You're entitled to vent.   I'm going to be following the same Pfitz program for my goal marathon next year.  I know its going to be hard and I appreciate your honest post.  I can't wait to hear how your marathon goes in a few weeks.

Jack,

One thing I've told myself, and my DS - I know in most races, at some point I'm going to begin to question exactly what I'm doing there.  My answer has always been, "I don't know, but I know I had a good reason when I started, and I know I'll remember when I finish, so just keep going".  Sounds like you are experiencing that now in your training.  Well, you only have one more week to go before your taper.  So remind yourself that before all this started you knew what you wanted and four weeks from now you'll remember what it was.  For now just get through the next week.

Late to the thread, but I'll echo everyone else.  The last 3 pre-taper weeks of my plan, I just wanted the hard training to be over.  I was doing every run on tired legs, I was not as enthusiastic about running any more, even though I felt stronger than ever and the weather was the most perfect you could imagine.  I did a lot of yelling at myself just to put on my shoes and get out there.

Yep, it's normal.

It's good in a way because it will make you welcome, and not dread, the taper.  Once it gets here you'll take the opportunity and relax your miles a bit, rather than trying to cram in another long run or another tough speed workout.  And on race day your legs will be ready to go like you haven't felt in weeks.  Just keep it going a little longer and you will get the payoff.

Jack, be ready for the worst: the last interval workout in the first week of taper, 3x1600m @ 5k pace. I hate, hate, hate that one. After that run, everything becomes really boring and you'll just want race day to be NOW! Hang in there. Your recent time trial and MP LR both show you are on track, feel very confident and believe in yourself. You will do fine, just one more 20 miler, no need to run that one fast. You just want to put time in your legs. It's what will carry you through the last 6 miles. 

Ya, Jack.  So there's THAT to look forward to. 

Hey, be happy you're still running.  Not that I would WANT to go on a 17 mile run, but just think of my broken down carcass if you get discouraged & know that I'd be happy to run 1.7 miles right now.  Or, heck, .17 miles! 

You'll do good & it sounds like you're right there.  My only advice (as a non full-marathoner) would be to listen to your body!!!!

Push the pace when you can.

Slow it up when you can't!

Remind yourself, too, that your pace will be boosted on race day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And don't forget to train, say your prayers & eat your vitamins!  Thousands of little Hulkamaniacs out there in TV land depend on you!!!

Thumbs up.......BROTHER!

Thanks you guys. Being a first timer, this is weird for me. An 18 week marathon plan is a big undertaking and way different than a 10 week HM plan!

Lily: You know right where I am! Unlike TAH, I am not looking forward to the 1200 or 1600 intervals. The plan calls for a 5k pace on those, but I will likely slow it down some.

Meagan: Believe me, I WANT the payoff.

redrum: Thanks, brother!! Your posts always make me laugh.

TAH: If your race in NY is any indication of how I will do, that is definitely a good thing.

Hi. As some of you know, I am training for my first marathon. It is four weeks from today so it is getting close and I am getting anxious. I am training to race this SOB and as Baboon is wont to say I want to "kick it in the nuts." I am using the Pfitz 18/55 plan and today I ran 17 miles. I have not missed a run yet but today was the first day I did not want to get out of bed to run. I did it, but I didn't want to. It was a bad run. It was not fun and I didn't like it. I was almost bitten by a fat black lab who was not on a leash. The owner yelled at me because I yelled at the dog. I have a confession to make... I am sick of training. As soon as last week I was LOVING it. Last Sunday I did 18 miles with 14@GMP. I nailed it and was proud of myself. Now, a week later, I want it to end. My fitness is great but my legs are tired. Remember the old shampoo bottles? Lather, rinse, repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat. That is how I feel. Run 50-55 miles, recover, repeat. Run 50-55 miles, recover, repeat.  I have two weeks of hard training left and then the taper.  Sorry if I sound like I am being a baby, I just feel like my mind is going in a million different directions.  Sometimes I think I need to be put in a padded room. I suppose I am tired of being tired. I hope the taper will allow me to feel fresh again. Now I just feel beat up. Is this normal at this point of training as race day approaches?

Yes. I experienced the same thing many times attempting to BQ. I see you chose an 18 week cycle, same as I used. The good news is that I was able to hit my goal even if I may have missed my peak. That was 20 years ago. What I've done since is shorten my schedule to 12 weeks max. My current master PB was set on only 6 weeks of specific training. This was more of a experiment but it showed me I do not require weeks and weeks of repeating similar workouts.

If you're hitting your workouts, and it sound like you are, it may be more mental than physical burn out. Since you only have two more weeks left you should be good to go. I wouldn't suggest you begin tapering early but ATST it won't kill you if you skip or modify a workout or two. It's also normal to start questioning your training and thinking you've missed something that might affect your race. Just try to relax and complete the remainder of the schedule to the best of your ability so you're in the best possible position come race race rather than try to notch another killer workout for your log book. At this point the work is done, you just need to avoid injury / illness, allow your body time to recover from the demanding schedule [taper] and finailize your race strategy. It's the totality of your training that matters - relax.

Moth and Docket: Moth is right; I am physically tired, but it is more mental with me. I have two weeks of training left and then a two week taper. Believe me, I plan on hitting every workout, but I will likely slow down the 1200 and 1600m intervals. The plan calls for 5k pace but that might be too much at this point. Thanks for the encouragement and advice.