I'm on the horns of a dilemma with my running right now and could use some advice. I have 2 marathons on calendar -- SF Marathon on July 27th, and CIM on the first weekend of December. My plan was to run SF as a fun run/dress rehearsal, then get serious and do Pfitz's 18/55 plan for CIM. SF is a beautiful race and I've already paid for it. But . . .
I'm wondering how feasible this is. The Pfitz HM plan I did earlier this year was hard on me and I didn't follow that up with a prolonged easy period like I had initially planned. Although I eased up a little after my goal race, I kept up the speed work and decent mileage in the hopes of redeeming my failed sub-2 HM attempt. In fact, I ended up racing a second HM earlier this month. Once again, I really didn't take the time to completely recover, as I was starting to worry about building up my miles base for SF.
I'm feeling a little burnt out and I'm not looking forward at all to my planned 18 miler tomorrow, which is unusual. My legs feel achy and I've got a bunch of small niggles going on. Nothing I would call an injury, but hardly fresh legs either. I'm worried, too, about how ready I'm going to be to jump into a Pfitz plan, just a couple weeks after running a marathon. I also question my ability to really run SF just "for fun" and not end up pushing hard when I'm out on the course. I'm trying to decide between the following options.
1. Just write off SF for good. Forget any plan and take as many easy weeks as I need until my legs feel fresh and fully rested, for when I start CIM training in August.
2. Keep SF on calendar, but don't worry about training for it. If the legs start feeling better in a couple of weeks, do a couple of 16 or 18 milers, but don't stress it. I ran my first marathon on a far weaker base than this and had a positive experience.
3. Suck it up and keep training. You just have the blahs and will shake it off.
My heart says to run SF, but my head says to go with Option 1. Also, can a marathon really be just a "fun run"? I fear I will either be depressed to have a worse time than I did last year, or push to beat that time, which will jeopardize my training for CIM.
Sorry this is so rambling. Would appreciate any thoughts.
Life is good.
I vote for this option. I did something similar recently (with ok results) - basically ran a marathon off of half marathon training. It was not a fun run though - I ran it has hard as I could with where my training was (PR'ed even but not close to what I should be running had I trained properly). Plenty of people do run them for fun - I'm not sure I could though.
I am sad I might not be able to meet with you again! I would keep it on the calendar, since you were already planning on doing it as a fun run, but don't do the 18 miler this week and see how you feel after a few short runs/ rest days. Maybe a couple of days off will return your mojo and your recovery, but maybe not. A couple of days (through Monday) or even a week will not be detrimental in you finishing SF. But if you feel you need more time after that, I would scrap it.
Damaris
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And Option 2 is good too.
I agree with onemile. I would want to keep it, even if you treat it just as a training run. Train for it in a way that respects your limits at the moment. Maybe take a full week without running. Or cut down on speed work. It sounds like too much of a beautiful race to pass on.
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
I didn't pay attention to this, but it's an important part of your post. Disappointment is not fun. Maybe you should listen to your head in this case.
I don't recall reading that, maybe she added that after posting the initial paragraph?
Like I said, even with that comment, a few days or even a week off won't hurt. After that, see what your head and body says.
My heart says to run SF, but my head says to go with Option 1. Also, can a marathon really be just a "fun run"? I fear I will either be depressed to have a worse time than I did last year, or push to beat that time, which will jeopardize my training for CIM. I didn't pay attention to this, but it's an important part of your post. Disappointment is not fun. Maybe you should listen to your head in this case.
+1 I think it can be a good experience if you have reasonable expectations going in. But if not, it could definitely be disappointing (and miserable).
When does the CIM training start in relation to this race?
It was there, just buried in the rambling (I did edit my post to correct a couple of dumb typos, tho).
I think this is my real concern -- can I content myself to run a marathon knowing it will far from my best effort. If I can't, why am I training for it.
Damaris -- I know you run a lot of marathons for fun. Was it tough, at first, mentally? Or have you always found finishing enough satisfaction when presented with circumstances that kept you from running to the best of your ability.
