March training was as good as it could be. After getting COVID in February, March felt like I was building back from that, hoping that I would feel better the next day…and the next…and the next. Even 5 weeks later, I don’t feel 100%.
Training:
Miles run: 197
Shortest run: 3.1 miles
Longest run: Los Angeles Marathon
Range of Paces: 6:35-18 minutes-untimed
Rest Days: 9 days
Thoughts:
The first two weeks of March were spent tapering down to the Los Angeles Marathon. I also ran the Screenland 5K in a Topgun costume. I was surprised when I ran just under 21 minutes and didn’t feel amazing and was sweating up a storm. The week before Los Angeles in 2023, I ran a 5K but ran 21:30, so I thought maybe I could run faster at the marathon. Taper went okay, but I think I self-sabotaged as the day before the race was a lot of walking and general busyness instead of resting. Even though I “only” ran 3.1 miles at the Big 5 5K, I ended up getting over 20,000 steps, which was too many.
The Los Angeles Marathon went as well as it could for the circumstances. I know I’m in better marathon shape than a 3:26.36, but that’s what I ran on the day. I do kind of have the urge to run a flat, fast marathon in the fall, but I’ll revisit that later. For now, it’s time for shorter races and the summer of speed.
After the Los Angeles Marathon was almost 2 weeks of rest. I swam a couple of times, but for the most part, I did nothing, and it was needed. I strongly believe most people need two weeks off after a goal race or season, and I definitely did…even though I didn’t exactly meet my goals with the race.
After that, it was time to change gears and time for the summer of speed. Last summer, my goal was to run under 20 minutes in the 5K again, and I never succeeded in that. There were plenty of times I was ready to do so, but it wasn’t the right day or the right course. So, this summer is the same goal. I have a lot of 5Ks this summer, and I’m honestly looking forward to some faster workouts and races.
Swimming:
As far as swimming, my friend and I may or may not do the summer nationals in Mission Viejo in August. I’ve been trying to get into the pool more so that I can be ready for that if we do decide. I have qualification times from a swim meet a couple of years ago, but I also don’t want to go in underprepared. So, TBD.
What’s Next?
April is going to be focused on getting some shorter workouts in. I’m running Carlsbad 5000 the first weekend of April and Mountains 2 Beach Half the last weekend, and the rest of the month is just training unless I find something that intrigues me.
Posts from the Month:
New Balance SuperComp Trainer v2 Review
Questions for you:
How was your month of training in March?
Are you training for anything now?