The hardest part of training…

I might take back the statement I’m about to make in a few weeks, but…I think the hardest thing about marathon training is not the long Saturday runs but the semi-long mid-week Wednesday runs.  Certainly the Saturday long runs are the most taxing on my legs and take up the most time. but they are easy to plan for as far as fitting them in and eating properly around the run.  The only really inconvenient thing about these long runs is that it makes it hard to go away for the weekend because Bennett is not training with me, and therefore, I can’t run where ever I am that weekend.  I need to be in DC since my long run partners are in DC.  

But, mid-week semi-long runs have become progressively longer and more difficult to fit in on a work day.  Today’s run was 7 miles.  Over the next month or so they will work up to 10 miles.  These runs are supposed to be run at a relaxed easy pace which just takes time for those of us that are not fast runners.  As the runs get longer, I can’t just roll out of bed and run; I have to eat breakfast and digest it before running.  Luckily I work from home on Wednesdays to break up my evil commute.  Otherwise I don’t know how I’d do it.  Even running after work would make dinner sooo late.  As I look ahead to the very small idea of running another marathon (hopefully training with Bennett) it’s these mid-week runs that make me sigh and hope I will always have a mid-week telework day.

The stupid evil 10 mile run

This entry is about last Saturday’s run

So after the great 13 mile long run, I was very confident that 10 miles would be nothing!  I guess I had gotten too confident in my training, and it was time to be reminded that running isn’t always fun. 

Saturday was humid because the storm was on its way.  The temperature was actually really nice, but the air was oppressive.  I woke up that morning feeling draggy.  Bennett and I got to the place to meet up with the run group and I still felt draggy.  We started running and both of us quickly decided this was not our day.  My legs felt heavy from the first steps through to the end of the run.  We ran slowly; we tried speeding up a bit.  We took a walk break.  It wasn’t that the run was hard, but it was hard to get through.  Several times I wanted to say “I’m done” and turn back early, but I wouldn’t let myself.  I jokingly told Bennett that it was like our legs forgot how to run and just flailed around for 10 miles.  It was only in the last half mile that my legs started to work like normal…how ridiculous! I really think I was running stupid that day because Sunday my muscles were sore in atypical places for me. 

Take that 13 miles!

Yesterday’s run went great!  We decided to step up the effort level a bit from the easy normal long run pace to see how a half marathon in training might compare to my half marathon last year.  It was a great morning to run harder than normal because it was a nice temperature.  In fact, before we started running I was almost chilly in my shorts and tank top.

We ran on the Capitol Crescent trail.  This trail has a gradual incline so most of the first half of the run was uphill and most of the second half was downhill.  It was shady and really a nice run.  On our way out we ran around 9:45 minute miles (uphill) and on the way back 9:30 minute miles (downhill mostly).  I’ll admit the last mile and a half I was definitely starting to feel it, and to make it worse there were several short hills in the last mile.  But, I felt better and ran faster with less effort than my half last year.  So that is really great!  This pace was faster than what I need for my marathon goal and was a nice confidence booster. 

Also we got to run through VA, DC, and MD so that was fun J

I’m starting to look forward to taking on the longer runs that are coming up.  Next week is a step back week though with a long run of only 10 miles.  The extra exciting thing about next week’s long run is that I will be running it with Bennett!  Max and Megan have a race, and Bennett has built up his mileage so much on his own that he can run with me.

Mental grit

All week I’ve been feeling like I’m trying to fight off getting sick.  I’ve been extra tired and slept lots this weekend.  Even so Monday morning’s run went well.  A good hard run of hill repeats on the treadmill. 

Tuesday morning I woke up feeling just icky so I thought I’d stay home from work and sleep for the day and feel better.  Well I did sleep all day, and I woke up this morning feeling less run down than the day before.  That is until after my 6 mile run…

This was one of the more mentally painful runs I’ve had in a long time.  I really didn’t feel like a 6 mile run, but I figured I should push through it.  It can take the first mile of a run for me to hit my stride when I really don’t feel like exercise.  The first mile…check.  1.5 miles…check.  2 miles…still did not want to be running.  Each step took effort, mental effort that is.  The run wasn’t hard, but I had no energy for it.  Each step took mental grit to keep going.  Feet hitting one after another after another…  Probably not feeling well was making it harder than it otherwise would have.  Mental grit is a good thing because I will probably need to force my body through the last miles of the marathon, but it is not an enjoyable skill to practice.

After my run I felt worse.  I hate trying to work when I feel sick, but I pushed through the day.  I just hope I feel better by the weekend.  I can’t imagine pushing through 13 miles not feeling very good.

Enjoying the long runs...

Yesterday was the first run in a while where the temperature was not horrible.  It was still humid but a comfortable temperature.  It was overcast (no sun beating down on us), and I was trying out my Nathan’s women’s hydration backpack which holds two liters of water!  Even though the women’s pack is almost too big, it felt great once I got used to it.  I definitely prefer it to a fuel belt.  Of course the week I have more than enough water is the week it is normal, tolerable summer weather…

It sounds odd, even to myself, to say I enjoyed running for two hours straight, but I did.  I can trust Max to pace us well, and   I’ve started relaxing into a rhythm where I listen to my body and run comfortably (unless I’m listening to Max slowing me down J).  Whether it’s because I’m more mentally prepared for long runs, or because I didn’t want to be annoying when I first started running with Max and Megan, I am no longer asking our mileage every mile or so as I often used to do with Bennett (it’s ok to annoy your husband like that).  A few mileage checks along the way are enough to keep me aware of where we are in the run.  This letting go of the obsessive need to know our mileage or speed at any given moment has been good for simply enjoying the conversation or the quiet.  Letting my feet hit the ground and simply enjoy running outside for…well for hours…

When I first registered for the marathon, I had doubts whether I would enjoy training with the months of focused running and Saturday mornings dedicated to long runs.  I wanted to try; but I had doubts.  I had very mixed feelings about long runs during half marathon training, although I did enjoy the race itself.  But enjoying a race, with all the crowds and race endorphins, did not mean I would enjoy 4 months of long runs. 

Finishing up the last mile of my 12 mile run yesterday, I realized something.  I have so far enjoyed all of my long runs.  Yes, I have a long way to go, but I’m 7 weeks in to training, and I’m enjoying my long runs…not just tolerating them…not mixed feelings about them…but enjoying them.  I’m sure I will have one or two I hate; things can’t always go well, But the fact that I finished up my 12 miles with a faster last mile and felt great… well, it’s helping me trust in my training more.  It’s a bit too early to say I enjoy being a marathon runner, but I might be heading in that direction.