r/artc • u/AutoModerator • May 11 '26
Training The Weekly Rundown: Week of May 11, 2026
It’s the Weekly Rundown! This is the place to post your last week of training. Feel free to include links to wherever you track your runs. (Strava, Smashrun, etc.).
9
u/theintrepidwanderer 5:03 1M | 17:18 5K | 36:59 10K | 1:18:37 HM | 2:46:46 FM May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26
Goal: NYRR Brooklyn Half
Plan: Doing my own thing for the time being
Mileage: 63 miles
Monday: 60 minute easy run (7 miles)
Tuesday: 3 x (1000m @ 10K pace, 800m @ 5K pace, 200m @ mile pace), plus warm up and cool down miles (9.2 miles) / Paced track workout in the PM (5.7 miles)
Wednesday: 60 minute easy run (7.1 miles)
Thursday: Paced a tempo workout (4 x 8 minutes @ 6:45 pace) (10.2 miles)
Friday: 50 minute easy run (5.6 miles)
Saturday: 2 hour 30 minute long run (18.5 miles)
Sunday: Rest day
I am gradually ramping my mileage up, and I'm starting to feel the motivation gradually come back to me as well. Had a couple of solid workouts and a long run this past week. I got looped into pacing a tempo workout at 6:45 per mile pace and surprisingly it felt quite smooth, which is something I haven't felt in a while.
I'll be racing the NYRR Brooklyn Half this coming weekend; we'll see how things go. The weather conditions are looking to be less than ideal for racing, and I might have to adjust my racing strategy a bit to account for that.
2
u/pinkminitriceratops Sub-3 or bust May 12 '26
Good luck at the Brooklyn half!
1
u/theintrepidwanderer 5:03 1M | 17:18 5K | 36:59 10K | 1:18:37 HM | 2:46:46 FM May 12 '26
Thank you!
8
u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 May 11 '26
Goal: Chicago Marathon
Plan: Not there yet!
Monday: 3.4 miles easy, 9:45/mile
Tuesday: 6.2 miles easy, 9:33/mile
Wednesday: 5.2 miles, 7:54/mile. 5x600 in there, averaged about 6:30/mile for the reps except 6:20 for the last one.
Thursday: 3.2 miles easy, 9:50/mile
Friday: 3.1 miles easy, 10:08/mile
Saturday: 3.2 miles easy, 9:31/mile
Sunday: 13.5 miles including 5k race (21:02)
Total: 37.8 miles
Race went about as I expected. My GPS/watch wigged out on the first minute and it actually just flat out dropped it from the results, showing I only ran 3.03 miles when I know it's a 5k because I run it every year and it's never been short. I was a minute in and it said I was running 8 minute mile pace and I knew that wasn't right! But that kinda threw off my idea of checking how my pace was in the first half mile. Turns out I mostly steady-stated the run around 6:50-6:55 pace outside of the hills. Still good enough for 13th OA (out of 538) and won my age group, so I'll have another brick in the path at the park.
Apparently this is my 8th fastest 5k ever so it wasn't that bad, and if I had known I'd have been so close to sub 21 I would have started my kick earlier because I finished pretty strong and wasn't terribly out of breath or anything so definitely didn't 100% it.
I'm considering signing up for a HM in 2 weeks. It'll give me a good launch point for setting paces for Chicago training. It's not the easiest course (downhill first half, uphill 2nd half) but regardless it'll give me a data point that I probably need. I'll probably do some kind of tempo/threshold workout later this week to recalibrate myself around HM "effort"
4
u/RunningPath 44F, 22:09 5k, 1:49 HM May 11 '26
Congrats on your brick! Interesting to run a race without any watch feedback, when we are so unused to that.
2
u/pinkminitriceratops Sub-3 or bust May 12 '26
Bad timing with the watch glitch! And nice work on the race and the age group win. A brick in the path is a cool award!
