathon I did a short track workout (400s in 68s and 200s in 33s) just to wake my legs back up a little. A nice 15 miler at Jeremy Ranch with the high school team was a great way to cap off that week.

Alta High School XC

Week #2 after TOU re-incorporated some workouts (6 mile tempo at 5:09 avg, and 5K tempo at 5:01 avg) and a long run up in Park City. My mileage for the week got about as high as I've gotten all year.

Long Run in Park City

Week #3 after TOU, things really start to click. I started off the week with a 8 mile MP tempo (5:17 avg), then a few days later knocked out a big session of mile repeats (10 x 1 at 4:57 avg), and capped off the week by doing a 23 mile long run with 10 miles under 5:30 pace at the end. This was actually the first week I've been over 140 miles all year (after doing it a lot, too much, last year).

Right now I'm 8 weeks out from CIM, and I'm excited about the challenges of the training (and the possibilities of where it might take me) over the next couple months. A few of my friends in SLC (low 2:20 guys) are also running CIM, so we're trying to do workouts together when possible as we all move towards a common goal.

But first up, in three short weeks, is the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon. The race has put together an excellent field of runners who are trying to dip under the Olympic Trials standard of 1:05:00.

As I mentioned in my summer training recap, over the next two months I'm going to continue to focus on the big workouts and take extra recovery days between those harder sessions. In an ideal world, I'll turn myself into a marathon machine... who can also pop off a fast half in early November.