Running 100km in One Week
A week of training and insights as I build my base winter fitness
This week I decided to do something different. Instead of taking my foot off the gas for the first few days of the week, before trying to plan and write most of a piece on Thursday.
I wrote the following piece day-by-day to give you an insight into what it’s like to run 100km in a week - without doing a crazy long run on Saturday and/or Sunday as I have done in the past.
The following entry goes into my motivation - or lack thereof - how my body feels before, during, and after the runs, and what sessions I chose to get me closer to my goal. That goal being a huge winter base littered with speed sessions to try and help me get fast before entering some road races next year.
I hope you enjoy reading my training plan for the week, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I will be glad to get back to you 🙂
As always, I dive into my writing a lot deeper in my podcast. Listen to it here:
Monday 18 November 2024 17:02
7.13km @ 4:42 pace
Z2 Recovery Run
Z2 stands for zone 2 of my heart rate zones. With a max heart rate of 203 beats per minute, my zone 2 range is between 131-164 bpm. Granted, watch heart rate trackers aren’t the most accurate. But I have over four years of standardised data to work with. During this run I spent 94% in this range.
Zone 2 pace for me can also be calculated through Strava from a recent race. My 1:24 at Dresden Half Marathon gives me a Z2 pace range of 4:22-5:04 per kilometre.
I hope the details don’t turn you off, but they are important when trying to train following the 80/20 principle which says that 80% of your running should be easy and 20% should be hard efforts. For me, this looks like 2-3 speed runs per week.
I ran 93km last week. I woke up this week and it was hard to see my weekly mileage back down at 0. But that’s the beauty of these commitments, they keep you humble. You really do need to show up consistently if you want to see results.
As a result of the 93kms, my legs were tired today. So was I. I logged far less sleep than usual on Friday + Saturday and so didn’t manage to get up in time to run in the morning. The time I prefer to go running.
This afternoon I planned to go out after I’d done a batch of job applications. However, I got distracted on Kleinanzeigen (the German equivalent of Gumtree) and ended up buying a second hand bike. Which took all of my energy not to take put on a ride immediately. I think I might take it for a spin before work.
Anyway, this all meant that I had to run in the dark. My least favourite condition for running (unless I’m 12+ hours deep in an ultramarathon). Being early in the week, I don’t have to do so much maths to figure out how to get my mileage where I want it. Therefore, I let myself go on an easy 7km run this evening at a gentle pace to let my legs and body recover.
I ran a similar route to the interval session I did last Monday so I didn’t have to think about navigation or stop many times to check the map. However, what I hadn’t realised was that there were no lights along the section of trail where the Berlin Wall used to stand; so I turned off my music and picked up the pace.
Coming back around onto my street, I had an inkling that I may regret not running further today, but we‘ll just have to wait and see.
Tuesday 19 November 2024 - 15:54
13.0km @ 4:15 pace
Intervals - Warm Up // 12x 45‘ (~3:20) on, 1:00“ off // With 3 min jog halfway // Cool Down
You should know that it snowed today. That’s should set the scene pretty well. It was cold and dark. I had grand plans to go for a bike ride this morning before class, but as has so often been the case since moving here, my alarm went off, I walked across my room to turn it off, and then went back to sleep.
I knew realistically that today’s session would be this afternoon. I didn’t know that my first time out on my new bike would leave me sodden and cold to the core. Not a good omen for running.
I was able to do some life admin (read as job applications) before plucking up the motivation to get out the door. But not before the afternoon got away from me. The sun set today at 16:09… If you check my start time, you will see that the sun set as I arrived at Tempelhofer Feld (the old Berlin airport) and finished my warm up.
I have a love-hate relationship with Tempelhofer Feld. It is a 5km loop with no traffic so is objectively great for interval training, but it is also at mercy of the wind being a wide open space with no building obstructing it.
Sure enough, the wind was out in force. Requiring me to rethink my second attempt to run from East to West along the runway.
Today’s session was a 15 minute warm up, 8x 45 sec hard w/ 1 min jog between, 3 min rest, 8x 45 sec hard w/ 1 min jog between (again), 15 minute cool down.
