big sur marathon training: week 1 workouts + why run hills?
35 mile week that had its ups and downs – literally, and figuratively. I fought some intense muscle tightness in my hip flexor and TFL area, which locked up my IT Band and caused some discomfort during a few runs. I know how to keep it under control and so far such measures are working – perhaps its time for a massage? In any case, I celebrated a wonderful 26th birthday with lots of food, time with those I love, and continued forth with an enjoyable week of workouts.
Speaking of highs and lows, let’s talk hills for a second. Hill training is not exclusively beneficial for races with a lot of undulation: uphill and downhill repetitions give all runners an edge in their training. Inclines are certainly hard, but the payoffs include:
- Improved strength and explosive power
- Increased speed – hills are known as “speed training in disguise” since they provide copious aerobic stimulation, even at easy efforts
- Less impact on the joints
- More efficient stride and increased foot turnover
- Helps increase aerobic capacity, which benefits endurance and fatigue resistance
- Training variety makes workouts fly by
Of course, racing Big Sur is an incentive for plugging short and long hill repeats into my schedule. If I stick to flats and ignore the inclines, my legs are going to be rotten by 10K. I’m also one of those few who really loves hills as a method of speedwork. 400m and 800m intervals tend to bore me, but trotting up bridges offers stimuli enough to occupy my mind during the run and increase my weekly volume without overloading myself.
On with the workouts! How was your week in running?
Monday, 12/30: 8.52 miles, 9:08 pace: Birthday run!
A new age and a new training cycle commenced on this day. I formed a rather casual workout out of numbers correlating with the occasion (26, my age, and 12/30) but tried still to keep it relevant to marathon training. After a 3.8 mile warmup, I performed 2 x 6 min at 10K effort (8:11 & 8:07) with 3 minutes recovery between, then 1 x mile just above half marathon effort (8:41) with 2 minutes recovery, and finished with a 3 minute fast interval averaging 7:42 before a 1 mile cooldown to a coffee shop, where I met J! The weather was sweltering and humid but the workout went well, aside from a HUGE knot that formed in my IT band area. I rolled for about 10 minutes once I got home and started the day’s celebrations, beginning with a veggie egg scramble and chocolate chip pancakes.
Tuesday, 12/31: 5.28 miles, 9:47 pace
Much nicer temperatures outside, a beautiful sunrise, but the nagging quad knot hung around for the run. I loosened enough after mile two to complete the miles, but I’m quite annoyed with the muscle, particularly because it feels like such a surface pain that I could simply roll it out and be done. I did just that after the workout.
Wednesday, 1/1: 20 min easy elliptical + 35 min strength
Happy New Year! Started 2020 with a short gym session and less heavy weights than I’ve been using. Considering I’m not so keen on constant soreness as my mileage picks up, more functional training will be my go-to: lots of stability ball, resistance band, and explosive power moves. The workout went nicely and as follows:
- Circuit: 4 rounds of 8 reps each: deadlift, goblet squat, kneeling one-armed shoulder press, balanced single-arm row. Rest as needed
- 3 laps (about 10 reps per side) banded weighted monster walks with jump
- 3 x 20 explosive hip flexions
- 3 x 10 side plank leg lifts (per side)
- 3 x 15 stability ball bridge with :30-:60 bridge hold after each set
- 3 x 10 weighted Warrior-stance hinges
- 5 min cooldown stretch
Thursday, 1/2: 11.08 miles, 9:27 pace
Entirely new running outfit and perfect early conditions for a double digit adventure. I’d imagine I ran this faster than is warranted for a long run, but I went purely by feel and kept the watch on clock the whole time: I was rather surprised when I looked down and saw a 9:20 mile! Hip felt a bit tight but not unmanageable – I’ll just have to keep up with the self active release work until it dissolves completely.
Friday, 1/3: 4.24 miles, 9:15 pace + 20 min strength
A rather warm afternoon but I could not slow down on this run! Quick lifting session rounded out training for the day.
- 3 x 30 banded clamshells
- 10 180-degree jump squats with medicine ball
- 3 x 12 banded squats with step out
- 10 180-degree jump squats with medicine ball
- 3 x 12 plank step outs
- 10 180-degree jump squats with medicine ball
- 3 x 10 bicep curls
- 3 x 20 weighted lunge pulses
- 6 min cooldown stretch
Saturday, 1/4: 2.2 mile treadmill walk
Took an easy day and loped around indoors for 35 minutes. I intend to set aside one day per week of gentle active recovery OR total rest, and today a short stroll sounded pleasant. I maintained a speed of 3.8-4 mph and a modest set of inclines for variety.
Sunday, 1/5: 6.58 miles, 9:07 pace – hill intervals
Drove myself to a trail about 20 minutes from home to use the pedestrian bridge as a “hill” for some repeats. I ran a 2.7 mile warmup, then followed with 5 x :45 uphill hard efforts with a 1:30 downhill recovery after each. Clocked in at 7:15, 7:22, 7:15, 7:04, and 6:57 for the reps. Cooldown lasted 2.55 miles. On a day as crisp as this, it’s hard not to enjoy the water views and a noticeable but not too harsh crosswind. A new-to-me pair of Pro Compression socks certainly helps the motivation factor!
Total Mileage: 35.7
I am a ProCompression ambassador, but all opinions about the brand are my own. I do not receive commission for anything I write about Pro – I truly just love them! Read here for more information about compression socks and why they are so beneficial for runners.
