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Summary

Week 4 started out with a few bumps. I developed a pretty bad chest cold that got progressively worse through the week. Additionally, I traveled to Berlin and, likely because of the chest cold, did not sleep well on the trip and as a result started off my visit with some bad jet lag. I then ended the week traveling to Marrakech and, fortunately, was on the mend.

Early in the week I asked folks on Mastodon (and Twitter) what they do when this happens. Most said to rest. I didn’t want to fully rest, however, as I was keen to start my Steady State workout. So I adapted the training as best I could and modified my workouts depending how I felt that day.

Speaking of Steady State workouts, these are my favorites. In the past, I feel as if I’ve seen the most growth in my capacity as a runner during these Steady State blocks.

A Steady State interval has a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) of 7, so you should be breathing deeply but could still say a few sentences. I feel like it’s a great way to build stamina and start to build a strong base of miles.

Steady State intervals are usually balanced by an Endurance Run pace, which is an RPE of 5-6, defined as rhythmic breathing, and not labored at any point. Something you could do for hours.

The block is basically:

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 2x30 intervals
• Wednesday: Endurance run
• Thursday: 2x20 intervals
• Friday: Recovery run
• Saturday: Long endurance run with 2x20 Steady State
• Sunday: Long endurance run.

I had to play around with this week quite a bit due to the aforementioned issues. And as a result, as you can see below, I didn’t quite hit my numbers.

Run Duration: 5:30 | 7:54 (h:m)
Total TSS: 401 | 590
Total Distance: 27.3 mi

That said, I’m pleased I was able to get some training in. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right?

Monday

Rest

Tuesday

Steady State Run 2x30 min

Due to my cold, I did not run on Tuesday. ☹️

Wednesday

Steady State Run 2x30 min

I still wasn’t feeling good on Wednesday, but I pushed through it. I noted that my heart rate was higher than normal at my easy warm-up pace.

I ran on the treadmill to make it a bit easier.

RPE: 7 | 7
Felt: Somewhat Weak
Time: 1:30:02 | 1:30:00 (h:m:s)
Distance: 8.83 (mi)
Average pace: 10:12 (min/mi)
Elevation: 0 (ft)
TSS: 127 | 109
IF: 0.87 | 0.85

Thursday

Endurance Run 1 Hour

Immediately after arriving in Berlin, I went out for a run. I was exhausted, but the run helped. I didn’t feel particularly strong and was tired towards the end, but it was worth it.

I love Berlin, and I love running in Berlin. Tiergarten is one of my favorites, while hitting Brandenburg Gate and other sites. I admit I was caught off guard by the cold. I had looked at the previous week, and it was in the low 40s. But when I ran, it was in the low 30s. I didn’t have the right gear and that made it a bit tougher.

RPE: 4 | 5-6
Felt: Somewhat Weak
Time: 0:56:05 | 1:00:00 (h:m:s)
Distance: 5.39 (mi)
Average pace: 10:24 (min/mi)
Elevation: 30 (ft)
TSS: 75 | 70
IF: 0.85 | 0.84

Friday

Endurance Run 1 Hour

I was supposed to run a half-marathon simulation, but it wasn’t in the cards. I had planned for it and was looking forward to a long run around Berlin, but my chest (and now head) cold simply was too bad.

Given I wasn’t feeling well and how cold it was outside, I ran on the treadmill.

After I ran, I did a second activity and hiked for 37:41 (m:s) at a 15% incline.

RPE: 4 | n/a
Felt: Normal
Time: 1:00:23 | n/a (h:m:s)
Distance: 5.61 | 13.1 (mi)
Average pace: 10:46 (min/mi)
Elevation: 0 (ft)
TSS: 197 | 76
IF: 0.82 | 0.85

Saturday

Rest Day

It was desperately needed. I was not feeling well. I also spent most of the day traveling to Morocco for a company offsite.

Sunday

Endurance Run 1.5 Hours

At last, an inspiring run and a turning point!

Sunday was my first full day in Marrakech, Morocco, for a Rapid company offsite. I arrived Saturday in the evening. It was dark, but I could tell I was somewhere different and somewhere special.

Fortunately I had started feeling a little better by Sunday. Still not healthy, but well enough that I was looking forward to a nice, refreshing run.

I woke before down (which is surprisingly around 8:15am) and, despite having my headlamp, didn’t want to immediately go for a run because I wasn’t familiar with the hotel grounds nor the surrounding area. Instead I waited until the sun started to rise, and then I took off.

It was spectacular. Obviously you’d expect a Fairmont hotel to be beautiful, but there’s something special about this Fairmont in Marrakech. I started off by exploring the golf courses. I quickly found that the paths only went so far, and so found myself enjoying my run on the soft grass. I pretty much made it everywhere and was going to weave through a bit more when the first golfers hit the course. It was time to transition!

I decided to explore outside the hotel and found a really nice loop that was perfect at 1.2 miles for a single loop.

It was a great way to end the week. As you know, it started off a bit rough, but by the end it was looking up.

RPE: 5 | 5-6
Felt: Normal
Time: 1:14:29 | 1:30:00 (h:m:s)
Distance: 7.43 (mi)
Average pace: 10:01 (min/mi)
Elevation: 197 (ft)
TSS: 109 | 105
IF: 0.89 | 0.84

That’s a wrap! Week 4 is complete!