Week 1 Recap - We're Breaking Three!
- Hailey
- Feb 4, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Feb 10
Hi! And welcome to the very first installment of the weekly recaps for We're Breaking Three. I am so glad that you are here. Before we really get into the nitty gritty details of it all, I'd like to lead with an essential reminder. What you are going to find during these recaps is a realistic look at what marathon training can look like. This is not the only way to train and this is not the training that I would recommend to anyone else. For We're Breaking Three, I have customized a training plan based on my level of experience, current fitness, and goals. We aren't all the same and, speaking from experience, following training programs that are not well-suited for you is a recipe for disaster. Personally, this resulted in me being over-exhausted and under-performing. If you are in search of a training plan for a marathon, make sure that you find one that fits you. So please, enjoy the experience of We're Breaking Three with me, but do what is best for you in your own running journey.
The Tour
I'd like to show you around a little bit. Just imagine that I'm Tour Guide Barbie and you've just stepped into my Dream House, except I'm a brunette with running shoes and a semi-sweaty t-shirt and my Dream House is painted blue, not pink, and features a treadmill and lots of dogs. Can you see it in your mind's eye? You can? Great, follow me!
First things first, let's step into the foyer and go over the basics. As with any good house tour, I first want to introduce you to the most important information. I'm talking bedrooms, bathrooms, and the square footage. On this tour, there are seven bedrooms, one for each day of the week, each section labelled accordingly down below. Inside each one, you will find all of the unique details that were crafted just for that bedroom. The Wednesday room may be painted a bright yellow because that was the day of my speed workout, while the Saturday room definitely features a king size bed because I'm going to need that after running my long run that day. Every bedroom, or day of the week rather, will include all of the relevant details for that specific day. You can find information about the prescribed workout, distance, time, average pace, and splits, when applicable. If you are looking for the juicy details, I suggest taking a peak into the closets of each of these rooms. You just might find a short summary of the day's workout, explaining the ups, downs, and all arounds of how that run went. And yes, some go much better than others.
Continuing on in our tour, we are going to skip the bathrooms because, well, I honestly think that we are all better off without a running metaphor for those. However, I would LOVE to tell you about the square footage of my Dream House. You can find the week's data in the "Overview" section, including my weekly mileage, as well as what phase of my marathon build I am in.
Now, if you would please follow me into the dining room, I will dish out some more key information. At the end of each recap, you will find a weekly summary. This is where I will specify the highs and lows, the things that went well and the ones that need altering in the future. Growth is fueled by reflection and a plan. Therefore, each week I will walk you through that process of honest evaluation and adaptation for the following week's training.
Ah, last but not least, we have come to my favorite part of the tour! *Flings a set of French doors open, revealing a sprawling patio bathed in glorious sunlight. The pool!!! And by pool, of course I mean the rating system that I devised specifically for We're Breaking Three. Again, I love a theme and I will stick to it, no matter how ridiculous. If something brings you joy, who cares how silly it is! Anyways, this rating system uses iconic elements from High School Musical instead of numbers. Each day will receive an individual rating from one to five, boring I know. But, I will then use that data to rate the week as a whole. I like to think of it as a step ladder, on which I am just trying to "Bop to the Top."
Final Thoughts
Well, there you have it. Thank you so much for joining me on this tour. I do hope I played a good tour guide, though my voice probably wasn't as perky as Barbie's would've been. Oh well, you get what you pay for around here and, ahem, this blog is free to read so what did you really expect?
Enjoy this week's training recap below! And be sure to head on over to @imhaileymorgan on Instagram to see this week's Reel. There may even be a couple seconds of dog footage in it, which makes it worth the watch.
Best wishes!
Hailey
Subscribe to our newsletter! Click the button to sign up now!
Follow us on social media!
Sunday - January 28th, 2024
Prescribed Workout: 5 miles @ recovery pace (8:27-9:09/mi)
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 45:48
Avg. Pace: 8:43/mi
Route: local bike path
Rating: 3 out of 5
Summary: This run was okay, pretty meh. Honestly, it went about how I expected it to go. The day before I ran a half marathon time trial and I could feel the impact of that during this run. My left hip was a bit tight, which, although annoying, served as a great reminder about the importance of stretching.
Monday - January 29th, 2024
Prescribed Workout: 9 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi)
Distance: 9 miles
Time: 1:12:22
Avg. Pace: 8:02/mi
Route: neighborhoods & local bike path
Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary: This run was pretty good. I felt in control the whole time and the weather was beautiful. Then, you add in the fact that I got to run the last mile with Maple, my dog, and it all added up to a good day. My legs felt much better and the tightness in my hip had decreased. Stretching is important. Who knew?
Tuesday - January 30th, 2024
Prescribed Workout: 8 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi) w/ last mile at an incline
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1:06:49
Avg. Pace: 8:21/mi
Route: treadmill
Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary: This was my first time including specific hill training into my regimen in a very long time. Hills are something that I have neglected in the past, instead opting to just run up hills fueled by pure guts, tenacity, and a wee little prayer. Admittedly, that wasn't my best choice, but at least I'm honest and I'm working on it. Hence, the hill work during this run. I took it to the treadmill today to ensure that I got a decent climb in for that final mile. There is a pretty nasty looking hill on the Rock'n'Roll course in the final few miles of the race. And by "nasty" I mean that it's over a mile long, starts at mile 22 in a marathon (yikes!), and is at an average grade of 2.7%. Ideal conditions for a sub-3 hr attempt? Ehh, not really, but I've researched the course and I'm training, physically and mentally for this specific challenge. It won't make the hill any easier, but it will help make me tougher. With all of this "hill stuff" in mind, I started the final mile of this workout at a 3% grade and increased it gradually to end at a 5% grade. Also, I kept the pace the same as the previous miles, which were all run at 8:21/mi. Shockingly, it didn't feel as bad as I was expecting it to. Which was very exciting because I knew I had more hill work scheduled for later in the week. Wahoo!
