11 more days of this tapering mess and then I GET to run 26.2 miles and try to do it faster than I ever have before.
The marathon itself is much more of a mental struggle than it is physical. I never actually believed this until I first attempted it. Sure, it is a physical battle and you must prepare, but the mind, wow, it is absolutely the most powerful muscle in the body! This taper thing is strictly mental training!!! While the body is recovering from the 80 mile weeks, the mind is stressed because you want to run and, per tapering rules, can't run nearly as much as you want or feel you should be. Not that I want to be injured, or wish that on anyone, but I think an injury is easier to deal with than a taper. UGH!!!
Another good week of training in the books. 50+ miles and I felt like a complete slacker because I didn't do more.
Monday started the week with a speed work session of hill repeats. I've actually come to love this workout. I know that when it's finished, I've improved. 2 Mi. WU, 7 x Hills, 2 Mi. CD for a total of 8 miles. I've also noticed over the summer that my warm-up and cool-down miles have gotten progressively faster. This is extremely encouraging for what is to come.
Tuesday - 6 Miles
I'm trying to approach this taper unlike previous marathons. My goal is to push the pace on every run that I do. Regardless of how many miles these days call for, I want to be gassed at the end of every single one of them. I'm also learning how to gradually ramp up the speed. This one started right around 8:00 per mile and finished close to 7:00 per mile. Now, for some of you, that's a bit slow. For me, that's getting after it and fortunately, I wasn't gassed when I finished but rather ready to run. Tapering sucks!
Wednesday - 6 Miles
A couple of years ago I responded to a Facebook request from a friend regarding an opening on a Ragnar Team for later that week. I had no idea what I was getting into, but jumped at the chance. Turns out the bulk of this team ran regularly with the East Nasty running club. I had always done all of my training on my own, had never run or trained with a group and didn't know what to expect. Since then, this group has become a regular part of my training. Being surrounded by like-minded people help confirm that I'm not the only one doing this and that I'm at least moderately sane for attempting some of this stuff. Being surrounded by people that are faster than me pushes the competitive side of me to run harder, faster and to not be outran by. On this particular night, I went out with the 'Fasty Nasties'. These guys/gals are the people that make it look effortless, as if they are gliding or floating. These are the people that win all the local races and compete in the national races. The people who, if they run the marathon, simply show up and qualify for Boston. I clearly did not fit in, but I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone and kept up for more than half of the 4 mile run. I've got a lot to learn and a long way to go to keep up with these guys/gals, but I'm closer today than I've ever been.
Thursday - OFF DAY
These days freaking stink right now. I'm not running enough to deserve a scheduled off day. Tapering sucks!
Friday - 8 Mi.
The weather is starting to round into form for a nice fall marathon. This day was a bit warm when I started, but the humidity was very low. I returned to my very familiar Stones River Greenway, hills and all. This is my 'home' track. Something I've never done during training is shy away from hills, in either long or short runs. I firmly believe this makes me a better runner. Gravity is both amazing and sucks, all depending on which side of the hill you are on, and the quicker you get to the top of the hill, the quicker you get to take advantage of the amazing side of gravity. Knowing this track allows me to be strategically aggressive and vary that strategy from day to day, depending on how I feel or even if I want to try out something different.
Saturday - 15 Mi.
This would be the last of the early morning long runs. 4:30 a.m. I despise you! Anyone that knows me knows that I hate morning and hate getting out of bed! I would rather sleep till noon and work until 10 p.m. than carry regular office hours. I'd rather run in the evening heat of the summer rather than the cool of the morning. Regardless, this summer, I've gotten up at 4:30 a.m. every single Saturday to get my long run done. This has served two purposes. One, to beat the heat of the summer on my long run, although, this summer was very mild in comparison to last year. There's nothing worse that 20 miles in 90 degree heat. And two, to open up the rest of the day for 'Lake Time'! Last long run complete.
Sunday - 8 Mi.
The past 16 weeks, these runs have been about survival. This one turned into a rather speedy 7:30 pace run. I really like how my body is responding to these faster runs. I feel a bit sluggish early on, but after a mile or so, it's time to drop the hammer and go!
