Week 14: Catching COVID, not breaks

Continuing marathon training on hard mode

Oct 22, 2023

I’d love to write one of these with a straightforward update about a strong week of running, but alas this week is not that week. I spent the last few days in NYC and brought home a not-so-fun souvenir: COVID.

Does everyone have wood nearby? Great! Knock on it for me. After one day where I thought my head might be actively splitting down the middle and my only form of mercy was never-ending naps, this case of COVID has been extremely mild. Yes, I’m fatigued, but no fever, sore throat, cough, or any other symptom that has hobbled me in past infections. You might recall that I got my updated vaccine three weeks back, and I am grateful at this moment for its fulfilled promise of less-intense illness. Thanks, science.

Despite catching COVID, being in NYC had its perks including allowing myself to feel the excitement of anticipation every time I was on or near the course. I also got in a solid track workout on Tuesday where I got to meet recent fall marathon finishers — I soaked up their feats for inspiration.

Below I share more on Tuesday’s workout and why I am intrigued by — but not sold on — run clubs, as well as updated thoughts on my taper. As always, I’ve got some quick hits at the end.

📋 Total miles: 15.1

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 11.2 miles (included 5 x 1600)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: 3.9 miles (easy)
Friday: Off 😷
Saturday: Off 😷
Sunday: Off 😷

👟 Track Tuesday with the Brooklyn Track Club

Warm up, workout, cool down. 📸 Selfies by me, cute pic by Nick Ling.

On Tuesday I woke up at my hotel on the Lower East Side and ran across the Williamsburg Bridge and into McCarren Park to meet my friend (and new boss) Jordan and her husband, Nick, for the Brooklyn Track Club’s group workout. The Brooklyn Track Club is one of many in New York. According to a recent article in the NYT, it’s so well-established that everyone knows the McCarren track is theirs on Tuesday and let them have the space uncontested.

This particular day featured a 5 x 1600m workout, with pace groups going at roughly every 30 seconds starting at 6:00. I decided to run with Jordan and two of her friends, and we split in the 7:40s for each repeat minus the final where I dropped a 7:12, with most of the pace injected in the last two laps. I appreciated that there were ~50 runners, and across the group there seemed to be good rapport. But the mass of runners meant that I spent the entire time in Lane 2. At minimum, that added 30 meters/mile, but given how often we were forced into Lane 3, I’d say we ran about 50 extra meters each time. In my opinion, it’s too many people on a track to get a quality workout.

According to some, run clubs are the new social hotspots — a place to meet friends with common interests. Like NYC, there are many in the Bay. I often get tempted to join one, but something always holds me back. Barely a year has gone by since I moved here that I haven’t filled out an application to the most competitive women’s running team only to decide that I don’t actually want to take running that seriously. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s a group that meets at a cocktail bar for 5 miles at 5p on Wednesday, but that time always comes and goes without me gathering the energy to make it there. I know I work out harder with others and it makes doing so way more fun, but I am not sure if I want the people and production of it all on an ongoing basis.

I’ll end this reflection on an endearing note: Tuesday’s practice featured a photographer who took photos of recent Berlin and Chicago finishers with their medals. At any point during the workout that I needed a smile, I simply looked over at these portraits in progress. Community is powerful.

❓ Taper questions

After last week, I calendared out every run between now and the marathon in what I thought was my perfect taper. I followed my plan through Wednesday, when I learned that the hotel gym where I was staying didn’t have an elliptical. I figured I would make it back on the roads the next day, but my “easy” run Thursday felt like a slog — in retrospect, I was likely at the dawn of my COVID infection — and I cut it short. Now I am out until I feel 100% — and who knows when that will be?

I have a goal of running 1000 miles in 2023 and as of today I am at 946.9. I had wanted to surpass 1000 before the start of my marathon because I thought I would get a mental boost from knowing I’d put in the work all year long, but now that intention may be out of reach.

I’m focusing on what feels good and is in my control: rehab exercises and not worrying about missed miles. There’s some irony to waiting until I was not sick to plan out my running only to get sick again once it was all on paper. Le sigh.

🧳 Odds n’ ends

Having fun with: Body glitter. I bought some “Unicorn Snot” to wear while racing (somewhat inspired by my running doppelganger, Alexi Pappas).

Preparing for: Rain. Did you know that it has rained every weekend in NYC since Labor Day? With that sort of luck, I am mentally preparing myself for a wet race day. If it’s sunny and cool, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Thank you to everyone who shared a tune for my playlist last week. I have quite the list! And, most importantly, thanks for sticking with me for the long haul. We have one more weekly blog left, and then I plan to send some pre-race thoughts and a post-race summary. The finish line is in sight!