250 Squat to a Sub 2:50 Marathon - A Change of Plans

Amsterdam Marathon: 2 Weeks Out

Last week finished with 71 miles (my highest mileage week ever). My 20 easy miles on Sunday saw a slight drop in HR, which was great, but nothing to write home about. At this point I was still very much of the opinion that Amsterdam would probably be a write off, or, a productive training run. 

On Monday morning my HRV peaked out at 54 and my RHR had plummeted. For the first of my 2 easy runs, I ran 10km at 5:38 per k with an avg 125bpm HR. 11bpm lower than when I last ran this route. The second run was exactly the same pace, but, HR came out at 132bpm. So good progress, but not a return to normal.

Tuesday morning my RHR dropped back into the 40’s for the first time. I hoped this would pay off in the session that I had been set. 

4 x 10 minutes off 2 mins jog recovery on the treadmill. The first and third sets were to be run 5-10bpm higher than marathon pulse and the second and fourth at marathon pulse. I completely miscalculated the first. My intended marathon pace to go under 2:50 is 4 mins per k, so, I figured 3:55 per k would be enough to push me at least 5 beats higher than marathon pulse. Turns out it got to between 158-160bpm - very slightly under marathon pulse. I decided to stick with 3:55 per k for the second rep. HR remained unchanged. On the third rep, I pushed to 3:50 per k. This brought my HR to between 164-166bpm. My threshold is 165bpm. Honestly, I was blown away. I assumed running my marathon pace would send my HR to at least 165bpm. 

Who knows what this means for Amsterdam. The only way to tell would have been to do the session outside. 

The following day I headed out for 12 recovery miles. Avg HR of 128bpm at a 5:23 per k pace. This run has a couple of hundred metres of elevation which always knocks my pace back a little, but compared to the exact same run just one week ago where my pace was 7 seconds slower and my HR 8bpm higher, this was another confidence booster for sure.

Thursday was 10 miles easy followed by a day off on Friday… to carb load for my final long run session.

According to the latest research, a carb load should be 1-2 days at most, shooting for (in my case) 800-1000g of carbs. Minimal fibre and fat, which is not as fun as it sounds.

My breakfast was 2 bagels with honey - no butter - plus 2 bananas and a carb drink. Snacks were rice cakes with jam (gross) and meals were more bagels and high carb, low fat cereal with skimmed milk. Carbs without fat are rarely fun and I detested every meal on this day, but, hoped it would pay off the next day.

Turns out that it didn’t feel like it made any difference whatsoever. 

Saturday Long Run Session

This was literally the only long run with MRP of the block. I missed two long runs due to Covid, so, this was to let me know whether there was any hope for Amsterdam Marathon. 

The session was: 4 miles easy followed by 3 x 4 miles at marathon race pace, finishing with a final 4 miles. 

Right from the get-go my HR was high, possibly due to nervous excitement. Even though I felt fresh and springy, I was into the 140bpm’s far too quickly. The MRP was done on an undulating industrial estate in Frome and each loop was 2 miles. As soon as I started, MRP felt fast…

“There’s no way I can hold this for 26.2.”

Reassuringly, my HR dropped a little over each loop. I think I’d dropped the nervous energy and managed to settle in. The first 4 miles was an average HR of 163bpm, but the second was 161bpm. The third was 160bpm, the lowest of the lot, by which point I felt like I was finally flowing. The final 4 miles back home had me running at sub 3 pace and lower with an aerobic HR. 

My splits for each 4 mile block were: 3:56/3:57/3:58 - three to five seconds per k quicker than MP. Should have run them slightly slower but when the line is that fine, if I slow even slightly, my pace drops to 4:03 or more. Running at 3:57 feels like a safe place to be… inexperience, I suppose. 

What does this mean for Amsterdam in two weeks? Honestly, I don’t think I have sub 2:50 in me. My HR still hasn’t returned to normal since Covid. 

Instead, we’re going to run the HM at Amsterdam and then I’m going to run Pisa Marathon on Dec 15th. 10 weeks of training will, I’m sure, see me going under 2:50.

Sunday finished with an easy run, clocking 5:30 per k and an average HR of 122bpm. Finally!!

70 miles for the week.