This is my Indianapolis Monumental Marathon training week 11 recap covering every run from September 22–27, 2026. A hilly easy 7 back in the Novablast 5s, a half marathon pace workout that broke me mentally, a forgotten watch that turned into a run from my front door, and a 16-mile long run where I tested taking ibuprofen for hip flexor pain — all heading into race week for the Fort Ben Half Marathon.
Week of September 22, 2026 · 4 runs · a speed workout that broke me, a forgotten watch, a 16 miler, and race week for the Fort Ben Half up next
Fall is finally here and the temps are starting to drop. 🍂
Deload week is over and Week 11 brought the mileage right back up — 37.6 miles across four runs. It had a little bit of everything: a hilly easy run, the hardest speed workout of the block so far (mentally, anyway), a forgotten watch that turned into a run from my front door, and a 16 miler where I tested something new for race day. And next week is race week for the Fort Ben Half!
Indy Monumental Marathon Training Week 11: The Runs
| Day | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, September 22 | 7 Miles Easy | Hilly new location, back in the Novablast 5s, plus a midday gym session at full reps ⛰️ |
| Thursday, September 24 | 3 x 15 Min at Half Marathon Pace | 7.6 miles in the dark after work — hit every pace, but cried mid-run 😮💨 |
| Saturday, September 26 | 7 Miles Easy | Forgot my watch, drove home, and ran from my house to the trail — actually loved it 🏡 |
| Sunday, September 27 | 16 Miles Easy | Toward the nature district again, tested ibuprofen for hip flexor pain, finished strong 🎧 |
Tuesday: Hills and Another Chance for the Novablasts
An easy 7 to start the week. I decided to wear my ASICS Novablast 5s — this is my third pair, and when I first got them they were hurting my calves, but I wanted to give them another go. They were alright. I ran in a different location today and it was pretty hilly. Hills can be nice for adding some elevation to training runs, but they definitely make what should be an easy run feel a lot harder.
Tuesday is also my midday gym day, and since we’re out of the deload week, I was back to my normal reps. Overall I felt fine. I did have some calf and Achilles pain, but I made it through.
Thursday: The Run That Broke Me
Thursday’s run was truly awful. The workout was a 20-minute warm up, then 3 x 15 minutes at half marathon pace with 2 minutes of rest in between, and a 20-minute cool down — 7.6 miles total. I’m honestly not sure why this one was so terrible, but it felt so much harder than it should have. My body felt completely fatigued, and I actually started crying mid-run because I wanted to stop so badly.
I did hit my paces, which is all I can really hope for on a day like that. But this run had me truly questioning why I’m even doing this. Runs in the dark after work with speed work in them are just not enjoyable. I’m sharing this one because not every run is a good one, and the hard days are part of the story too.
Saturday: The Forgotten Watch
Saturday was an easy 7, and it ended up being a little different than planned. When we got to the trail, I realized I’d forgotten my watch. I really did not want to run without it, so we drove back home and I started my run from my house and ran to the trail instead.
It was different, but I actually enjoyed it. The 7 miles didn’t feel too bad. Some of the neighborhoods I ran through had more hills than the trail, and it got a bit hot mid-run, but again, I persevered.
Sunday: 16 Miles and a Race Day Test
Sunday was 16 easy miles, and I started this one from home too. My plan had some marathon pace miles built in, but I don’t really have a goal time. This is my first marathon, so my goal is simply to finish. I got to run toward the nature district again, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite routes.
Back to the nature district. 🌿
About 8 miles in, I tested taking an ibuprofen. I get really bad hip flexor pain after 8 to 10+ miles, and I wanted to see how it would go in case I need one during the marathon. My stomach did start to hurt afterward, but I honestly don’t know if it was the ibuprofen or my gels. Either way, I was still in pain — though it was probably less than it would have been if I hadn’t taken it.
I definitely started to feel fatigued and wanted to be done, but I put on an audiobook and some podcasts and finished strong. Afterward, I refueled with a big bowl of pasta and my pumpkin coffee mug, because fall is finally here.
Post-run pasta and my pumpkin mug. Fall is here! 🎃
Honest Check-In
37.6 miles this week and a 16-mile long run in the books. This week tested me mentally more than any other week so far — Thursday had me in tears and wondering why I’m doing this at all. But I hit my paces, I found a new way to start my runs right from home, and I finished another long run strong. The calf and Achilles pain is still hanging around, and the hip flexor pain after mile 8 is still the biggest thing I’m trying to solve before Monumental. I’m so happy fall is here and the temps have slowly started to drop, and I’m excited (and a little nervous) that next week is race week.
You can follow along with the full journey on my Training & Progress page.
- Racing the Fort Ben Half, my B race in this training block
- Keeping an eye on the calf, Achilles, and hip flexor pain
- Using the race as a check-in on the road to Monumental
