Puke, I think your illness disrupted your thinking a bit. 66Km a short run?! Well if it makes you feel better to look at it that way okay.
Yes I'm a frickin' marathon virgin. "oh well...since it is only a short run, I don't really need to train," right?
My biggest dilemma is over the LR distance. I'm being told it can be injurious or detrimental to my race to run 24 miles in training two weeks before the event....which was my plan. Is 22 more reasonable?? I can't even think about it today since I took Benadryl the last couple nights for insomnia and it has made me even more tired than if I was awake all night! How I'm going to do my 9 mile tempo run tonight, I can't imagine!
Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done.
Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.
Imminent Catastrophe
Happy, congrats on taking the leap! 24 miles, two weeks prior sounds like a lot, I really don't think that anything over 20 is necessary or helpful for a marathon but that's just me.
Puke, you're having one of those down times. Hang in there, you'll pull out.
Dutchie, you're coming back! Keep it up.
My daily mileage graph is kinda funny:
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
Puke, I think your illness disrupted your thinking a bit. 66Km a short run?! Well if it makes you feel better to look at it that way okay. Yes I'm a frickin' marathon virgin. "oh well...since it is only a short run, I don't really need to train," right? My biggest dilemma is over the LR distance. I'm being told it can be injurious or detrimental to my race to run 24 miles in training two weeks before the event....which was my plan. Is 22 more reasonable?? I can't even think about it today since I took Benadryl the last couple nights for insomnia and it has made me even more tired than if I was awake all night! How I'm going to do my 9 mile tempo run tonight, I can't imagine!
Glad to see you are coming round to my way of thinking. :-) I think that looking at the marathon finish in as quick a time as possible was was the biggest barrier to my actual enjoyment of the race. I have found that treating it as just another long run I can relax and enjoy it more and as a result my times are getting better. Mind you it is easy for me to say that now. At the time of my first marathon I was nervous as hell and looked on people who even contemplated going further than that distance as complete idiots.
Regrading doing 38 km 2 weeks before a marathon....not too sure on that. Being the lazy trainer that I am the longest I did before a marathon was 32 km 3 weeks out, and that was my first ever. Well, there was the 102 km 5 weeks before this years marathon, but that doesn't count does it.....
The rule that I was told was that the longest run should be the number of weeks before the race x 10. So 2 weeks out it is 20 km, 3 weeks 30 etc. And a good taper, although it feels like crap at the time is the key to a good race. But then since I follow very little of this advice I wouldn't listen to me.
“Attitude is the Difference Between an Ordeal and an Adventure”
Goals 2016
Do stuff
Kinda funny? It is a total crack up. What you need is a logarithmic scale maybe
Just toodling along. Bought new sneakers ( just noticed the old Mizunos were +500 miles) and had a great massage to relieve the PF.
Happy - first marathon?!
A
Recalculating...
Just toodling along. Bought new sneakers ( just noticed the old Mizunos were +500 miles) and had a great massage to relieve the PF. Happy - first marathon?! A
Hi Ayola - hope your feet feel better soon.
Yep - first one and I greatly appreciate the input from my more experienced peeps here!
I'm especially intrigued with this from Puke: "treating it as just another long run I can relax and enjoy it more and as a result my times are getting better." because I know I can go the distance if I did that, but of course I have time goals and don't want to be out there lollygagging all day. And I don't subscribe to the common thinking that you should just be happy with finishing your first one and don't try for a time goal. My goal is 4:30; so there! You can laugh when it takes me 6 hours!
PS: Based on your input, I'm going to modify my training plan in terms of LR distance.
Happy: my first marathon was what they called a hilly one (I didn't think so). I live on the flats....My longest long run was an easy 36 kms two weeks out, I didn't have a time goal other than finish before cut off (6hrs). I was slightly nervous as I didn't know what to expect exactly and because this was the first time I didn't run the full race distance before a race which had me worry whether I would make it through the last 6 kilometers. Not to mention the suddenly higher temps.
On race day, temp had shot up by 10 degrees to 24C at the start, 28C at the finish. I ran it 20 minutes faster than I thought I would (5h16). Lots of people passed me in the first 10 kilometers, then lots of people were on the side of the road from the 30 kilometer mark onwards, as someone already predicted. By kilometer 40 I was feeling fine, but fed up with all that running. Didn't notice the hill just before the finish at all (leg wise) was just annoyed it was there when I saw it. Wasn't even sore the next day which I contribute to two longish stretches: one just after the race, one before bed. Just a little stiff when I woke up, which I dealt with by stretching and an easy walk after breakfast. Wasn't even sore when I got out of the car after a 3 hr drive home. Nothing. Which of course is why a very experienced marathoner told me I hadn't tried hard enough.
