McMillan Custom Marathon Plan: Week 15 Day 2

Week 15, Day 2
Phase: Marathon

Workout 1: 15 to 30 minute Warm-Up + 5 to 8 mile Steady State Run + 15 to 30 minute Cool-Down
Purpose: Build Strength

Workout 2: 15 to 30 minute Warm-Up + Tempo Interval Workout: 3 times 3000 meters with 3.5 minutes recovery jog followed by 3 times 200 meters with 200 meter recovery jog + 15 to 30 minute Cool-down
Purpose: Build Stamina

Workout 3: 15 to 30 minute Warm-Up + Hill Repeats: 8 to 10 times a moderately sloped hill (6-10% grade) lasting 60 to 90 seconds with the jog back down the hill as recovery + 15 to 30 minute Cool-down
Purpose: Build leg strength, VO2max and lactic acid tolerance

Today is Day 100 of the McMillan Custom Marathon Plan and for a change I get to choose what workout I perform (see above). As the Richmond Marathon is a moderately hilly course (compared to pancake flat Virginia Beach anyway), I decided on Workout 3.

There aren’t too many “hills” where I live, so it was another opportunity to jump on the treadmill, pop in a CD and go for it. I warmed up for about 25 minutes (3 miles) before tackling the first of 10 x 90 second incline repeats. #1 was at 6%, but by the end of the workout I’d ramped it up to a 10% grade.

My legs felt strong, although I can definitely tell I’ve used different muscles tonight and I limited the cool down to 15 minutes as my feet were beginning to get very hot for some reason. Very odd….

Time: 1:10:00 minutes
Distance: 9 miles
Pace: 7:47 minutes per mile

Hopefully I’ve got enough time to recover before Saturday’s 20 Miler in Spotsylvania, Virginia where no doubt I’ll encounter a few more hills along the way. Good workout tonight and nice to reach Day 100 of the plan; still haven’t taken a rest day either
🙂