My First Marathon
Marathon Training: Week 17
Marathon Training: Week 16
Introduction: From here on out, each week will rotate between a 20 mile long run and a recovery week. Because I ran 20 miles at the Kiawah half-marathon last weekend, this week is a step-back week.
I’m definitely feeling the soreness in my legs, and the pain in my foot is more resilient than ever. I know that “aches and pains” are normal for marathon training, and I hope it’s nothing more than that. Regardless, due to the muscle pain and foot pain, I’m going to take advantage of this recovery week to fully prepare myself for the next 20 miler.
Monday: 3 miles.
I was supposed to run 5 today, but I decided to treat my legs to an especially easy recovery day. This was undoubtedly the most painful run since cross-country camp in high school, and my endurance then was nowhere near where it is now. Glad to see that I’m still using new muscles and working my body in new ways, even if I do look ridiculous, hobbling around the office today.
Tuesday: 5 miles and yoga.
After my run, I did a 25-minute yoga workout, designed for runners. I’m hoping that it will help work out some of the built-up tension in my legs so that next week I can resume normal training comfortably and safely.
Wednesday: 5 miles.
Brisk morning=brisk pace!
The weather was perfect for running fast today. I ran each mile at least 30 seconds faster than I ordinarily do.
Thursday: Rest.
Friday: 8 miles.
I was way, way, way off pace today (quite different from Wednesday’s run!), but, on the bright side, I was able to run in my new blue light-up shoelaces! A friend of mine gave them to me as an early Christmas gift, knowing that I run before sunrise, when it’s still dark. Safety benefits aside, I felt super hip in them—(almost as hip as using “super hip” in the same sentence.)
Saturday: 13 miles.
There were at least 20 times that I tried to talk myself out of finishing this run, with at least 100 awful excuses. But I fought it and got my mileage in. For me, running is so often more of a mental battle than a physical one.
Sunday: Rest.
Total: 34 miles.
Conclusion: Next week, I return to the normal training schedule, with a 20 miler on Saturday. I’ve also decided that, by 2014, I want to have run an ultra-marathon, preferably a 50K. I do tend to be impulsive, like when I registered for a second marathon, while I’m still training for the first, but I am learning to love this level of endurance running and want to see how far I can push myself.