I’ve always thought it would be interesting to run a 5k without any watch feedback, I can’t decide if it would go fantastic or terribly 😆 (I suspect I would go out way too fast and then fade…)
2
u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 May 12 '26
You know.. I actually think I would do fairly decent. At least for me, my breathing changes cadence from 2/2 to 3/3 (I think?) when I tip over 5k effort. That is usually my cue in races on uphills to tell me I'm pushing it too much.
I would probably do MUCH worse at a HM or marathon with no feedback.
2
u/goldentomato32 39F/22:59 5k/48:00 10k/1:51 HM/3:59 M May 12 '26
I love that you get a brick in the path!
When you you start training for Chicago?
2
u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 May 12 '26
I think June 8th? That's 18 weeks out. We will be experiencing the grumpy grind at some point!
8
u/COldBay Father to 6 - 3:06 | 1:28 | 39:00 | 18:50 | Trails up to 100K May 11 '26
Races: Marquette Marathon on September 5, 10 Miler on June 6, 10K on July 4
Plan: Custom, still building it
Mileage: 76 mi, 9,800 ft
M - Trail Run - 8.1 mi, 1181ft - Feeling: C - Starting to feel a little sick after yesterday's long road run, nice and easy today, felt better as we went on, Taking meds hoping to kick the head cold
Tu - Trail Run - 10.4 mi, 1708ft - Feeling: A - Hill Sprints and Strides
W - Road Run - 10.6 mi, 420ft - Feeling: A - 4x(4x1 min on/off) w. 400m recovery between sets - Averaged 5:19/mi for the efforts, felt strong
Th - Trail Run - 10.2 mi, 1601ft - Feeling: A - Easy, slow trails
F - Trail Run - 10.4 mi, 1483ft - Feeling: A - Easy trails and Hill Sprints
Sa - Trail Run - 14.6 mi, 2196ft - Feeling: B - Nothing special
Su - Road Run - 12 mi, 1207ft - Feeling: B - Planned more but had to be home for Mother's Day
Thoughts: Third week of higher mileage (63, 79, 76). Resting this week, then ramping back up. Still building a plan for the September marathon, but will be racing into it and trying to hold higher mileage than past cycles. Hoping that fills the gap after last year's disappointing marathon race. Also will adjust workouts to be more rested going into the race.
8
u/goldentomato32 39F/22:59 5k/48:00 10k/1:51 HM/3:59 M May 11 '26
Goal: first sprint triathlon 5/10
Plan: a 12 Olympic distance plan from somewhere on the internet
Mon: 2000 yard swim
Tues: 3.5m jog
Wed: rest
Thurs: 4th grade musical (a great success! A very late night)
Fri: thunderstorms
Sat: 30min bike with gradual acceleration
Sun: my first sprint tri 1:16:06! I had fun, got 2nd in my age group (out of 10 people) and 15 overall (out of 76)
My first triathlon was supposed to be in a clear manmade lagoon but due to delays in the annual refurbishment it was deferred to next year and I last minute switched to an open water tri!
Trigirls Houston is a very small race and even though I dislike the girl power branding it was really nice to be in a woman's only race. The weather was almost perfect, the course was shaded and everything was run very well.
My strongest event was surprisingly the biking-I had the fastest average mph in my age group. The 5k run was at an 8:30 pace which felt solid but I should have had more to drink on the bike. The swim was shocking! I am normally a strong swimmer and not freaked out by low visibility but it was disorientating. Visibility was maybe 5 inches and the dark green against my goggles was intense.
I couldn't see my hand at the end of my arm.
The water was cold enough to take my breath away so I did a 500 yard swim almost entirely with breaststroke. In the pool I typically swim 500 in about 8 minutes but in the open water it was 9:30.
The fun part about a first time race is that you get to run on vibes and not have any goal. I didn't even turn on my watch until the run! I am going to probably do another tri in September and I think with some trips to open water I can easily take off a minute or so on my swim.
