The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 14 Update

November 18, 2024

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 14 Update

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 14 Update had me coming down from a rather high load week. With only 63 miles, and some quality in the mix, I felt really strong. Overall, the best news of all was that the marathon organisers have announced that the race will go ahead. The city could really use a boost of morale after what it went through recently. I think I can speak for so many runners when I say that I am looking forward to being a very small part of the city's rebuilding efforts.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 14 Update: The Daily Updates

Week 14 was another solid week of training. As you will see, I hit some targets and enjoyed some pretty hard workouts. One of the more promising signs was that my steady effort pace is coming down and I'm feeling a little faster than I did only a few weeks ago.

Monday:

Monday was a rest day. After a long run with some pace mixed in the day before I was glad of a rest day. More importantly, I had one of my key sessions lined up for Tuesday and wanted to give it my best effort.

Running Details:

HRV: 125.1

Nutrition Statistics:
Calories: 1975
Protein: 124g
Carbohydrates: 255g
Fat: 42g
Water: 3.25 Litres

Strength & Conditioning: 20 minute bodyweight routine

Sleep: 7 hours 00 minutes

Tuesday:

Tuesday was one of my key sessions of the block. I do this 8 x 1k reps session early on in the plan and once again in week 14. This turned out to be a big confidence booster. I ran this session in week 14 of my Manchester block with very similar results. In addition, I was roughly about 15 seconds per rep faster than I was in week 2.

3:46
3:44
3:43
3:46
3:39
3:44
3:41
3:42

Running Details:
Distance: 8.56 miles (13.79 km)
Avg Pace Overall: 7:34/mile (4:42/km)
Running Shoes: Nike Vaporfly 3
Time & Temperature: 15:45 - 19 C (66 F)
HRV: 106.1

Nutrition Statistics:
Calories: 2084
Protein: 97g
Carbohydrates: 298g
Fat: 56g
Water: 3 Litres

Strength & Conditioning: 20 minute bodyweight routine

Sleep: 6 hours 27 minutes

Wednesday:

Wednesday of Week 14 was a 20 miler (32 km) run at an easy effort. I got out late and just squeaked it in before it got dark. I enjoyed this one as I do like the longer runs and I was coming off a great session the day before.

Running Details:

Distance: 18.83 miles (30.31 km)
Avg Pace Overall: 8:23/mile (5:12/km)
Running Shoes: Asics Novablast 3
Time & Temperature: 14:53 - 18 C (64 F)
HRV: 77.6

Nutrition Statistics:

Calories: 2000
Protein: 141g
Carbohydrates: 224g
Fat: 60g
Water: 3 Litres

Strength & Conditioning: - N/A

Sleep: 8 hours 58 minutes

Thursday:

This was another Thursday rest day.

Running Details:
HRV: 88.0

Nutrition Statistics:
Calories: 1997
Protein: 112g
Carbohydrates: 252g
Fat: 61g
Water: 3 Litres

Strength & Conditioning: 20 minute bodyweight routine

Sleep: 6 hours 45 minutes

Friday:

Friday in Week 14 was a 6 miler (10 km). This was another positive run and confidence boost leading into the weekend. My average pace on this steady run showed improvement and that my overall fitness is coming into a good place at just the right time.

Running Details:
Distance: 6.22 miles (10.02 km)
Avg Pace Overall: 6:57/mile (4:19/km)
Running Shoes: Nike Zoom Tempo Next %
Time & Temperature: 12:40 - 18 C (64 F)
HRV: 77.1

Nutrition Statistics:
Calories: 2144
Protein: 113g
Carbohydrates: 261g
Fat: 72g
Water: 3.5 Litres

Strength & Conditioning: 20 minute body weight routine

Sleep: 8 hours 32 minutes

Saturday:

Saturday was an easy 6 miler that felt really good. It was an interesting day as I helped a neighbour harvest his olives. I never did that before, so it made for an enjoyable day before going out for my run.

