This week the plan was for an Adaptation or Deload Week, but I’ve shifted the deload to next week as a mini taper for the Luang Prabang Half Marathon. That meant keeping mileage steady but bumping up the intensity — effectively starting the marathon-specific block a week early.
Tuesday – Intervals (4x8x30s on/off)
Session was 4 sets of 8 reps, 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off, totaling 12.79 km.
All reps between 3:56/km and 3:26–3:27/km for the last two.
Not sure I like the 30s on/30s off format — it’s so stop–start, and a lot of energy goes into the acceleration rather than sustained pace. But I’ll persist and trust the process.
Wednesday – Easy Run (60 minutes) (Fasted)
On the road this week, so I got to run on a nice dirt trail along the canal in Gnommalath. Beautiful scenery and a good change from the repeated route, where I’m the local legend of the Mekong Riverfront.
10.71 km at 5:35/km average pace.
Average heart rate 142, nice and controlled.
Thursday – Marathon Tempo (90 minutes total, 60 minutes Zone 3)
Still on the road, so I did this run in Thakhek. Session was 90 minutes total with 60 minutes at marathon heart rate (Zone 3). Route went upstream along the river, then back towards the main highway to get some elevation, as per the plan’s “hilly tempo” prescription. I feel like Strava ripped me off here, with only 33m of elevation gain, I’m sure it was more than that
Average pace for the tempo was 4:45/km for 12.6 km, with an average heart rate of 163 bpm — right on target for Zone 3. The effort was steady throughout, heart rate locked around 163 and pace in the low 4:40s. I would’ve liked faster and could’ve gone faster, but kept it in Zone 3, don’t race the training.
Saturday – Missed Run
First missed run of the block. The wife had influenza, and I could feel myself coming down with it. I didn’t want to leave her in that state to look after the kids, so I skipped the planned 60 minutes easy. Spent the day resting and trying to get ahead of the illness, and it seemed to work.
Sunday – Long Run Workout (2×10 km at Marathon Pace)
Going to bed it was a question mark whether I’d be up for it or not, but in the morning I felt good enough to give it a crack. Session was 2×10 km at marathon pace.
Up early, small bowl of overnight oats, stopped at 7-Eleven at 3:30 a.m. for a can of coffee, but ended up with a can of Carabao energy drink, then hit the road at 4 a.m. Solo this time, parked the car midway along the Mekong River road to loop past for refills. Kept the route flat to get clean data on pace, heart rate, and effort.
- First 10 km: 4:41/km average pace (46:47), average HR 164, Pa:HR +1.04%
- Second 10 km: 4:37/km average pace (46:12), average HR 166, Pa:HR –0.48%
Refilled drinks and had some Gatorade during the 2-minute rest between sets. Still hot — 24°C and 90% humidity — but happy with how it went. The Pa:HR values show solid aerobic control and stability across both efforts.
Weekly Summary
Mileage was down slightly due to the missed Saturday run, finishing with 66.7 km for the week. The quality sessions hit the mark, with Thursday’s tempo and Sunday’s long run both locking into marathon effort nicely. Feeling strong heading into next week’s mini taper for Luang Prabang.