My training was running 5xweek (not consistently I may add) and strength training, including two LB workouts a week (against all advise). I think the LB workouts is why I wasn't bothered by any hills, not even the last one.
Regarding your time goal: finishing a marathon is an achievement in itself. If you didn't make your time goal, will you be disappointed or still be thrilled you finished?
DutchieRun the day, or the day runs you.
Feet are much better... Thanks. I need to keep working on the calves and get to my yoga class for an overall stretch.
Happy - I'd love to see your long run plan. Hope you're saving this info for us 2015 marathoners....
Great - you're helping me think through this!!
Having a time goal helped me establish my training paces and gives me something to aim for, but I'm pretty self-forgiving in the end. I have no idea how it will really play out on the course. I get the impression that there's a bit of a learning curve to running marathons, so doubtless I'll learn a lot about myself in this training process and the race.
So, no I won't be disappointed if I fall short of my time goal, Dutchie. I would be very disappointed though If I got some major cramp or something that sidelined me during the race and I couldn't finish it; but I don't expect that to actually happen because I've pushed on and run through a lot of painful episodes during running. So yeah I'll be quite satisfied to finish regardless of the time. I was thrilled just to run the 18-miler a few weeks ago. That was such a huge accomplishment after all my setbacks the last few years. Things are going well so far in the training though, although the long runs have yet to start . Here's the tentative plan starting with tomorrow, in miles/km. (Sorry if the kms aren't exact, but they're close):
16 mi / 25 km
17 mi / 27 km
10 mi / 16 km
19-20 mi / 30-32 km
13 mi / 21 km
20-22 mi / 32-35 km
12 mi / 19 km
22-24 mi / 35-38 km
1 hour @ MP
Race
Since I'm going to change that 24 to a 22, I guess the longest run sequence will go 19/20/22.
I'm wierd though - I like round numbers and especially even numbers when I run. The 26.2 is so awkward, although 13.1 is worse!! So I want to take the 17 and 19 milers and want to round them up to even numbers - how ridiculous is that?! But what's wrong with 18/20/20/22 for the longest ones anyway? My trail running buddies are marathon training for an earlier marathon and they are doing 18/20/20/22 for their LR sequence. They of course are faster than I - and it's not their first one. So sadly we aren't training together because of that.
Dutchie, I'm so impressed with your marathon finish on such a hot day! Now, heat would surely do me in! Sounds like you ran a smart race to finish so much faster than you expected.
Here is a tip for Happy. :-)
How to tie your shoes
Happy: you're not alone in your weirdness. I like round numbers too Especially when on the TM. I have to finish with a round number and I'm always torn cause either i have a round number for mileage, or a round number for time. Never both at the same time.
Yesterday was C25K W4/D2, today was UB strength incl abs. The running is starting to feel easy and the recoveries really seem way too long.
Thanks for sharing, Puke --- I'm open to any and all tips!
That's great your runs are feeling easier, Dutchie.
Also great to share a round number fixation with you! For me, I go with the mileage number over the time number. When I run outside, if I run a partial amount of a mile at the end, I delete it so my log has a round number. The other day I couldn't do that because of the way I used my lap button. So I ended up with 9:01 - horrors! I was really surprised to find it didn't bother me that much because the workout accomplishment was so worth it.
I've started doing UB too, with hand weights, because I felt I've gotten weaker over the last couple of years and some household/outdoor tasks were becoming more challenging. Finally moved up last Thurs to 10 lb wts for several of the exercises. Yesterday I got a comment on my improved arm definition. Gal says "what whey protein do you use?" "because it's working". I had to break it to her it's not protein powder, it's exercise that does it! So that was nice positive reinforcement. I have not worked out with weights in years, but enjoyed it in the past and find I still do.
Good luck in your 10K race this weekend, Ayola. How do you feel going into it?
Ha. I'm totally skipping it. I think I'm better served by the long run his sunday for the October HM plus the race is expensive $40 or 45 bucks For 10k. I'm also trying to figure out next weeks schedule as I have back to back wedding parties. Maybe this?
Monday rest, Tuesday 5, Wednesday XT, Thursday 3, Friday 10, Saturday rest, Sunday afternoon 3
Ayola - for next week, have you considered increasing the distance of Tuesday or Sunday's runs?
So, after a week of poor sleep but extra food, I'm gearing up this morning for an 18-mile LR hoping not to have a repeat of last week's fatigue and muscle cramps. Trying to flip the switch from dread to looking forward to a pleasant EZ paced outing. I've chosen a 6-mile loop that I haven't run in almost two years. So it will be a change of scene - and with each loop, I can pretend I'm just starting out, right?