Running Details:
Distance: 6.47 miles (10.42 km)
Avg Pace Overall: 7:37/mile (4:44/km)
Running Shoes: Nike Revolution 6
Time & Temperature: 15:33 - 17 C (63 F)
HRV: 88.6

Nutrition Statistics:
Calories: 1438
Protein: 82g
Carbohydrates: 165g
Fat: 50g
Water: 2.25 Litres

Strength & Conditioning: N/A

Sleep: 5 hours 02 minutes

Sunday:

The 2:49 Marathon Project week 14 Sunday Long Run Day was a 24 miler with a few pacy miles thrown in the mix. This was a cold morning (for Spain in November). However, as I made my way around this single loop route, the sun came out and it warmed up. This was my second long run of the week and this time was a little faster. I thoroughly enjoyed this dress rehearsal.

Running Details:
Distance: 23.85 miles (38.38 km)
Avg Pace Overall: 7:58/mile (4:57/km)
Running Shoes: Nike Alphafly 1 (old)
Time & Temperature: 8:34 - 16 C (61 F)
HRV: 134.7

Nutrition Statistics:
Calories: 2421
Protein: 96g
Carbohydrates: 309g
Fat: 89g
Water: 3 Litres

Strength & Conditioning: 20 minutes yoga

Sleep: 6 hours 17 minute

Body Weight

Once again, my discipline was lacking, however, I did drop a little over a pound. I will make one last effort this week, in week 15, but after this week, I will look to gain a pound or two in the lead up to race day. My weigh in this week was probably influenced by timing, so I may actually be a little lighter than the 154.2 the scale read. I would very much like to be under 150 for race day. I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself for that target though. I'm feeling otherwise fast and strong.

Strength & Conditioning

I did my 20 minute routine 4 out of 5 weekdays this week. I managed to get 1 x 20 minute yoga sessions done.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 14 Update Lessons Learned

Once again, this is more a reminder, rather than lesson learned. It's important to trust the process. For the last few weeks things have started to fall into place. When running these benchmark sessions, like the 8 x1k reps, it's important to take confidence from a successful session like that. 16 weeks is a long time to work towards a single day, so along the way, I need to remember to be proud of the efforts that I've been putting in. Realising how far I've come from where I was in week 1 is important. Those 15 seconds per km improvement is big and leaves me buzzing. I'm looking forward to the Valencia Marathon more than ever. I'm beyond pleased that it is going ahead.

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 15 Running Sessions

This week's sessions are described in this post and on YouTube. This is the penultimate week and the taper begins on Thursday, and I for one, am looking forward to that!

Monday: Rest day
Tuesday: 22 miles (35km) easy effort
Wednesday: 20 miles (32k) easy effort
Thursday: Rest day
Friday: 5 miles (8 km) steady
Saturday: 5k tempo run with middle 3k hard
Sunday: 13 miles (21 km) Easy effort

The 2:49 Marathon Project Week 14 Update Summary

For the 2:49 Marathon Project Week 14, it was extremely useful on so many levels. I feel as though everything is coming together nicely and I am brimming with confidence. I can control the controllables and do everything in my power to keep it at this level. I only have two more long runs and only a small injection of intensity before race day. I'm ready to go and I'm excited for the 2024 Valencia Marathon.

Where Can You Follow the 2:49 Marathon Project?

Daily updates will be shared on my Instagram account and Tiktok account. Weekly updates will be in longer form on YouTube , my Facebook page, and here on the A Heart for Running blog.

If you are on any of these platforms, I would very much appreciate a follow. It would be a huge boost to my chances of reaching my goal.

Also, for anyone who wishes to get email updates, please subscribe to the mailing list at the bottom of this page and the weekly updates will be delivered directly to your inbox. Ensure to check your junk box and allow the emails from here through.

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Weekly Metrics:

This is the Week 14 Updates

Friday Weigh-in Pounds: 154.2 lb (-1.4 lb)
Friday Weigh-in Kg: 69.9 kg (-.5 kg)
Average Resting HR: 41 bpm (-)
Average 7-Day HRV: 99.6 (+ 17.5)
Average Nightly Sleep: 7:03 hours (-36 minutes)
Average Daily Protein: 109g/day (-24g)
Average Daily Water: 3000 ml/day (- 250ml)
Total Weekly KM's: 102.9 (+31 km)
Total Weekly Miles: 63.9 miles (-19 miles)

Click here to see last week's metrics