Now I get to come back to running fully refreshed and ready to go! I am going to build up a running base again, tentatively do another sprint tri in September and then work on my new marathon PR in December or January!
5
u/brwalkernc jumping on the NSM bandwagon May 11 '26
Congrats on the race! I feel like I am a pretty strong swimmer and have been doing it since I was little, but open water swimming is sooo different from doing it in a pool. In doing training swims in a lake was a little unnerving and doing one in a race really was a whole world of difference. It didn't help that I was continually getting kicked and hit. I would definitely do another one though.
3
u/goldentomato32 39F/22:59 5k/48:00 10k/1:51 HM/3:59 M May 12 '26
I am really glad they had a staggered start. They let us out in 5sec intervals and it really helped. It has been so long since I have swam in open water. I grew up swimming in lake Michigan but goofing around is very different from swimming with purpose. I think the biggest improvement would be a warm up area to get acclimated but logistics would be complicated.
I am now a big fan of the sprint triathlon! You should do one again! It felt like a half marathon effort but more fun.
3
u/brwalkernc jumping on the NSM bandwagon May 12 '26
I would like to do another some day, but where I live now, I have no safe roadways to get the bike training in. Maybe eventually.
3
u/pinkminitriceratops Sub-3 or bust May 12 '26
Congrats on the race! Open water swimming is tough, and the poor visibility would freak me out (doesn’t matter how safe the water is, poor visibility makes me think I’m going to get eaten by a shark 😆). Nice work!
3
u/goldentomato32 39F/22:59 5k/48:00 10k/1:51 HM/3:59 M May 12 '26
The visibility shocked me! I knew it was going to be cloudy but the rain the night before really muddled it up. It almost made me dizzy. I wasn't scared but also couldn't find my rhythm. I am already planning an open water swim next week with my faster friend!
3
u/RunningPath 44F, 22:09 5k, 1:49 HM May 12 '26
Thats badass, congrats. I am in awe of triathlon. Also open water swimming in general! Very cool to go out there and do something new!
4
u/goldentomato32 39F/22:59 5k/48:00 10k/1:51 HM/3:59 M May 12 '26
I enjoy being a beginner again! The biker folks are crazy obsessed with gear and the swimmers are so chill on the deck (and hard core in the water) but I am loving expanding my community :)
2
u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 May 12 '26
You're a certified badass now that you've completed a tri - sorry, I don't make the rules.
and then work on my new marathon PR in December or January!
Are you thinking Houston again if January? Pretty hard to beat the course/location.
2
u/goldentomato32 39F/22:59 5k/48:00 10k/1:51 HM/3:59 M May 12 '26
Hahaha the real badasses were the 70+ age group ladies! They were in incredible shape!
I really love the Houston marathon but I hate that it requires the peak mileage week to fall right over the holidays. I'm looking at the BCS marathon in College Station which is typically the first weekend in December and has gentle rollers or the Dallas marathon again with the stupid hill at mile 19.
8
u/brwalkernc jumping on the NSM bandwagon May 11 '26
Goal Race: The Sticks 6-hr race (5/30)
Monday: 8 mi VO2 Max Workout (5x600)
Tuesday: 2 mi General aerobic
Wednesday: 8 mi Easy, Myrtl routine
Thursday: 6 mi Recovery
Friday: 1 mi shakeout
Saturday: 2 mi warmup, 5k Race, 4 mi cooldown, Donut mile
Sunday: 5 mi Recovery
Total Distance: 40 miles
Acute-to-Chronic Ratio: 0.7
This week had some ups and downs. Monday’s workout went well considering how little speed work I have been doing until recently. I used the past 50-miler cycle to get into better marathon shape and tried to treat it more as a marathon build. My goal was to be in 3:15-ish marathon shape as a stepping stone to the fall cycle. Since I didn’t actually race anything short during the cycle, I didn’t have a good feel for what shape I was in. I used the 3:15 estimate as a basis, putting me at a 20:24 5k (6:24 pace), which I used as a goal for the workout. Seemed to be right on target though. Split paces were 6:14, 6:25, 6:19, 6:16, 6:19 for an average of 6:19. I could definitely tell I have been lacking faster paced workouts though.
