04/03/2025 Training Log – Playing the Long Game (in Short Tempo Blocks)

Execution & Reflections:

I felt confident going into today’s workout—probably a little too confident. My only real concern was that my eagerness might lead to pushing the pace too far beyond what was prescribed. (Spoiler alert: I kind of did.)

I slept well and felt rested heading into the day. After Tuesday’s killer workout, I briefly flirted with the idea of adding a bike session on Wednesday but ultimately stuck with my plan to remove those from this training block. In hindsight, that was the right call. A coach might argue otherwise, but I’m trusting my instincts—and my legs.

Splits (GAP/km) during the 25-minute Tempo: 6:01, 6:05, 6:14, 6:19

I definitely started spicy and tried to rein it in. I’m wondering if I’m in lower 6:00/km shape when the plan assumes 6:50/km. Jury’s out.

Conditions:

What a weather turnaround! Just yesterday, we had snow and freezing rain with temps at –2°C. Today? Glorious sunshine and a balmy 15°C. I faced a stiff 22.8 km/h WSW wind during the main set, but I dressed well: short sleeve under a long sleeve top and my go-to, thin running pants, (but I should’ve gone with shorts).

I headed out just after noon instead of my recent, Whitby Shores, usual 4:00 pm window. Gotta love flexibility.

Fueling & Nutrition:

• Breakfast: Peanut butter and orange marmalade sandwich, black coffee with a glurg of Barista soy
  
• ~1hr 30min pre-run: 5 pitted dates
  
• ~40 minutes pre-run: Maurten Drink Mix 160
  
• ~15 minutes into warmup: Maurten Gel 160
  

No fuel during the run. I hydrated well before and after with Nuun, and followed up the workout with a shrimp, Chinese sausage & fried rice lunch… and chocolate milk, obviously.

Music Accompaniment:

Drum Buddy was on deck today—150 BPM for the warmup, 175 BPM during the main set. I had one moment of struggle where I felt like I might fade, but then I locked into the beat and cruised.

Performance Notes:

I short-changed the drills a little, focusing more on plyos than A/B/C skips. That’s something to fix next time.

As for the tempo set, I’m not 100% sure I nailed the intention. My paces were faster than prescribed, but I didn’t feel gassed at the end. I think I’m progressing. Still, if I could re-run the workout, I’d reverse the pacing and finish with the fastest km instead of starting hot.

My right calf made its presence known during the cooldown jog, so I switched to walking. Luckily, I wore my compression sleeve, and it didn’t escalate. That sleeve might become race-day gear.

Takeaways:

I’m a work-in-progress, and that’s okay. The contrast between last week’s struggles and this week’s progress is remarkable. I felt good. My execution was solid. And most importantly—I listened to my body and adjusted as needed.

Final thought:

while I’d like to target 6:00/km for the race, I’m not sure if that’s realistic just yet. Still, that’s what makes the journey exciting—every run holds a surprise.

Training plan designed by MoTTIV.