A deliberate down week heading into the Luang Prabang Half Marathon — lower intensity, slightly less structure, and a focus on staying sharp without adding fatigue. The race served as both a checkpoint and a confidence booster midway through the marathon build.
Tuesday – 60 min Easy (Fasted)
Fasted morning run, just cruising. Covered 10.72 km at 5:41/km, HR 140 bpm — nice and low, exactly where it should be for an easy day. felt the first wafts of cool air coming off the mekong, hopefully the cool season is jsut around the corner.
Had to stop mid-run when train tickets to Luang Prabang went on sale. Managed to snag one, though not for my preferred time. Still, I’ll arrive the day before the race and pick up the race bib before collection closes — not a total disaster.
Wednesday – 90 min Medium Long Run (Easy)
No tempo this week, just keeping it relaxed. Covered 15.91 km in 1:30:10 at 5:40/km, HR 146 bpm. had company on the bike again which is already good and makes the ks go by much faster.
Felt smooth and controlled the whole way — a cruisy run to keep the legs ticking over without adding intensity.
Thursday – Reduced Workout (2 × 5 × 1 min On / 1 min Off)
Shorter session this week with race day approaching. Two sets of five one-minute efforts with one-minute jog recoveries.
Broke out the new New Balance SuperComp Elite v4s to test them before the race. Started around 4:04/km and worked into it, finishing the last rep at 3:34/km.
Total 10 km in 49 minutes — smooth, controlled, and a nice tune-up without overdoing it.
Friday – Rest / Travel Day
Rest day and travel day. Caught the train up to Luang Prabang and picked up my race bib in the afternoon.
Skipped the evening group shakeout run, I don’t usually run on Fridays, and definitely not within 12 hours of a race. Opted instead for some time in the hotel pool and an early dinner with plenty of rice at Sushi Box Luang Prabang and an early night.
Saturday – Luang Prabang Half Marathon (Race Day)
Quick warm-up before the start — 1.4 km with three short strides (~40 s each) around 4:00–4:05/km pace for 150–200 m bursts.
The course turned out tougher than expected but I came away with a strong result — 1:32:13 (watch) / 1:32:06 (official), a solid PB and 5th overall (4th male).
Felt strong throughout, worked hard but didn’t completely empty the tank — hard effort, but smart. This wasn’t the A-race, and the focus stays on the marathon build ahead.
Sunday – 40 min Easy (Treadmill)
Slept in, took the kids to their activities in the morning, then snuck out during afternoon nap time for 40 minutes easy on the treadmill — about 7 km total.
Legs were heavy at first but loosened up nicely. Could’ve gone longer, but time was short and I wanted to stay fresh.
First treadmill run in months, and the watch calibration was way off — treadmill showed 5:40/km, but watch read 4:50s. Clearly my stride has changed since the last indoor session back in April or May.
Weekly Recap
Finished the week with 66.1 km in 5 hours 40 minutes. Technically a down week, but with the half marathon included, it still packed some solid work.
Much less weekday intensity, solid PB on Saturday, and a good checkpoint mid-block. Feeling recovered, confident, and ready to ramp things up for the biggest training weeks ahead.