I decided to go out hard and was averaging 3:20 per km for the reps and around 4:20 per km for the jog in between. This cooked me a little bit so I ended up doing two sets of six.
I’m proud that I didn’t bin the whole session, like I did a few times in the lead up to Dresden Half. However, I’m feeling a lot stronger and confident than I did whilst I was in that training block. The rain, wind, and darkness weren’t going to stop me tonight.
The extra 3 mins of jogging between sets brought me back to life and allowed me to run the second half even faster. In hindsight, I probably could have pushed it for 16 reps. But we learn from each run, and I’m incredibly grateful that I wasn’t so hard on myself today.
My quads were a bit sore coming into the second half of today’s workout, but nothing a bit of rest shouldn’t fix.
I need to make more of an effort to run during the day and pay more attention to the weather forecast to avoid getting caught out like I did today.
Wednesday 20 November 2024 - 07:08
10.44km @ 4:52 pace
Z2 Recovery Run
I’ve run with Midnight Runners all bar one week since I arrived here in Berlin. They host a 10km bootcamp style run with 5 stops throughout to carry out Tabata style exercises - 8 sets of 20 seconds active and 10 seconds recovery.
Its great, but I despise that it starts at 7:30 in the evening. Waiting all day to get mt running done is not my style. I’d rather get up first thing in the morning, not have to think about the pending run, and feel great for having gotten up early and made something of my morning!
Which is exactly what I did today. Rearranging my running plans so that I may see my friend and get a run in. I’ve not been so great at getting up and exercising in the mornings and was resulting anxious about my ability to get up this morning. However, having a structure makes it a lot easier to remain disciplined and carry out the task at hand.
Needing to hit 100km this week made this morning slightly easier. Similarly, I’m currently on my longest ever consecutive running streak of 23 days. This amazed me when I went back through my training log last week. Not only was my run along the Camino de Santiago my toughest ever challenge, it also made my previous longest running streak of 18 days.
The temperature was 2 degrees when I got up this morning, but AccuWeather decided it would remind me that the Real Feel was actually -5. I probably should have worn jocks under my skins🥶
I typically treat Wednesdays as recovery runs sandwiched between my speed sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. Therefore, this morning was no different. I planned my route last night so that I didn’t need to faff this morning. But I also made a route that I didn’t need to think - 10km along the canals and most importantly, away from traffic.
My quads were sore this morning, as were my calves. But I went out very gently and let my mind switch off. These types of runs are perfect for simply getting the miles in and increasing my time on feet each week. I ended up with another 50 minutes and brought my cumulative total up to 30.46km ahead of the Thursday double.
Thursday 21 November 2024 - 07:23
3.28km @ 6:24 Pace
Easy Social Run with Run n Rave (Running Club)
Thursdays are my favourite day of the week at the moment. A morning running club!! And the opportunity to spend time with friends.
Run n Rave was founded by Ben who was inspired by the sober raving scene in London and early morning bootcamp fitness classes. The running club incorporates a short warm up, casual run, followed by a workout, and cool down. Then, most people stick around for coffee, breakfast with a dj spinning tunes, then the option to shower and co-work in the office space for free.
For the first month or so, Ben and I would jog down to the track after the dj finished up and get an interval session in. I started intensive German classes which put an end to this and also now run with another club on Thursday evenings, so can get my speed session in then.
This morning, I opted to cycle to the space meaning a shorter run, but gave me more time to get to German Class and back to the co-working space to prep for a job interview. Robbing me of precious kilometres and leaving me at the point of the week where I need to be more intentional with my running.
Do I need to run to/from the remaining running clubs? Should I take it easy now to prioritise a longer long run on Sunday? What plans are going to come up in the next few days that are going to impact the amount I’m going to run?
I need these kilometres to fit around my life too, as I look to settle in Berlin and build relationships. The easy 3 kilometres this morning did little to add to my weekly mileage, but provide me with a space to build relationships and work on personal projects in an incredibly creative environment.
