Indy Monumental Marathon Training – Week 7 Recap

We had originally planned two deload weeks after the derecho, but week 7 didn’t really end up being one. More of the trail heading north finally got cleared, which opened up a lot more space to actually run in, and between that and just feeling ready to move again, this turned into a real training week. 35.25 miles across four runs, including the longest run of my life. I’m kind of behind on getting this one written up, but here it is.

Indy Monumental Marathon Training Week 7: The Runs

Day	Type	Notes
Tuesday, August 25	7 Miles Easy	Started late, second half in the dark — went slow and it turned into a good run anyway 🌙
Thursday, August 27	Half Marathon Pace Intervals	2 mi warm-up, 6 x 0.5 mi at HM pace with 1 min recovery, 2 mi cool-down — 7.25 miles total
Saturday, August 29	5 Miles Easy	House to trail, still crossing the road repeatedly to dodge downed trees and power lines
Sunday, August 30	16 Miles	Longest run of my life — low 70s, poured rain for a big chunk of it, and it felt amazing 🌧️

Tuesday: 7 Miles in the Dark

We started later than planned, which meant the back half of this run happened in the dark. I hate running in the dark, but there’s not much of a way around it right now — with a full-time job, even waking up early doesn’t fully dodge it once the mornings and evenings start getting darker earlier. Taking it slow and not fighting the pace made the whole thing feel manageable, and it turned into a genuinely good run despite the rough start.

It’s still kind of wild to me that 7 miles on a random Tuesday used to be my Sunday long run distance not that long ago.

Thursday: Half Marathon Pace Intervals

Thursday’s workout was a 2-mile warm-up, six half-mile repeats at half marathon pace with a minute of recovery between each, and a 2-mile cool-down to close it out — 7.25 miles total. Another week where I hit 7+ miles twice midweek, which still doesn’t feel real given where this training block started.

Steak dinner, fully earned. 🥩

Saturday: Still Dodging the Damage

An easy 5 miles from the house to the trail, and the sidewalks along that route still have downed trees and power lines on them, so I was crossing the road multiple times just to get there safely. It’s a good reminder of how much recovery this city still has ahead of it, even as training starts to feel normal again.

Dutch Bros after a run always hits different. ☕

Sunday: 16 Miles — A Longest Run PR

This one was a huge accomplishment. 16 miles, my longest run to date, taking close to 3.5 hours. The weather actually worked in my favor for once — low 70s, and it poured rain for a good chunk of the run. I wasn’t mad about it at all. Cool rain on a long run in late August is basically a gift, and it made the whole thing feel a lot more manageable than the heat we’ve been dealing with all summer. I am so proud of myself for this one.

Honest Check-In

35.25 miles this week, which is a lot more than a deload week was supposed to look like — but the trail opening back up and my legs feeling ready made it hard to hold back. The 16-miler is the real headline here. It’s the longest I’ve ever run, and finishing it feeling strong instead of destroyed says a lot about where this training block actually stands right now, storms and setbacks included.

You can follow along with the full journey on my Training & Progress page.