The journey to the Georgina Marathon—and my Boston Qualifier attempt—continues from last week.
This week was somewhat of a deload week compared with the previous one. It once again featured 5 runs, 6 cycling sessions, and 2 running-specific strength sessions. Running volume was strategically reduced to 69 km, following last Sunday’s massive 38 km long run, while my daily cycling increased by another five minutes, bringing the week’s cycling volume to approximately 220 km.
At this stage of the training block, the challenge is becoming less about how much work I can do and more about how much work my body can actually absorb.
Respecting the Red Line
After last week’s 38 km long run, I experienced a significant amount of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), particularly in my left calf. It didn’t feel injured—just profoundly fatigued.
So throughout this week, I deliberately slowed down my easy runs and placed an even greater emphasis on rest and recovery.
We are now in the peak weeks of this marathon build, so some cumulative fatigue is expected. In fact, it’s part of the process. But there is a fine line between applying enough training stress to stimulate adaptation and applying so much that the body begins to break down.
I’ve crossed that line before.
This time, I’m trying very hard not to do it again.
Wednesday: “Speed Work in Disguise”
Wednesday’s workout brought me back to a familiar hill around Canada Way and Gilmore Avenue in Burnaby—the same area where I completed a hill session several weeks ago.
The purpose of this workout was to continue stimulating my lactate threshold without subjecting my already-fatigued legs to the same impact forces associated with fast running on flat ground.
That’s one of the reasons hill workouts are sometimes described as “speed work in disguise.”
The workout consisted of 8 × 4-minute uphill intervals in upper Zone 3, followed by an easy jogging recovery back down the hill, with warm-up and cool-down running before and after.
At the beginning, I genuinely wasn’t sure whether I would be able to finish.
My calves were still quite sore, and I was prepared to abort the workout immediately if the discomfort worsened or began feeling like an injury.
Interestingly, after the first two repetitions, the soreness began to subside. My legs loosened up, I started feeling stronger, and I was ultimately able to complete the entire workout without any worsening symptoms.
The final numbers:
16.5 km of running and 371 metres of elevation gain.
Another quality session in the books.
Sunday: A Lesson in Pacing Discipline
Sunday’s long run took place once again at my familiar training ground—Burnaby Confederation Park.
A thunderstorm had rolled through overnight, and the rain continued throughout the entire workout.
I actually felt reasonably well recovered from Wednesday’s hill session, although there was still some lingering fatigue and soreness in my legs.
The workout totalled 27 km, with a 16 km continuous block at marathon race effort in the middle.
Overall, I think the session went reasonably well.
But I made one important mistake.
I started too fast.
I deliberately ran the marathon-effort portion by feel rather than constantly checking my watch. Unfortunately, with relatively fresh legs at the beginning of the block, my perception of effort wasn’t particularly well calibrated. I settled into a pace that felt comfortable—but was faster than I could sustainably maintain for the entire session.
Eventually, I had to slow down and adjust.
Along the way, a few other runners and park-goers commented on how fast I had been running for such a long time. Those little words of encouragement gave me a surprisingly meaningful boost, especially as fatigue began to accumulate.
Overall, it was another productive session—and perhaps more importantly, another useful lesson.
Marathon pace needs to feel easy when the legs are fresh.
On race day, the temptation to run faster during the opening kilometres will be enormous. I’ll be tapered, carbohydrate-loaded, rested, surrounded by other runners, and full of adrenaline.
If marathon pace feels exciting at the beginning, I’m probably running too fast.
The discipline will be in holding back.
Health Update: More Good News
I also received another reassuring piece of news this week.
My EEG came back normal, joining my previously normal brain MRI.
That’s a tremendous relief and gives me some much-needed peace of mind as I continue training.
My HRV dropped significantly following last Sunday’s 38 km long run, which wasn’t particularly surprising given the magnitude of that workout. Encouragingly, it has begun returning toward my normal range after a week of greater emphasis on recovery.
I also developed some mild cold-like symptoms this week—an itchy throat, dry cough, and stuffy nose. Fortunately, those symptoms also seem to be improving over the past few days.
At this point, staying healthy is becoming just as important as getting fitter.
Fingers crossed.
Current Fitness
My Garmin-predicted VO₂ max remained unchanged this week at 56.
My weight briefly dropped to 62.4 kg midweek. After a one-day carbohydrate load before Sunday’s long run, I weighed 63.1 kg on Sunday morning—another nice demonstration of how quickly body weight can fluctuate with glycogen, food, and fluid intake.
My resting heart rate continues to sit in the low 40s.
Training paces also remained relatively unchanged from last week:
| Metric | Current |
|---|---|
| Garmin Predicted VO₂ Max | 56 |
| Zone 2 Pace | 4:40–5:15/km |
| Mid-Zone 3 | 4:15–4:20/km |
| High-Zone 3 | 4:00–4:15/km |
| Midweek Weight | 62.4 kg |
| Post-Carb-Load Weight | 63.1 kg |
| Resting Heart Rate | Low 40s bpm |
The fitness is there.
The question is whether enough of it will arrive in time.
Fitness Has to Come to Me
There are now only three weeks until race day.
For a sub-2:54 marathon, I need to average approximately 4:07/km for 42.2 kilometres. Right now, my mid-Zone 3 pace remains closer to 4:15–4:20/km.
There is still a gap.
I hope the accumulated training from these peak weeks will produce the adaptations I need over the coming weeks, especially as the workload eventually decreases and the taper allows some of the accumulated fatigue to dissipate.
But time is running out.
And there is an important lesson I’m trying to remind myself of:
Fitness has to come to me. I cannot force it.
I can train consistently. I can eat well. I can sleep. I can recover. I can execute my workouts properly and make intelligent decisions when something doesn’t feel right.
But I cannot force my body to adapt faster simply because race day is approaching.
At this point, I need to focus on the things I can control and stop worrying about the things I can’t.
Three weeks remain.
Because of my irregular schedule over the next couple of weeks, I am not sure when my next post would be.
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