Thursday 21 November 2024 -18:10
17.59km @ 4:26 Pace
Out + WU // 3x 1,200m into 400m @ 3:40 -> 3:10 // CD + Back
Threshold Intervals w/ Berlin Braves (Running Club)
Judging by the distance, you should be able to tell that I ran the 5km to and from the run this evening. Unfortunately, there is a clash with the Berlin Vipassana group meeting on Thursdays at 20:00, but I need to work with my priorities.
I was excited to do this workout of 3x 1,200m at Threshold pace straight into a 400m at or above 5km pace. I love doing speed workouts with others around me as it gives me the confidence and drive to go even harder. Our warm up was in the gym, a nice way to avoid our temperature dropping too drastically once we got out on the pavement.
Whilst everyone was arriving I was approached by one of the other runners. Apparently word has gotten around that I run ultramarathons, and as she prepares for The Speed Project next year - she was on the hunt for some advice. I imparted all that I could about my training for ultras and made some provisional plans for fun long runs this winter.
Based on my recent 1:24 half marathon, my Threshold pace zone is between 3:40 and 3:55. My friend Seb wasn’t here to push me this week so I went out closer to the 3:50 mark. Feeling a little bit silly as I went out faster than everyone else. The coach questioning my process and if I was able to turn it up a notch for the final 400m.
I had faith in my legs to go faster in the second part and pushed the pace by 30 seconds in each split. Progressing from 3:50 & 3:15 down to 3:36 & 3:07. I really feel like I’m making good strides at becoming faster on the road recently. I’ve been trying to run my easy runs at a lighter pace so that I can give my all to the faster sessions. There is often an opportunity to do an additional set for the faster runners, which I discussed with others about deciding upon before the session next time.
Feeling strong, a nice jog back to the gym for a warm down, before heading back home. The best part of 18km closer to my goal.
Friday 22 November 2024 - 10:10
10.07 @ 4:44 Pace
Easy Run
Though those 18km didn’t feel like they were anywhere near enough. I woke up this morning with the daunting task of still only being halfway and requiring another 49km in the next 3 days. This is where maths really came into the equation, as I wanted to finish with a half marathon on Sunday and so guessed how far I’d run with the Braves tomorrow based on previous sessions.
I woke up this morning not wanting to run at all. As always, my legs and feet felt subpar as I stepped out of bed. However, I knew with my evening plans that I would regret it if I didn’t run in the morning. In fact, I regret it almost every time that I don’t run in the morning. On the menu today, my mental maths made me meander a 10km point to point ending at Tempelhof S-Bahn station.
This was another run for my week where I was collecting mindless miles. Perhaps some of the most important miles, as Cooper commented on a similarly titled run from Monday. My legs were heavy, I was somewhat racing the clock to pick up something from Kleinanzeigen, but I kept on ticking them over.
Down a new section of the canal, through a heavily industrialised zone outside the ring 😱). I was aiming for Tempelhofer Hafen, a canal port which was pretty much exactly how I expected to be. Cool to see, but probably something I won’t return to. With a few km’s left my sister gave me a call and I was glad to have some company to bring me home for the final section of my run.
Saturday 23 November 2024 - 08:55
18.26km @ 5:14 Pace
Out // 9km social run // Back
Social Saturday w/ Berlin Braves (Running Club)
Another one of those runs where I needed to run both to and from to build mileage. Last week (also watching my mileage), I took public transport for one leg of each Braves run. However, I was grateful to get more time on legs this week. Despite itching to use my bike at every possible opportunity.
At risk of sounding like a broken record, my legs were bloody heavy again this morning. But I knew it would all be worth it. The two morning running clubs are my favourite times of the week, where I get to meet and spend time with likeminded people and chew the fat over freshly brewed coffee. Does it really get much better than this?
The run itself was a classic loop of Hasenheide park which we have done for 3 of the 4 weeks that I have been with them. I don’t mind sticking to what we know. I got to speak to a bunch of new people this morning, building connection and learning about all of the cool things they are up to both within and external to running.
