48. We hit 48 once. And naturally, it's warming up again. But I don't stress too much about the weather. I love Florida. My marathon times from last year are so out of line with any of my other times that I hadn't thought to look at it that way. I was mostly comparing what races I'd done recently to the ones I did early last year to get a sense of how much work it would be to get back to where I was. I've only run a 5k and a 5 mile so I can't imagine I'll have a true indicator until after I've run a half. But my 5 miler was very similar pace wise to the 10k I ran before Cleveland which I think is hopeful. But as I've mused before, it's possible that the marathon isn't my distance. Objectively, I've had far more success in the 5k. But I don't like 5ks. Leaving me to wonder if I'm not trying hard enough or if I'm just a 4:30 marathoner and whether or not I'm ok with that. Cause I just like marathons better. Yes, I am babbling.
48. We hit 48 once. And naturally, it's warming up again. But I don't stress too much about the weather. I love Florida.
My marathon times from last year are so out of line with any of my other times that I hadn't thought to look at it that way. I was mostly comparing what races I'd done recently to the ones I did early last year to get a sense of how much work it would be to get back to where I was. I've only run a 5k and a 5 mile so I can't imagine I'll have a true indicator until after I've run a half. But my 5 miler was very similar pace wise to the 10k I ran before Cleveland which I think is hopeful.
But as I've mused before, it's possible that the marathon isn't my distance. Objectively, I've had far more success in the 5k. But I don't like 5ks. Leaving me to wonder if I'm not trying hard enough or if I'm just a 4:30 marathoner and whether or not I'm ok with that. Cause I just like marathons better.
Yes, I am babbling.
This leads me to think that what you may need to spend time examining is not so much your training plans, but rather your running goals and what you consider "success." Is success a certain time or placing? Is it steady progress or maintenance while enjoying the journey? Is it the simple act of getting out there and moving your body?
Only you can decide that answer for yourself. Is the importance of a relative placing or standing enough to focus on a distance you don't like, rather than focusing on a distance you enjoy, but at which you feel "slower"?
20,000 miles behind me, the world still to see.
Warrior Princess
To expand on the particulars of my 5k vs marathon internal drama, I was told point blank by someone after my last marathon (and subsequent injury) that I should stop running marathons as I wasn't any good at them and was really a fairly decent 5k runner. And while that person's statement should not have mattered, it rattled me.
A couple of other people (including the hubsand) questioned that maybe the last couple of marathons were a sign that I really shouldn't do marathons. So I tried real hard to go along with that line of thought and muster up enthusiasm for the shorter distance. I made it two months before I started daydreaming about marathons again.
Lara, I think that for people like us, recreational runners, what is more important is to do what we enjoy, rather than force a distance on ourselves only because we might be better at it. What I mean is: if you prefer training for and racing marathons, instead of shorter distances, then do the marathons. Otherwise, the motivation will eventually leave you and you will find yourself running less and less. Something else I want to mention: you are very harsh on yourself. You talk of your 4:28 marathon as if it was something terrible. Have you thought about the fact that that time is actually a 3:58 finish time for a man your age? Would you look down on that time? 4:28 is a very respectable time and one that points to faster times in the future. I think you just need to find a schedule, a plan, that will help you break down the barrier that is keeping you at the 4:30 point. Once that's done, you will see again frequent PRs. I know it's not easy, but if it was, it wouldn't mean the same thing to us, would it? You are a very strong and determined woman and if marathons are what you love, then I advise you to stick with them.
PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013
Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013
18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010
Go figure
I know I'm a little late to the party to be throwing this out there, but I had been looking for an article in last month's Running Times that this topic reminded me of. LTH may have shared this a while ago, so forgive me if it's redundant.
Anyway, here's what Pete Magill had to say about creating a training program:
"Repeat after me: There are no good workouts; there are only good training programs. Workouts are links in a chain. They create fitness adaptations that will be exploited in future workouts or reinforce gains from past sessions. We wouldn't mix ingredients from German chocolate, carrot, and strawberry shortcake recipes. And we shouldn't create a training plan by throwing darts at the pages of this month's running and fitness magazines."
This would be my concern with not using a plan - I don't know enough about how to connect appropriate workouts. It's not that I don't know good 5k or marathon workouts, but I don't know enough about the workouts create to plan future efforts. I think that's the primary reason that I trust training plans to guide my training.
Obviously this is just one coach's opinion, but it rings true to me. I don't doubt that others of you have the knowledge base to create solid programs on your own, but personally, I'm not there yet.
Trying to find some more hay to restock the barn