Week of Sep. 29 - Oct. 5, 2025
For the fall, I made a 14-week training plan for the Tuckahoe 25k on Nov. 22, 2025; this was week 7. This is a relatively local race on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It's supposed to be relatively flat. I plan to try to improve my speed a bit, since this race should not be overly challenging in terms of distance, vert, or technicality. I'm going to continue to run only 4 days per week and do a hike on one weekend day like I did this summer, so we'll see how that seems to affect my training, as well.
Unfortunately I waited to register for the race because there was a possibility that I might do a different race with friends....that didn't pan out. I went to register for the race Oct. 4 and it's filled! That was unexpected, especially so early. I'm on the waitlist, but I have no idea about the chances of getting in. So I'm looking for other possibilities. I'm a planner, so it's stressing me out not to have a solid plan!
Earlier this week, Tue/Wed I had a mild cold. Probably it was a bit before/after that, but it was hard to tell. It did leave me tired for the second half of the week for sure. This week has also been a step up in busy-ness at work, since I'm starting academic advising appointments with my students.
Monday
- Before breakfast: Upper body strength
- Superset
- 3 x 5 - triceps push-ups with 20-lb vest
- 3 x 5 - dumbbell reverse-grip rows with 27.5 lb per arm
- 3 x 5 - dumbbell pull-overs with 35 lb
- Superset
- 3 x 1 - unassisted chin-ups
- 3 x 5 - front raises with 15 lb per arm
- 3 x 5 - dumbbell reverse flyes with 16.25 lb per arm
- 3 x 5 - deep swimmer's press with 16.25 lb per arm
- After work:
- 40 min easy
- T+D 140, 3% effect, T 74 F
- time: 40:01
- distance: 3.34 mi
- average pace: 11:59 (GAP ave pace: 12:04)
- splits: 11:58, 12:02, 11:52, 12:12
- ave HR: 130 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 104 ft (corrected)
- route: Sligo Creek Trail
- comments: This route was paved, so it was not a trail run.
- comments: I didn't really want to run the day after last week's long run, but because of my work schedule for the week, I didn't have a choice. Instead of doing the HIIT hill repeats, I just did an easy run.
Tuesday
- Before breakfast:
- Unilateral strength workout
- 4 x 6 each leg - straight leg reverse lunges with 20-lb vest + 24 lb
- 10 each leg - isometric step-up on bench with 10-s hold
- 4 x 6 each leg - heel taps from low step with 20-lb vest + 12 lb
- 10 each leg - isometric one-leg hip thrust with 10-s hold with 20 lb
- 4 x 6 each leg - hip airplanes with 20 lb
- Foam rolling and stretching
- After work:
- Tempo interval -- 26 min easy + 8 min tempo + 26 min easy
- T+D 130, 2% effect, T 71 F
- time: 1:00:01
- distance: 5.2 mi
- tempo split: 9:37
- elevation gain: 127 ft (corrected)
- route: Sligo Creek Trail
- comments: This route was paved, so it was not a trail run.
- comments: I was starting to feel the cold on this day. I had originally planned a speed interval run with 10 x 1.5 min - I expected it to be really hard. It didn't seem like a good idea to do this if I was sick, so I changed it for something that should have been quite a bit easier. It went very well, considering how I felt.
Wednesday
- Before breakfast: core workout
- 90-sec plank with 20-lb vest
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bugs
- 20 bird dogs
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunches with hold
- 5 10-sec hollow-body holds
- 2 30-sec side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- After work:
- 60 min easy on trail
- T+D 115, 1% effect, T 73 F
- time: 1:00:00
- distance: 4.56 mi
- average pace: 13:10 (GAP ave pace: 12:12)
- splits: 13:11, 13:27, 12:40, 13:49, 12:20
- ave HR: 133 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 586 ft (corrected)
- route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: I was still feeling under the weather, but I figured I could take this easy if I needed to. It actually went very well, probably because the weather was so nice! I did, however, cut out the uphill strides that I had planned.
Thursday before breakfast: walk on treadmill
- time: 55:35
- distance: 3.16 mi
- average pace: 17:35
- incline: 0%
- comments: I had a work event that night, so I did an early walk to get most of my steps in. I was feeling better, but after 11 hours at work, I was really zonked.
Friday
- Before breakfast: Workout 2
- Workout 2
- 3 x 5 - heels-elevated suitcase squats with 57.5 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset
- 3 x 5 each arm - one-arm rows on bench with 32.5 lb
- 3 x 5 - wide push-ups with 20-lb vest
- 3 x 5 each leg - bench step-up-and-overs with 20-lb vest
- superset
- 3 x 5 - parallel-bar dips
- 3 x 5 - supermans with 5-s hold
- After dinner: power hiking hills on treadmill
- time: 1:28:02
- distance: 4.71 mi
- elevation gain: 1709 ft
- 5 min: 3.0 mph, 6 - 12% incline
- 5 min: 3.1 mph, 15%
- 5 min: 14%
- 5 min: 13%
- 5 min: 3.2 mph, 12%
- 5 min: 11%
- 5 min: 10%
- 5 min: 3.3 mph, 9%
- 5 min: 8%
- 5 min: 7%
- 5 min: 3.4 mph, 6%
- 5 min: 5%
- 5 min: 4%
- 5 min: 3.5 mph, 3%
- 5 min: 2%
- 5 min: 1%
- 5 min: 3.5 - 3.0 mph, 0%
- rest slower
Saturday before dinner:
- 140 min LR on trail
- T+D 133, 2.5% effect, T 78 F
- time: 2:20:00
- distance: 10.35 mi
- average pace: 13:32 (GAP ave pace: 13:22)
- splits: 12:50, 13:30, 13:11, 13:29, 14:09, 13:17, 13:40, 14:03, 13:51, 13:08, 13:45
- ave HR: 145 BPM
- elevation gain: 1230 ft (corrected)
- route: Ten Mile Creek Trail
- comments: I took 1.5 L of water + Nuun and 0.5 L water and drank most of it. I ate two Honey Stinger waffles, about 50 g of dried pineapple rings, and one serving of Skittles.
- comments: This trail really kicked my butt - I was hoping it would be cooler by this time of year, but not yet. But it apparently had more elevation gain than I was expecting, so that was at least part of the reason. The hills weren't very steep, which means like I felt like I should be running them instead of power hiking up, but that is a good way to lose all your energy, too. Good training, I guess.
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Sunday afternoon: hiking - Blockhouse Point Loop
Health
Nothing much going on. Knees are feeling it a bit with the longer long runs, but seem to pretty much recover the next day.
I scheduled my flu and covid vaccinations for next Friday...it will be a cut-back week, and I scheduled for this week so that if the side effects knock me down, it won't matter too much for the training schedule.
