A couple of people have asked how my marathon training is progressing so here is an update. I’ve been of two minds recently. I still have 3:10 as a goal, or 7:15 pace. However, while a few of my friends have graciously offered to pace me for a significant portion of that, I’m also open to running the 26.2 along a course that I will enjoy. In this scenario, any focus on time would be secondary.
I ran 15 miles the other day. It was the first time in over three years that I’d run fifteen straight-through. Part of me was a bit disappointed with how wiped out I felt following the run. Yet, there were a few factors influencing that. I had run six miles the afternoon before. Also, it was very warm. I enjoy running in warm weather and as I’ve mentioned, I still need to compensate for the heat. I under-packed on fluids and took in fewer than I would have liked in the middle portion of the run in order to conserve enough for miles ten through thirteen. (I figure that taking any new fluids in during the last couple of miles doesn’t really help you.) All that said, I kept the pace at under eight minutes per mile and came away with three lessons learned. I will definitely need to carry gels or something solid to eat. It wasn’t necessary for fifteen miles and I had remembered I would need solid food energy for the marathon, but this was knowing I would need it. Also, I will need to carry more fluids than I thought. And, if the day is forecast to be on the warm side, I’ll go for an earlier start, especially if I’m aiming for a fast time.
I’m far from settled on my course. If I’m really going for speed, I may do this on the local track. Everyone tells me this would be awful but oddly, 105 400M laps sounds better than the second option which is a course that I’ve mapped out from my house and would involve significant hills and a few longer repetitive loops. A third option is an out-and-back starting a little east of me. If I decide to go for running 26.2 without being concerned about time, then I’ll figure out a course that would be fun to run without as much consideration for elevation gain or traffic stops.
I remember in past years when I logged higher mileage while training for a marathon or 50K that my perspective on distance shifted. In “normal” times, four to six miles is a standard run for me. Once I shift into higher mileage, those runs become more recovery length. While I remembered this, I’d forgotten what knowing it was until the other day. After logging more mileage than I had planned last week, I used Sunday as a recovery day, did four miles, and considered adding on one or two more. Several weeks ago, my view of a four mile run would have been quite different and I’m going with the thought that it’s a good thing my body and brain have shifted into this new mindset.
I mapped out mileage goals before all of this started. I included a long run every week (anything ten miles or longer) but also felt that I might need to alternate long-run weeks. I’m forty-two with roughly twenty-eight years of running experience. I don’t want to overdo it and though lifetime mileage doesn’t substitute for current training, it does mean I can adjust a bit when needed. There have been a few weeks where my longest run was shorter than ten. My weekly mileage has been close to what I listed as my goals. Some weeks I’m a few miles longer and others, I may be a couple of miles short. Though I know I’ve basically been within my plan parameters, for the first time this past Saturday I added up the total miles from my schedule versus what I’ve done. The result? I had planned on 303 miles through these first weeks and I was at 303.5.
I’ve got six more weeks, including this one, of higher mileage training before shifting into taper mode. In some ways October 3rd feels very close but there are still a bunch of miles to go.
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