Training Log: Rock’n’Roll USA Half Marathon (Week 3)

Hopefully this will be my last “training log” post summarizing a week where I hardly did any training for the Rock’n’Roll USA Half Marathon (Washington, D.C., March 17, 2012).

My “excuse” this week was a business trip to London. Yes, I did select my hotel based in part on it’s decent gym, but it was hard to get up for an o’dark-thirty workout when my body thought it was the middle of the night!

Monday (Travel Day)
I arrived in London mid-morning, with only a few hours of dozing to count for sleep. The guy in the seat behind me was very tall, and I could not recline my seat at all. After I checked in to my hotel I did scope out the hotel gym, but I had an afternoon business meeting to get ready for.

Tuesday (Hotel TM)
Treadmill: 45 min, 6K
I spent the first 1K warming up (walking and running) and then ran 5K, first at 6.0 mph, then at 6.3 mph. I felt better than I did last week, but not “better.” The rest of the day I felt “tight” in my ITB/hip/glute area.

Wednesday (Hotel Elliptical)
Elliptical: 30 min
Weights: 15 min quick routine
I cranked up my iPod and cranked out a decent elliptical workout–I broke a sweat and everything! Then I squeezed in a quick weights workout covering the essentials (deadlifts, military presses, push-ups, lunges, bicep curls, plie squats, French presses).

Thursday (Zzzzz)
I forgot to set my alarm and woke up just in time to get ready for my conference meetings. A conference call back to the U.S. and dinner plans meant I could not hit the gym later. Oh, well. Sleep happens!

Friday (Hotel TM)
Treadmill: 1 mile warm-up (12:30); 4 mile run (37:40); walking cool down
I woke up before the two alarms I had set, and decided to hit the gym early. It was totally dark when I got off the hotel elevator on the basement level–I used the glow of my iPod Nano to light the way to the gym. (They do take energy conservation seriously!)

Saturday (Home Sweet Home Run)
Just an easy neighborhood run with Tiger Lilly. She did great. Sometimes my ITB(?) felt really tight; sometimes it didn’t.

Garmin Data:
Total Distance: 4.34 miles
Total Time: 42:12
Avg. Pace: 9:44 min/mile
Split Times: 9:54, 9:45; 9:39; 9:45

Sunday (Bike Path)
I felt good after Saturday’s run and was itching for a run on the bikepath, so I brought my running clothes with me to church and changed in my car. I kept myself to 6 miles since it was my third running day in a row. Today my “issue” was definitely more in my glute than my ITB, and wasn’t too annoying.

Garmin Data:
Total Distance: 6.05 miles
Total Time: 55:00
Avg. Pace: 9:07 min/mile
Split Times: 9:09, 9:09; 9:19; 8:57; 9:05; 9:00