This is my Indianapolis Monumental Marathon training week 10 recap covering every run from September 15–20, 2026. A deload week with an easy 6, a one-hour progression run, a rainy-weekend 6 miler squeezed in between showers, and a 13-mile long run on a brand new stretch of trail — plus a shoe switch to the ASICS Superblast 2 and some honest notes on foot, shin, and hip flexor pain.
Week of September 15, 2026 · 4 runs · a much-needed deload, a rainy weekend, a shoe switch, and a 13 miler on a brand new stretch of trail
Deload week, but still putting in the miles. 🏃♀️
After the biggest week of the training block so far, Week 10 was a deload — lighter mileage and a chance for my body to catch up. About 30 miles across four runs, a lunchtime gym routine that’s changing everything, a weekend of dodging rain, and a 13-mile long run that took me farther down the trail than I’ve ever gone in that direction.
Indy Monumental Marathon Training Week 10: The Runs
| Day | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, September 15 | 6 Miles Easy | Warm but not bad, felt fine — light-up vest again, plus a lunchtime gym session 💡 |
| Thursday, September 17 | 1 Hour Progression | 20 min warm up, 15 at marathon pace, 5 at half marathon pace, 20 min cool down — 5.06 miles ⏱️ |
| Saturday, September 19 | 6 Miles Easy | Snuck out between rain showers — Achilles pain early, left foot numbness from mile 4 🌧️ |
| Sunday, September 20 | 13 Miles | New direction on the trail, lake views, the nature district, and rain holding off until mile 9 🌊 |
Tuesday: Easy 6 and a Lunchtime Gym Session
An easy 6 to start the week. Six miles used to feel so long — and honestly it still takes me about an hour — but after running 7s last week, it felt so much quicker. I wore my new light-up vest again (I got it last week and I love it). It was warm out, but not too bad, and overall I felt fine.
I also got my gym session in, and going during lunch has been a total game changer. Midday it’s nowhere near as busy as it is at 5 PM, and I feel so accomplished knowing the only thing left on my list after work is my run. Balancing an 8–5 job with what basically feels like a second full-time job in marathon training is hard, so finding time in the middle of the day to knock things out helps a lot.
Thursday: A One-Hour Progression Run
Thursday was a one-hour progression run: a 20-minute warm up, 15 minutes at marathon pace, 5 minutes at half marathon pace, and a 20-minute cool down. It was cooler out and I felt good the whole way. It ended up being about 5.06 miles, and having only five miles on the schedule made it feel so much faster. This deload week was very much needed.
Saturday: Dodging the Rain
We were forecasted to get a torrential downpour all day Saturday and Sunday, but I slept in a bit and managed to get outside for my easy 6 right in between showers. The weather ended up being good for it.
I did deal with some pain on this one, though. My left foot and my Achilles both hurt at the start. The Achilles pain went away after about 3 miles, but then around mile 4 my left foot started acting up — it essentially goes numb. After doing some research, I decided to try my ASICS Superblast 2s for Sunday’s long run. I didn’t love them at first because they felt hard, but they’re more stable, which might be exactly what I need right now.
Sunday: 13 Miles on a New Stretch of Trail
I really enjoyed this one. I went a different direction on the trail than I usually do and made it farther out that way than I ever have before — and it’s so pretty. Lots of lake views, and I made it all the way to the nature district.
Lake views for days. 🌊
Farther down the trail than I’ve ever made it in this direction. 🌿
Somehow the rain held off until about miles 9 and 10. Even then, it was never too bad while we were out there — more of a heavy drizzle to a light shower. It honestly didn’t feel bad at all, and we got so lucky, because that day ended up getting nearly 3 inches of rain.
Running through the nature district. 🍃
The Superblast 2s did seem to help with the calf and Achilles pain I’ve been having, which is a win. The trade-off is that they gave me some pain in my right shin, so I’m going to keep an eye on that. I also had quad and hip flexor pain after mile 10, which seems to happen to me on almost every long run at that point. I’m still trying to figure out how to fix it.
Honest Check-In
About 30 miles this week, and the lighter load was exactly what I needed after last week. The runs themselves felt good — especially Sunday — but my body gave me a few things to pay attention to: left foot numbness, calf and Achilles pain, new right shin pain from the shoe switch, and that same quad and hip flexor pain that keeps showing up after mile 10. The Superblasts feel like a step in the right direction, and I’ll keep working on the rest. With the Fort Ben Half coming up soon, I want to go in feeling as good as possible.
Still can’t get over how pretty this stretch is. 💙
You can follow along with the full journey on my Training & Progress page.
- Keeping an eye on the right shin pain in the Superblast 2s
- Working on a fix for the quad and hip flexor pain after mile 10
- Getting ready for the Fort Ben Half Marathon on October 3
