Marathon training on the fly

A few months ago, still training for my 70.3, I started thinking about another marathon to run, as I've mentioned a few times, and pretty much decided to try and do the Jax Bank Marathon, which was exactly 7 weeks from my half iron, an amount of time that I read was just about perfect to go from 70.3 to marathon, particularly if you felt you were recovering well from the 70.3.

So I downloaded a training plan, and am more or less following that. It's the Chicago Marathon Set a New PR training plan. I took a week off after my 70.3, so essentially I'm down to 6 weeks to train. Since I'm on the downward end of the training, the plan doesn't require more than a 15 mile run, so I'm debating if I need to do at least an 18 or 20-miler.

It sounds strange, but I'm just sort of doing this marathon because I want to do a marathon. I started the year with the Disney Marathon, and I like the idea of ending with one. I also like the idea of training for this marathon on my own terms, and trusting in what I've learned as a runner and as an athlete.

I always feel beholden to training plans, to doing everything exactly right and beating myself up over missed runs and missed opportunities, and feel that regular life goes on hold. I feel like I need to prove something to myself, and give myself more confidence as an athlete by just going to do this.

Maybe it's strange, but I'm sort of excited about it.

How I Found Running

My first marathon! E and I ran it together.

I recently was asked how I found running, and I gave the short answer, but giving that short answer made me think about the long answer, and how much running changed my life.

Cliche as it is, I came to running on the heels of a really bad breakup. Prior to that, I had been a gym rat, logging hours on the stair stepper, using weights to work out my upper body and dutifully knocking out a series of crunches and pushups daily. I worked out to get in shape and stay fit, but it wasn’t for the love of it, it was just the healthy thing to do. I was still in college then, pretty poor and splitting my time between my classes and a job assistant managing a bookstore.

When the breakup happened, I was devastated. It was unexpected, and I was heartbroken, angry and needed an outlet for all the emotions that seemed to crowd out everything else. My time of the stair stepper no longer cut it; I needed to move.

At the time, the closest thing I owned to sneakers was a battered pair of Chuck Taylors that I wore to work and to punk shows. Poor college student that I was, I took myself to Target and bought the cheapest pair of shoes I could find, a $20 pair of Champion brand sneakers. I pulled on the only workout clothes I owned, which were leftovers from my brief stint as a shot-putter and discus-thrower in high school, hit the trail.

There was a park next to my house that had a .75 mile paved running trail, so I started going there every day, morning, noon and evening, wherever I could fit it in. I was a pack-a-day smoker then too, so speed and consistency were hard to come by; I walked far more than I ran. And really, I knew nothing about running. All that mattered was to keep moving, to break a  sweat and work out some of my angst. And it worked. I didn’t get significantly faster nor even increased my ability to run for periods of time, but I pushed through.

I was working part-time as an office assistant at a law firm by then, and I started going out at lunch with one of the girls. We’d run/walk the bridges, meandering through the downtown area where we worked. It opened a whole new world for me; I didn’t know what it was to explore a place like that, learning the area from the ground up.

Eventually, I moved up slightly in the world by purchasing a pair of New Balance from Kohl's, when the Champion brand sneakers started to make my knees and hips ache (I knew I couldn't afford running store shoes, so I purchased New Balance based purely on the fact that they were on sale, and the fact that they were the brand of choice for my dad, also a runner).
I started doing yoga too, and between the two, found a sense of salvation. I ran my first 5k, and then a couple more. Eventually, I started dating again, and eventually met E. He was training for a marathon when we met, a distance that I barely knew existed, and one that I couldn’t fathom ever completing myself or even wanting to complete. I quit smoking and started running more, really running, and ran my first 10 mile and then my first half marathon, and finally my first marathon. I was hooked. It was (and is) something that's wonderful to do together as a couple, and also something that I have found that can just be for me.

And I still am. I have found a passion for running that has stuck with me; I read about it, write about it and have even been lucky enough to work with a couple running and triathlon companies in my other life as a freelance writer.

I look forward to aging as a runner, and exploring new places and new cities from the ground as I run through them. I've found favorite running spots in places like Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, and some little backroads we explored on a recent trip to Lake Murray in South Carolina. As I began to do triathlons as well, I feel that my fitness journey is only beginning.

Recovery and Training

Over the weekend, post-half, I got a lovely case of food poisoning which laid me up for Saturday and Sunday, so I didn't get my recovery run in until Monday evening.  I did 4 miles and my legs just felt tired through most of it.  Achy.  Sore.  Blah.

