OK, so you read my last post on Deciding to Run a Marathon, and your heart and mind still said YES! So you're in, you pick a marathon, and you're ready to train. Yeah, that's right, the hard part... the training!
You mark out 20 weeks on your schedule and you put together a training plan. And you're off!!!
What to expect...
Runs where you feel like you could go on forever.
Runs where you feel like you can't go one more step.
Chafing in corners that you didn't even know existed.
Toenails that decide to run away.
3 mile runs that feel impossible.
20 mile runs that feel liberating.
Days where you question what in the world you were thinking.
Days where you can "feel" that finish line and all that it means.
Friends that tell you you are crazy.
Friends that cheer you on and support you.
A new spot in your freezer just for ice packs.
A new smell following you around post-run that you finally realize is *you*.
Water bottles everywhere.
Ignored laundry piles and a sink full of dishes.
Napping at times only toddlers should be napping.
Times when you will, quite literally, eat everything nap stapled down.
Emergency potty-breaks mid-run.
A time when you are uber-motivated.
A time when you have absolutely no desire to get out and run.
Hot days, cold days, windy days, rainy days, snowy days... all days you need training.
Things to remember:
-You are defined by your best days, not by the bad ones. And you will have bad days. We all do.
-99.9% chance you will miss a run. It is not the end of the world. Your body will not suddenly become "untrained".
-Get your rest when you can. Your body will yearn for sleep... and when you can, yield to it!
-Ice is your friend. Compression is your friend. Baby your body.
-Listen to your body. If something hurts (other than general soreness) or you're having reoccuring pain, pay attention and take care of the problem. Many issues can be taken care of with a couple days of rest which is much less costly than getting yourself really injured and having to take weeks off.
-Don't be afraid to push yourself, but you shouldn't be pushing every single day.
-Trust your training, respect the schedule (within reason), and keep your eye on the finish line... which in this case, is getting to the starting line healthy, trained, and uninjured.
(I'm not sure why I felt compelled to write this little marathon series this week... but I did... so expect at least one more about the actual race.)
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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17 comments:
im so glad you decided to do these posts! I am about to start training for my first marathon that I'll run in april and am soaking up all the knowledge and tips that I can
Ah! Thank you SO much for this. I've heard it all before, but I just got totally mentally and physically defeated by a scheduled 4 mile run that only ended up being a 2 mile run because I just didn't want to run and I felt like everything hurt. This, of course comes after what felt like the easiest 11 mile run of my life last weekend and preparing to run 17 miles this weekend (will be my longest distance to date). Thank you for reminding me that we're not defined by our bad runs!
LOVE this post :)
Another great post! I'm hoping you do a marathon recovery post soon. :)
Thanks for doing this marathon series! The tips and info is invaluable!
Lesley - I'm loving your whole series this week and it's particularly appropriate for me since I'm training for my first marathon and starting to hit those LONG runs. Would love to share these posts on my blog - mind if I link to you?
Great post! I'm so close...and so suddenly lazy! However, we will get to race day and we WILL finish!
Love this post! I have not done a marathon yet but I know I will someday and this makes me want to do one even more!
Love your post!! I'm training for my 1st 1/2 marathon right now. Maybe one day I will be training for an actual marathon! Fingers crossed
Love this post especially cuz I'm at the peak of training for my first marathon and I have felt ALL of these things!
I love this!!
Loving the marathon posts!
I love the timing of your marathon series. It reiterated why I decided to start training and reinforced that I have done well in my training (even including those skipped days where yes, the sky didn't fall and crush my abilities).
Thanks!
And yes, some days 3 miles feels like a killer but my 22 miler was so refreshing. Go figure! Hoping for a "refreshing" run Sunday.
Agree with every single one of these statements! Love these posts!! :)
I might love this more than the other one. I was like thats me. i love the last few paragraphs as well. perfect send out off for me into my 16 miler. we are almost there lady, i may or may not be more excited that we get to do the same race v. the race itself, yay blogging stalkers eek ;)
Amen...love it.
You made me laugh with the smell following you around and it is you line!
Okay, I'm just training for half marathons, and dirty dishes is the story of my life!
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