Wednesday - January 31st, 2024
Prescribed Workout: 7 miles speed workout
Workout Description: 2mi warmup + 4x1K repeats @ 6:15 w/ 1 min rests + 2.5mi cooldown
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 53:23
Avg. Pace: 7:38/mi
Route: treadmill then neighborhood w/ Maple
Rating: 5 out of 5
Summary: Wow! This run felt fantastic. I was nervous before I started because 6:15/mi is intimidating for me. It has only been fairly recently that I've started to push my pace again during workouts, so 6:15/mi felt on the edge of my comfort zone. I decided to draw on the success I've experienced in recent workouts at similar paces and just went for it. I am so glad that I did because this workout far exceeded my expectations. I ran the first 5mi on the treadmill, in order to keep the faster paces honest, but I ran the last 2mi outside with Maple. All in all, I couldn't have asked for more.
Here are my splits:
Mile 1: 9:05/mi
Mile 2: 9:05/mi
Repeat 1: 6:15/mi
Repeat 2: 6:15/mi
Repeat 3: 6:11/mi
Repeat 4: 5:57/mi
Last 2.5mi: 7:45/mi avg
Thursday - February 1st, 2024
Prescribed Workout: 8 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi) w/ last mile at an incline
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1:04:10
Avg. Pace: 8:01/mi
Route: treadmill
Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary: This run was the same prescribed workout as Tuesday. Given how well Tuesday went, I decided to challenge myself further. This was a calculated decision, knowing that I was only going to push slightly harder. I'm aiming for growth, not injury. I ran 8:01/mi pace the entire time. For the final mile, I started at a 3% grade and ended at a 6% grade. This run was faster than Tuesday's by about 20 seconds/mi and the grade was steeper for longer. I want to make sure that I can handle steeper hills than the average grade of the major hill in the marathon course.
Friday - February 2nd, 2024
Prescribed Workout: 6 miles @ easy pace (7:22-8:21/mi)
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 48:09
Avg. Pace: 7:59/mi
Route: treadmill & neighborhood with Maple
Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary: This run was very enjoyable. I kept the pace reserved and it felt good after a few harder days of training earlier in the week. Maple and I soaked up a little bit of sunshine during our one mile run together and it felt wonderful. Overall, this run was pretty unremarkable, just some good, quality easy miles.
Saturday - February 3rd, 2024
Prescribed Workout: 12 miles @ easy pace (7:25-8:41/mi) w/ a later mile at an incline
Distance: 12 miles
Time: 1:34:20
Avg. Pace: 7:52/mi
Route: treadmill & neighborhood with Maple
Rating: 5 out of 5
Summary: This run was wonderful. I watched the Olympic Marathon Trials this morning and was inspired by the incredible athletes that competed in them. I ran the first 11 miles on the treadmill, starting at an 8:00/mi pace and then started progressing the pace at mile 6 until I finished the eleventh mile at 7:24/mi. For the eleventh mile, I also put the incline at a 3% grade. This is something that I plan to incorporate into most, if not all, of my long runs during this marathon build. Armed with the knowledge that there is a supposedly grueling hill in the later stages of my goal race, I want to prepare for that in any way I can. Therefore, I have decided to incorporate long duration hill training (approx. 1-2mi long) towards the end of my long runs. I want to train my body and my mind to successfully run uphill for an extended period of time, while keeping a consistent pace, on tired legs. I capped off this run with a mile outside with Maple.
Overview
Training Phase: Preparation Phase
Training Block: General Conditioning
Total Distance: 55 miles
Summary: Overall, I think this week went really, really well. I was nervous going into it because I have not completed a quality marathon training cycle in quite a while. I spent most of last year training for my 50 miler and than having a series of sub-par running months after that. Coming off of a build for a half marathon time trial, I felt more confident and consistent in my running, but didn't know how I would feel transitioning into a marathon program. Turns out, I felt awesome! Running shorter distances at faster speeds for a few weeks really helped me get back into completing speed workouts, which is reassuring.
Highs: 1) hitting my pace goals during my speed workout, 2) enjoying the sunshine outside with Maple.
Lows: 1) the tightness in my left hip that I felt at the start of the week
Things that went well: 1) incorporating hill work into my runs, 2) drawing inspiration from other runners.
Things that I will be altering in the future: 1) incorporating a more consistent stretching routine into my program, 2) completing a dynamic warmup before starting to run
Rating:
Wow! This is a really strong start! As I move into Week 2, I'm going to focus on making the adjustments that I noted above and keeping this momentum going. I will continue to challenge myself, but also be mindful of how my body, mind, heart, and soul are feeling. After all, a marathon is run with all four of those components, so I need to take care of them.
Subscribe to our newsletter! Click the button to sign up now!
Follow us on social media!
Comentarios