Since this is recovery week, last night was a 6 mile run, and I can't say it was much better.  Well, really I felt pretty split.  It was a really nice night, and people are starting to put up Christmas lights, and it all felt peaceful (and a little creepy in the really quiet parts).  So mentally I was really digging it, but physically my legs still felt trashed.  I think today as a rest day should help. 

I am still stoked though about officially being in marathon training.  I'm using the Chicago marathon plan (I'm cheap, I didn't want to buy one and didn't like Hal Higdon's).  I started it several weeks ago, and was about on target for my half, putting me into a recovery week this week, which I'm pretty excited about. 

On another note, I mentioned a little while ago that I've started using whey protein, and being the research-loving person that I am, am always reading articles about supplements and nutrition, and came across this yesterday on Competitor,  Racing Weight:  Should you Supplement for Weight Loss? which I found to be interesting.  I think (probably more than I should) about what I'm eating, if I'm deficient in any areas, if I'm getting the right amount of vitamins, if I can cut down anymore on processed foods.  I drink green tea and the aforementioned whey protein, but worry about getting enough iron and calcium, and now I'm curious about creatine.  I think all of this mostly feeds back to a fantasy I have in which I have an amazing amount of time to train and create wholesome foods from scratch that are completely unprocessed.  The next scene in the fantasy involves me and a biggie sized double cheeseburger and fries from Wendy's, but that's why this is a fantasy, right?

At any rate, nothing really new to report.  This week is about recovery, and officially being on the road to the 26.2 with Donna on February 13, 2011!

Understanding why the long run is also an "endurance run"

A typical Friday night means that we make dinner and relax on the couch catching up with The Office, 30 Rock and The Apprentice.  It's about the most t.v. we watch at any given time, but usually Friday rolls around and I am a bit brain dead and in need of some r n' r before Saturday's long run.  We switched it up a little this weekend though, and went to a friend's oyster roast, which was a lot of fun.  We've been a bit antisocial lately, between working and training, so it was great to see everyone and spend some time with them.  However, all that meant that Saturday I was feeling  a little beat and pretty tired.  A little more tired than I wanted to feel knowing I had to run 10 miles.

And boy did that run feel long.  By about mile 7, I was done.  Tired, felt like I couldn't pick up my feet anymore, tired.  I have this bad tendency to not want to take gels, and I fought the first one but counted down the minutes to the second one in the hope that it would perk me up (it was a Hammer Gel espresso flavor - 50mgs of caffeine!) and I was still dragging tail.  Needless to say, by the time we made it back to the car, I was done.  I don't remember the last time I felt that tired.  I've had a string of really good runs lately though, so I figure I was about due for one that was a little crappy.  E was great through the whole thing - encouraging me when I was having trouble encouraging myself.

In other news, I decided on a training plan for the marathon.  Maybe I'm cheap, but I didn't want to pay for one, and thought I would try the Chicago Marathon training plan which looks pretty do-able, and is pretty on base with what I've been doing, with the addition of one extra run a week.  I also broke down and bought protein powder, trying my first serving last night.  I mixed it with a glass of almond milk and it was so filling!  I had it with a small meal after my run, and I really could have done with just the beverage.  Having never used it, I didn't know what to get, and just chose this one at the grocery store.

Staring Down the Marathon

I went for a nice 4-mile on Tuesday.  It was not one of my exceptional runs (one of those where you think you're going really fast and then you look at your watch) but I was happy with it as my recovery run from Sunday's 10-miler.  I was scheduled to run last night, but bumped it to today as my right knee feels a little tweaky.  Looking forward to a brisk (record low temps!  It's November and it's finally chilly!) run tonight, and an 8 mile this weekend. 

But hey, this week has been crazy.  First Wednesday Art Walk on Wednesday, plus our organizations's Annual Meeting, lots of other meetings, working on some fun side projects and waiting for Friday...yay Friday!  I'm ready for some R n' R.

In other news, my internet spare time finds me creeping over to the 26.2 with Donna website and various other marathon training articles and sites, including new favorite, The Marathon Virgin column from Runner's World.  I haven't officially made up my mind, but I'm not sure I can keep up with this wishy-washy stuff much longer.  I think I'm there.  I think I'm ready to commit.  It probably shouldn't be such a huge decision, except I never in my life thought I would be able to do something like a  marathon.  And to think and I know that I can do it, that I have the chops and the toughness to get through it is key for me.

Molly from I'm a Sleeper Baker posted a great quote about marathon training that I loved:
"Have faith in yourself and your ability. You might have some rough moments, and that's when you have to dig deep down and believe in yourself. Be confident because you can do it."

Big Daddy Diesel shared this one:  “You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” Rosalynn Carter