MCM Training Week 15

Week 15 of Marine Corps Marathon training was solid, but generally unremarkable. I guess you can't have big newsworthy breakthroughs every week! Can you believe we are only one month away from MCM?

Source: the MCM Facebook page

It's All About the Toenails

Last year I learned the first law of toenails and running:

Always remember to cut your toenails.

Not cutting your toenails can result in pain, blisters, blood, even a lost toenail. I've been diligent about following this toenail law.

My second toes are longer than my big toes, and at distances over 16 miles, my right second toe ends up blistered at the tip and tender. I've learned to put body glide on the tip of my toe to keep it from getting blistered.

In an effort to further protect it, I trimmed my big toenail at a bit of an angle to keep it from poking my second toe. Big mistake. Additional laws of toenails:

Do not cut your toenails too short.

Cut toenails straight across. 

Since the 20-mile run, I've been dealing with what basically amounts to an ingrown toenail on my big toe. Really minor, but super annoying. I have become familiar with soaking my foot, antibiotic ointment and putting dental floss under my toenail to help the nail grow above the skin. It's almost grown out, and I'm hoping it gets there before next week's 22-mile run.

Learn from my experience - follow the basic laws of toenails!

I earned a new Fitbit badge this week for 5,772 lifetime miles.
It has nothing to do with toenails.
I just needed a picture to break up all the text.

Week 15 Statistics

I ran 3 times for a total of 20.7 miles. (This week was only 6 days; I'm back to Saturday long runs after the last couple of weeks with Sunday runs).

• Track: Short shakeout Fartlek: 20 minute easy warm-up followed by 16 repeats of 30 seconds on (AC pace), 30 seconds off (easy enough to recover for the next hard interval)  (3.6 miles)
• This was kind of a fun workout, different from anything I had done before.
• Easy run: 3.1 miles (I would have had a second, longer, run in a true 7 day week)
• Long run: 14 miles 
• We ran the first 8 miles at easy/long pace and the last 6 building to marathon pace
• Strength training: 3 times (my routine)
• Yoga: no yoga 

Onward to Week 16 - my longest training run, 22 miles, will be next week!

Read about previous training weeks: 

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 

Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14