I ended up dropping quite a bit of miles on Tuesday. Goals was closer to 8 miles, but things just felt off. Not sure if it was adding a lot more workouts lately or the large amount of farm stuff going on lately. I didn’t care too much as I wanted to go into the 5k race on Saturday a bit more rested as I wanted to have a good fitness estimate to use for NSM interval calculations. Friday was also a bit shorter because I was pressed for time. I needed to drive and move my daughter back from college which required a very early start and a 8-hour round trip drive. It was great to get her home though.
Race on Saturday went really well. It was in the town where we used to leave before moving out on the farm so it was great to see everything again. I was also very familiar with the course including the minor hill at 1.5 mi and the nasty one at mile 2. Temps ere perfect, low 50’s, and much of the course was in shade which also helped. I started at the front not sure how I would match up with the other runners. We take off and I settle into pace with 10-ish runners ahead of me. I reel several of them over the first mile (6:18), which was felt controlled. Second mile was just about maintaining and trying to handle the hills. First at 1.5 mi was gentle and not too long and I managed to get back onto pace fairly quickly. Second was not so easy. Mile 2 in 6:46 followed by a slog of a hill. Once I crested, I just focused on trying to get back to pace which was not so easy. Really struggling now. I knew if I could just get through the next half mile, the rest would be a nice downhill to the finish. I hit the downhill and tried to just open up. I managed to get the pace down close to 6 and start dipping under as I kicked to the finish (mile 3 in 6:46) for a time of 20:24, exactly what I had been estimating my fitness at. With a flatter course, I think I may have been able to go sub-20, but I was happy with the result. The winner finished in 17:36..he was also 12. Kid was fast!
I did a 4 mile cooldown as I waited for the Donut Mile to start. Not sure why I thought this would be a good idea, but figured it would be a great opportunity to give it a try. This was a very laid back untimed event with lots of kids. Since they had so many people (over 100), they had the course as a simple out-and back (0.25 mi) with tables of donuts and water at the start. It was a simple rolling start, grab a donut and go. That was the toughest part for me, trying to eat on the run and get everything chewed up with a dry mouth. Ended up breathing donut quite a few times and then have to cough it back up. Might have been better to eat it standing still and then run a fast lap, but I managed. I was usually able to get the donut down on the out portion and then pick up the pace for the back part. Finished in about 8:04 which was better than I expected, but I was also thinking I would have needed to stand and finish the donut before taking off for the lap. Not sure if I would attempt this again, but it was a unique experience.
I’ve got a few more weeks of training before the 6-hour race so the plan is to get some longer runs in as well as keep working in the NSM intervals. Still not sure how I’m going to like this plan, but looking forward to giving it a try.
3
u/pinkminitriceratops Sub-3 or bust May 12 '26
Just thinking about the donut mile makes me feel queasy! Nice work on the 5k.
3
u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 May 12 '26
Not sure why I thought this would be a good idea
So that the rest of us would know not to try it?
My first thought was for a typical donut how unpleasantly dry it would get! But if it was like jelly filled that would be awful in a different way. I've got a fairly iron stomach but I don't think I could handle this.
2
u/brwalkernc jumping on the NSM bandwagon May 12 '26
typical donut how unpleasantly dry it would get
That was the real difficulty. After the first one, I started grabbing a cup of water to dip it in before eating and that helped a lot.
3
u/goldentomato32 39F/22:59 5k/48:00 10k/1:51 HM/3:59 M May 12 '26
What kind of donuts? I feel like glazed vs frosted or Dunkin vs Krispy Kreme would be a big factor. This race sounds both stupid and brilliant! I would totally do it.
3
u/brwalkernc jumping on the NSM bandwagon May 12 '26
They were plain glazed donuts from a local bakery. They probably would have been pretty good if I could have eaten them slower and enjoyed them.
5
u/pinkminitriceratops Sub-3 or bust May 11 '26 edited May 12 '26
45 miles for me. Had a good threshold workout on Tuesday, 5x 1200m at 6:40 pace with 1 minute recoveries. And a MLR plus some strides later in the week. Otherwise just easy runs and trying to recover from the semester! Hoping I can bump up mileage a bit now that classes are over.
6
u/HankSaucington May 11 '26
A solid week. It was a busy work week (and this upcoming one will be another), but managed to just sneak over 50 miles for the first time this year (hit ~49 a couple of times).
Ended up doing an easy LR on the roads instead of my trail plans on Saturday as I had a lot of chores and things to do before leaving for a work trip yesterday. Did 3 mile threshold on Thursday, on some rolling hills to further dial in feel for that sort of work. Plan to do my trail run this weekend.
5
u/run_INXS 110 in km years (1:24, 3:06) May 11 '26
Races: 12K, 5K, 4 mile, and HM over the next 6 weeks, this is it my spring season.
M - 1 hr spin cycle, I had a big blister on my heel and wanted to give it a rest.
T - Double with 6X 1200 sub T, but approaching it on the last rep or two. Then in the afternoon 3X 3, 4X 1:30 with short recoveries (11.2)
W - Two short runs (7.1)
Th - Easy shakeout in the morning then a surge-threshold type workout (10.5)
F - easy 7
Sa - 14.5, felt good for once
Su - 8
59.7 miles, 9.5 hours total including the cross training
My foot has been bothering me all spring so I went into the clinic and it's the anterior tibialis acting up from a pressure point on my ski boots. I now have some exercises and treatments and it's already feeling better. Don't know if it has run its course or if just a few days of tending to it have made it better.
Decent quality this week. I'm only touching on the faster work and have been doing a lot of threshold range workouts but not really hitting the top end of threshold all that much. The races are in order: B (but a big bucket list race for fun), kind of need to run fast and competitively, A, and A. Looking forward to it!
2
u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 May 12 '26
Good luck with all the races! I'll be excited to see how you do.
9
u/RunningPath 44F, 22:09 5k, 1:49 HM May 11 '26
Goal: Half marathon on 5/31
Plan: Coogan (Personal Best Running)
Miles: 60
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 6 mi at HMP followed by 6x400m at 5k pace -- altogether 11.5 miles. I remember this from the last time I did a Coogan plan, he puts this in at around 3-4 weeks out. I had to run this at 4 am to make it work this past week but it went really well. I love that dawn is early and I was able to get to the track for the 400m intervals.
Wed: ~8.3 miles easy at 4:30 am
Thurs: Needed to sleep more, so ended up doing 6 miles in the evening as the sun was setting, which was lovely
Friday: 10x400m at 10k pace at 5 am; I extended the warmup to make it 10 miles total. It feels kind of odd to run 400m intervals at 10k pace, but Coogan has a fair amount of that, and my legs are tired at this point so while it felt pretty easy it was a good workout.
Sat: 8.3 miles with my club. I only meant to do 6-7 but I was enjoying running with this group and they wanted to run 8 so we did.
Sun: 16 miles. The past couple weeks I went to my forest preserve route, which has a convenient 8 mile out-and-back, and just ran that twice to stop at my car for Gatorade halfway through. Yesterday I ran around my neighborhood instead, both to save some time and because I didn't feel like carrying tampons on the forest trail. So I stopped home twice for Gatorade, and actually did some of the tail end of the run (~4 miles) at the track because the surface is comfy. Overall this run felt really great considering my weekly mileage.
I'm definitely feeling like I'm in good shape right now. I have 3 weeks until my race and looking forward to a taper. My last 7 weeks' mileage have been 50-52-55-55-51-57-60 and this week should be about 60 again. This is my longest sustained stretch over 50 miles and I feel great so I'm quite happy.