confession: i havent been following my marathon training plan quite as accurately as it is printed in this nifty neato little book ive got here.
excuse #1: sometimes the book gets lost in the midst of moving boxes and random crap scattered around the new house
truth: i might sleepwalk and hide it so when my alarm goes off in the morning i dont know where it is and just figure its probably only a 5 miler, easy pace
actual truth: its sitting on my table. with a book mark.
excuse #2: my legs are tired.
truth: i dont stretch as much as i should, i work 12 hour days and its tough to get long miles in, etc.
actual truth: im lazy.
excuse #3: i just dont think i can do it.
truth: i really just dont think i can run this much.
actual truth: im scared.
ive done the maine marathon twice. both times the training has gone out the window for one reason or another. the first year it was ITband isues. and i ran reach the beach two weeks before. i was very injured but i still ran the marathon. in 4 hours 43minutes and 13seconds. not smart. recap here.
last year i nearly got heat stroke and never got a long run in longer than 16 miles. i figured "hey ive done a marathon before, i can do it again". false. you still need to train. this marathon provided a personal worst. recap here. 4:43:30. are you joking me 17 seconds?! damn you elizabeth and your jello shots at mile 25.
i know i can run a marathon faster than that. i did sugarloaf in 4:15:25. i even had a week of training where i logged ZERO miles. (seriously, who does that?! oh yeah, me.)
so here i am. a little over 10 weeks into training, a little over 8 weeks left to go. lets really look at what the hell is going on.
what the book says/what ive actually done:
week 1: 33 miles/18.6
week 2: 36 miles/27.2
week 3: 40 miles/10
week 4: 42 miles/ 22.25
week 5: 45 miles/19.56
week 6: 37 miles/36.12
week 7: 50 miles/4.45
week 8: 54 miles/13.1
week 9: 48 miles/12
total should be: 385 miles
total really is: 163.28 miles
longest run should be: 20 miles
longest run really is: 16 miles
w.t.F. seriously. how are those 50 mile weeks treating me?
i just feel deflated. i guess a 4.45 mile week is better than a 0 mile week, but still. a lot of my runs have gone really really good, and many have gone really bad. i know i have speed, i just lack the endurance to use that speed for 3 hours and 59 minutes.
im not going to quit reaching for this goal. july was the hardest month i think ive ever had. life absolutely threw me curve ball after curve ball. God surely tested me, and i felt knocked down. but im gonna get back up. im not going to quit. will i get my sub 4 hour marathon goal? we'll see. am i upset with the way my training is going? yes. do i hold anyone else accountable except myself? no.
pain is temporary. quit is forever. regardless of what happens ill still know that on october 2nd i will again accomplish something that not everyone can say they've done. and for that i will be grateful.
It's good that you are taking responsibility. You can turn it around, lady! There is plenty of time before October 2nd :)
ReplyDeleteWhy not run the Maine Marathon as a half and sign up for a marathon after the Portland one? That way you can give yourself a few more weeks to properly prepare.
ReplyDeleteDon't be too hard on yourself. You've had A LOT going on. Sometimes running HAS to take a back seat. Try and get on pace with your training, slowly and steadily and reevaluate your goals in a few week! Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteOh girl, don't get down on yourself. You're doing the best you can. I fail at my training plans all the time. I like to think of them as "guidelines"... :) You can only do what your body lets you do. Mine CANNOT handle the high weekly mileage prescribed, so I've adjusted accordingly. You've got plenty of time to readjust, take a deep breath and keep digging.
ReplyDeleteok ok ok, so you've been busy and had a lot of shit to deal with. but you've got the time to pick it up, get your shit together and your ass in gear. the years of endurance training will make the next few weeks a bit less hard, but it's still going to suck. but let's go.
ReplyDeleteWill it help you to know, you are doing better than me? Cause you are. A lot. And this is my first. Urg! You will be fine :)
ReplyDeleteJust don't forget why you run. YES it's awesome to PR and YES it'll feel amazing when we land sub4, whenever that may be, but running makes you feel good and healthy and takes your mind off life when you need it. The time it takes you to cross the finish line is secondary to the rest. :)
ReplyDeleteKeep trying! Do everything you can to FINISH!
ReplyDeletehehe wooops sorry about the jello shots ;)YOU CAN DO IT!
ReplyDelete