Also, if I do decide to run SF, any thoughts on Pfitz's 12/55 vs. 18/55 plan. I would need to make sure I really recovered properly from SF, fun run or not.
(edited because I just can't seem to type today)
+1 I think it can be a good experience if you have reasonable expectations going in. But if not, it could definitely be disappointing (and miserable). When does the CIM training start in relation to this race?
Only one week after SF if I use the 18/55 plan. Unless SF truly proves to be an easy effort, I would have to modify it a bit, or simply move to the 12/55 plan.
OFTB, when I trained for and ran Chicago, I knew it would be a finish time far from my last PR. I was coming back from an injury and I didn't have much time for training. I knew it going into the race, but I was still in the frame of mind that I was going to do my best that day. I didn't treat it as a "fun run". I tried as hard for Chicago as I did for Boston, even though I finished in much slower a time. I was not disappointed by my time, I was actually happy with it. You just have to be realistic about your goal. It's possible to choose a goal that will be a challenge, but remain in the realm of possible (can you say that?).
I would take at least 2 weeks of recovery after San Francisco, and then do 17 weeks of the 55 Pfitz (just modify the first couple of weeks). I do the 12 weeks plans often, but that's only because I run marathons so frequently.
It was there, just buried in the rambling (I did edit my post to correct a couple of dumb typos, tho). I think this is my real concern -- can I content myself to run a marathon knowing it will far from my best effort. If I can't, why am I training for it. Damaris -- I know you run a lot of marathons for fun. Was it tough, at first, mentally? Or have you always finishing enough satisfaction when presented with circumstances that kept you from running to the best of your ability. Also, if I do decide to run SF, any thoughts on Pfitz's 12/55 vs. 18/55 plan. I would need to make sure I really recovered properly from SF, fun run or not.
Damaris -- I know you run a lot of marathons for fun. Was it tough, at first, mentally? Or have you always finishing enough satisfaction when presented with circumstances that kept you from running to the best of your ability.
See, I differentiate from best effort and best training. I went into this last marathon knowing my training was not the best. But my effort on race day was - I ran it as hard as I could that day. And my time wasn't good relative to my half. But my effort and pacing was - and I don't regret doing it. Now, you might say, well I can't feel good about this race because I didn't train my best for it - and I understand that. And I think at some point I would have felt that way. But I've kind of started to look at things differently and this was an opportunity to experience a race that I've wanted to run for a few years and probably wouldn't specifically ever train for (weather can be variable).
However, your training for CIM and the date of this race doesn't seem ideal. I am 2 weeks post race now and no where ready to start a training cycle. I can't do more than easy running right now. My legs won't have it.
It was there, just buried in the rambling (I did edit my post to correct a couple of dumb typos, tho). I think this is my real concern -- can I content myself to run a marathon knowing it will far from my best effort. If I can't, why am I training for it. Damaris -- I know you run a lot of marathons for fun. Was it tough, at first, mentally? Or have you always found finishing enough satisfaction when presented with circumstances that kept you from running to the best of your ability. Also, if I do decide to run SF, any thoughts on Pfitz's 12/55 vs. 18/55 plan. I would need to make sure I really recovered properly from SF, fun run or not. (edited because I just can't seem to type today)
By the time I decided on multiple marathons, my asthma was already limiting what I could do, so I was fine with just finishing. But when I started having big issues with the asthma, I went through a phase when I would sign up for a 5K, race it and be disappointed. I almost quit running when my paces went from sub-4 shape to sub-5.
All of that to say, you need to be ready to throw your goals out the window and not caring a fuck.
You will find few people who are willing to go as deep into the well as I am when racing. Nevertheless, it is possible to treat a race as a fun run and I did just that in Boston. One of the things that kept my head thinking like that was taking a camera. And I didn't carb load before the race. I stopped at every mile marker and took a picture. At the top of Heartbreak Hill, I had a volunteer take a picture of me. I drank beer when it was offered. You can run a marathon as a fun run but you have to treat it that way going in.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).