California International Marathon Training Log (Week 5) | The Road to 2:20

Week 5 of 12

Oct 20, 2025

This week marked week 5 of 12 of my official build toward the California International Marathon (CIM) on December 7, 2025. Each week, I’ll be sharing data, insights, and other information about my training and process. I did something similar for the 2025 Boston Marathon, and the feedback was positive enough that I decided to do it again! You can find week 1 here, week 2 here, week 3 here, and week 4 here.

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Week 5 (October 13-October 19, 2025)

For the fourth week in a row, I logged more than 80 miles of running in addition to 2-3 weekly sessions of cross training on the bike - that’s mileage territory I haven’t approached in a long time (at least consistently!) While I’m feeling the fitness slightly creep up, I’m also feeling the cumulative fatigue and day-to-day muscle aches and soreness that don’t really pop up (for me) at lower mileage. These are cues I’m paying attention to. This week included a lot of tempo-based work at slightly slower than race pace—which isn’t feeling as easy as I’d like it to right now…admittedly. But we’re still not even halfway through the block. Plenty of time to sharpen!

Weekly totals

Running: 83.57 miles/9 hours 37 minutes (5 days of running)

Biking: 5 hours 25 minutes (3 rides)

Week 5 | Day 1

Workout: 2 hour 17 minute indoor Zwift ride

Week 5 | Day 2

Workout: 18-mile easy run + 15-minute sauna
Shoes: Brooks Glycerin Max

Week 5 | Day 3

Workout: 12 miles easy with micro intervals (1 x 60”, 2 x 30”, 4 x 20” hard with equal rest during the last mile) + 1-hour Zwift workout

Week 5 | Day 4 (Workout with easy double)

AM Workout:
- 4-mile warmup with strides
- 10 x 1,000-meter repeats with 90” jog rest
- 3-mile cooldown
Shoes: Puma FAST Nitro Elite 2
PM Workout: 4.8 miles easy with stroller
Shoes: R.A.D. Running UFO

I didn’t feel as fresh or smooth today as I would have liked, and the pace reflected that. This was a workout where I never seemed to be able to get into a higher gear, so it ended up being a more tempo-pace-based workout than a threshold or faster than race pace one (as intended). Luckily, I just found a track located a few miles from our new house that I’ve been able to use for the occasional workout!

Week 5 | Day 5

Workout: 2 hour 2 minute Zwift ride

Week 5 | Day 6

Workout: 12-mile run with 6 x 1/2 mile surges + 4 x 1/4 mile surges
Shoes: Puma Nitro Elite 3

Did this workout later in the day instead of in the morning, so it was hot, which added to the challenge. Felt decent and decided to add one more “mini-workout” to the week and get the legs moving a bit faster than usual. ~5:20-5:45 pace for the surges, depending on elevation profile.