By showing up each week, I feel more and more connected to the community. Running with some of the members twice a week really seems to expedite this process too. Being a smaller group, you quickly learn who has been there repeatedly, identifying who you should introduce yourself to. Having a smaller showing each week makes it feel more inclusive and everybody more approachable than some of the other groups I run with that can have over 200 people - leaving me to gravitate to the people that I already know.
With my heart and my belly full, I left Braves HQ and trotted home. But not before some serious mathematics (so serious it required its full name). Leaving the house this morning on 61.41km with 21.1km planned tomorrow, I needed 17.5km today. My run to that point was 13.41km, meaning that the ~4.5km home would leave me with enough kms in store to crank out a half marathon as my final run of the week to hit 100 kilometres.
Sunday 23 November 2024 - 08:55
21.1km @ 4:15 Pace
Tempo Half Marathon
It took me two hours to get up and out the house this morning. As has been common all week, my legs and feet were very tender as I stepped out of bed into the rug I hauled across Berlin on the bus last night.
Purely for ego, I challenged myself to try and run a sub 90 minute half marathon for only the second time in my life, but also in the past 30 days. I very nearly canned this idea before stepping out the door, but decided to confront the challenge head on.
Once I managed to drag myself out the door, I decided to go after it and hope for the best. Building a 22 second buffer in the first half. Despite wanting to drop off the pace at the 5km mark and wanting some time to decompress after getting chased by a dog for a couple hundred metres in Planterwald.
To aid my cause I decided to run out to Treptower Park and then south to Planterwald to avoid traffic both automotive and pedestrian. Zigging and zagging through the park and forest to bring me closer to my goal. Enduring both rain and sun, once I hit halfway I knew I’d be able to hold on.
I went without water for this run, but just about managed to chow down on two protein bars. A tip for anyone out there - always go for gels - you don’t want to be chewing whilst you’re trying to run fast.
The fatigue in my legs started to catch up with me in the last few kilometres. The price to be paid for still pushing after 98kms in the past seven days.
I should probably explain why I took in this challenge and subsequently why I’m writing about it. I’ve run 100km in a week before. I’ve run 100km in a run before. But this time it had a lot more structure.
I run Rome marathon in 16 weeks to the day. Meaning that I am about to embark on a 16 week training plan to give myself the best chance of success in Rome. Success for me looks like a 2:55 finishing time. I ran 3:10 last October in Melbourne smack bang in the middle of my training for a 100km mountain race, so I know that there is a lot more on the table with a concerted effort.
Dresden Half Marathon gave me a lot of confidence and I hope that Rome Marathon will give me even more confidence to go one better at my first major marathon in Berlin next September.
My plan for Rome thus far has been to increase my mileage substantially so that I have a large base to work from and supplement this with specific speed sessions to help me get faster for the race. Over the last 7 days I included 2 threshold sessions and a tempo as part of my training.
I look forward to seeing how far I can take this and I look forward to sharing it with you. This coming Friday I am running a special event here in Berlin which I’m excited to share with you all.
The Heat24 is a 24-hour charity run, organized and supported by people, who like to do good things together and love to run. The run is independent and is run on a voluntary basis.
The route is laid out as a cloverleaf and consists of four laps of six kilometres each. Each lap is run once per hour in a clockwise direction, making a total of six laps, each with four different sections.
Organised by the KVL Cares initiative, private running groups and numerous supporters, all proceeds - in the form of money and donations in kind - will go to the Berlin City Mission and Diakonie Hamburg. Thanks to this support, the organisations can offer urgently needed help and protection to people living on the streets during the cold season with the Cold Bus in Berlin and the Midnight Bus in Hamburg.
Donations are welcome at heat24.org.
Until then, ciao.
Totals
Distance: 100.78km
Time Taken: 7h 50m
Elevation: 629m
Avg Pace: 4:40
8 Runs → 5 Morning + 3 Evenings
Enjoy the unedited version of this training plan where I go into it in much greater deal on my podcast. Available on all major platforms, but here is a Spotify link to save you from searching: