Marathon Training - Week 6

I focused on resting, icing, stretching and foam rolling my right calf muscle this week in the hope that I would be able to quickly return to my training program following my calf strain last week. I did a yoga workout on Monday and the pain in my calf was mostly gone by Monday night. I did a longer yoga workout on Wednesday without any pain or tightness and decided that I would do a short run on Thursday to see whether I would be able to do the Saint Timothy's 5K on Saturday.

I did my test run without my calf compression support and didn't have any pain or tightness while running. When I returned home, I went straight to the foam roller and discovered that both of my calf muscles felt tight. A couple of minutes on each leg relieved the tension and I decided that I was fit enough to run on Saturday.

My Saint Timothy's 5K race report is in it's own blog post, but in summary, on the plus side I ran the race with my calf compression support on and I got through the 3.1 miles without any calf issues at all. However, on the negative side, I ran my slowest 5K race of the year (23.10), but more importantly from a pace management perspective I simply ran an awful race. I knew that the course was hilly and that the temperature (70F, 21C) was a little warm and humid but I was more focused on how my calf muscle felt and not focusing on my watch in the first mile. I went through the first mile far too fast (6:35) and paid for it.

After doing some research on Saturday, I came to the conclusion that I probably need calf compression while I am running. I have had calf problems in the spring, summer and fall before, but never in the winter, which just happens to be the time when I run in my compression tights. So, I bought a pair of 2XU Calf Compression Guards on Saturday and decided to wear them during a long run on Sunday.

My training plan had a 14 mile run at Marathon Pace + 45 seconds (8.55/mile), so I decided to give it a try. I stayed close to home just in case I experienced any calf issues and told myself that the moment I felt any calf discomfort that I should stop immediately and return home. I got through the run without any problems at all (apart from boredom of running around the lake 7 times!). I am looking forward to trying a full week of running next week!

Speed
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Plan: 10-20 min warm up, 4 x 800m (3:16) (2 min RI), 10 min cool down
Actual: None

Tempo
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Plan: 7 mile run: 1 mile easy (8:57/mile), 5 miles @ long tempo (7.52/mile), 1 mile easy
Actual: None

Long
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Plan: 14 miles @ Marathon Pace + 45 (8:55/mile)
Actual: 14 miles @ 8:51/mile

Extra
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Plan: Saint Timothy's 5K
Actual: Saint Timothy's 5K - 23:10