Last week was supposed to be a taper week, but the 10k I was going to race was canceled due to the thunderstorms and tornado warnings. It stinks when you adapt your training, but the things happens.
However, I would always choose safe than sorry. In fact by Saturday morning, I committed to not running before the race officially canceled. I didn’t show up.
| Monday: | Easy 7 miles |
| Tuesday: | Workout 6X4 minute intervals |
| Wednesday: | Easy 7 miles |
| Thursday: | Easy 7 miles |
| Friday: | Easy 5 miles |
| Saturday: | Canceled Race: 2X2 treadmill (6:40, 6:18) |
| Sunday: | Rest |
| Total: | 51 miles |
Training Thoughts:
Workout: 6×4 Minutes (average 6:50 pace)
This workout was done in one of the most unideal situations (for me). I had to start the run at 5 am. I’m not a 5am runner and I don’t enjoy doing workouts in the dark. After warming up, I noticed the track was being used, and it wasn’t an option to use a lit track. I found a quiet piece of road and did the workout there, but I did not feel great at all. I finished the workout feeling discouraged. My goal was for 6:23 pace to feel easy and 6:40 pace felt like I was working hard. I’ve run much faster tempo runs, so it was more disappointing than anything. Like any bad workout, I put it in my rearview mirror and moved on with the day.
Taper: Runs during taper didn’t feel great either. Throughout the week, my legs progressively got heavier and I felt more like garbage. Friday logs one of the worst runs I’ve had in a very long time. It was 100% humidity, my legs felt heavy, and I was tired. I felt like I had run an ultramarathon not 5 miles.
Throughout the week, I was also monitoring the weather for the 10k I was tapering for. Not only was it scheduled to rain but it was scheduled to thunderstorm and we also had tornado watches. Parts of the state were under a tornado warning.
To be fair, I was excited to race hard for a 10k but not in miserable conditions. On Friday night, they hadn’t officially canceled, but I was convinced they would. I woke up Sunday morning to thunderstorms at 5am, nothing from 6-7 and a downpour followed by a tornado touchdown about 5 miles away.
My coach had given me a backup treadmill workout instead, just incase. Instead of having the mentality of tapering for nothing, I had the mindset of taking a recovery week which I needed. Am I sad I tapered and paid for a race that didn’t happen? Of course, but that is the risk of the sport and running isn’t everything.
Treadmill Workout: 2X2 Mile (6:40), (6:18)
After my race was canceled, I waited out the storm and went to the gym. I struggle with running fast on the treadmill, and I am able to run faster outdoors. Personally, running workouts on the treadmill is not ideal, but it’s more ideal than running in tornados. In fact, since it’s located in a concrete basement, the gym on base is actually a designated safe zone tornado shelter.
The first 2 miles started at 6:50 and worked down to 6:27 and the second 200, I started at 6:40 and worked down to a 5:42. It didn’t feel comfortable, and I felt like I was working hard. It was a solid workout for me and I made the best of the situation.
Running Related Posts from Last Week:
2017 Goal Races
adidas Supernova Shoe Review
Birmingham MLK Drum Run 5k (18:40)
Questions for you:
Have you had a canceled race?
I’ve had three now, and two were in the last month! The first was the only triathlon I signed up for in 2011.
How was your week of training?
I had one race postponed (I was able to do the rescheduled one, thankfully) and one race cancelled. Both were October races and the changes happened due to the flooding/hurricane matthew in SC. It is a risk we take during hurricane season, living on the coast. Hopefully your money went toward a good cause, and at least you had a backup plan on the treadmill. You still ended up with a pretty good week of training with some pretty long workouts in there.
Definitely better to be safe but that is a real bummer. I have never had a race canceled. I came close to having the swim portion of a triathlon canceled but it ended up going off. The feeling of not knowing though can throw off your mental game!
So we did almost the exact same workout with the 2 x 2 miles only I did mine as 2 x 15 minutes at 6:40 pace outside. That was my “threshold” pace so I’m sure it was a tad easier for you 🙂 Also so weird seeing a picture of you on a treadmill!!! Here’s to no more tornados !!
Oh bummer on the cancelled race! I love that you still got in a really solid workout with the 2×2… that’s one of my least favorites. I’d take 400s or 800s any day!
Nice mileage this week! Cancelled races are such a bummer, but safety first!
http://www.breathedeeplyandsmile.com
That stinks about the race being cancelled but it sounds like you still had a good week!!!
I have actually never had a cancelled race but I admire your ability to make the best of the situation!
Sorry to hear about your cancelled race. It must be tough to deal with after training for something specific!
I hear you on this one! When the Disney World half marathon was cancelled, I was upset about the weather, but not heartbroken to avoid running in a thunderstorm. And like you, I had a backup plan from my coach. Hope your future races are free of weather incidents!
Yikes, that’s a bummer about the race, but even if it hadn’t been cancelled, you made the right call. There’s a race that’s held every February in Prospect Park, and if I remember correctly, I signed up for it one or two years ago, but didn’t go through with running because the temperature was below freezing. The race was not cancelled, so I felt bad for all the volunteers who were out there. It’s one thing to run/move when it’s that cold, but they were stationary.