I feel like a kid in the days before Christmas. Constantly wondering if Santa is going to show and what will be waiting for me under the tree when I wake up, if anything. 5 days ago, I started looking at the 10 day forecast for something that was 16 days away. I know, silly. I looked at it while I was at lunch today too, still 11 days out! If you were wondering, there's a 60% chance of rain in Chicago on Friday, October 11th. Nervous energy and excitement abound and many sleepless hours during the night because of it. I think tapering really is like a kid waiting for Christmas!
Monday started the week with a speed work session of hill repeats. I've actually come to love this workout. I know that when it's finished, I've improved. 2 Mi. WU, 7 x Hills, 2 Mi. CD for a total of 8 miles. I've also noticed over the summer that my warm-up and cool-down miles have gotten progressively faster. This is extremely encouraging for what is to come.
Tuesday - 6 Miles
I'm trying to approach this taper unlike previous marathons. My goal is to push the pace on every run that I do. Regardless of how many miles these days call for, I want to be gassed at the end of every single one of them. I'm also learning how to gradually ramp up the speed. This one started right around 8:00 per mile and finished close to 7:00 per mile. Now, for some of you, that's a bit slow. For me, that's getting after it and fortunately, I wasn't gassed when I finished but rather ready to run. Tapering sucks!
Wednesday - 6 Miles
A couple of years ago I responded to a Facebook request from a friend regarding an opening on a Ragnar Team for later that week. I had no idea what I was getting into, but jumped at the chance. Turns out the bulk of this team ran regularly with the East Nasty running club. I had always done all of my training on my own, had never run or trained with a group and didn't know what to expect. Since then, this group has become a regular part of my training. Being surrounded by like-minded people help confirm that I'm not the only one doing this and that I'm at least moderately sane for attempting some of this stuff. Being surrounded by people that are faster than me pushes the competitive side of me to run harder, faster and to not be outran by. On this particular night, I went out with the 'Fasty Nasties'. These guys/gals are the people that make it look effortless, as if they are gliding or floating. These are the people that win all the local races and compete in the national races. The people who, if they run the marathon, simply show up and qualify for Boston. I clearly did not fit in, but I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone and kept up for more than half of the 4 mile run. I've got a lot to learn and a long way to go to keep up with these guys/gals, but I'm closer today than I've ever been.
Thursday - OFF DAY
These days freaking stink right now. I'm not running enough to deserve a scheduled off day. Tapering sucks!
Friday - 8 Mi.
The weather is starting to round into form for a nice fall marathon. This day was a bit warm when I started, but the humidity was very low. I returned to my very familiar Stones River Greenway, hills and all. This is my 'home' track. Something I've never done during training is shy away from hills, in either long or short runs. I firmly believe this makes me a better runner. Gravity is both amazing and sucks, all depending on which side of the hill you are on, and the quicker you get to the top of the hill, the quicker you get to take advantage of the amazing side of gravity. Knowing this track allows me to be strategically aggressive and vary that strategy from day to day, depending on how I feel or even if I want to try out something different.
Saturday - 15 Mi.
This would be the last of the early morning long runs. 4:30 a.m. I despise you! Anyone that knows me knows that I hate morning and hate getting out of bed! I would rather sleep till noon and work until 10 p.m. than carry regular office hours. I'd rather run in the evening heat of the summer rather than the cool of the morning. Regardless, this summer, I've gotten up at 4:30 a.m. every single Saturday to get my long run done. This has served two purposes. One, to beat the heat of the summer on my long run, although, this summer was very mild in comparison to last year. There's nothing worse that 20 miles in 90 degree heat. And two, to open up the rest of the day for 'Lake Time'! Last long run complete.
Sunday - 8 Mi.
The past 16 weeks, these runs have been about survival. This one turned into a rather speedy 7:30 pace run. I really like how my body is responding to these faster runs. I feel a bit sluggish early on, but after a mile or so, it's time to drop the hammer and go!
I feel like a kid in the days before Christmas. Constantly wondering if Santa is going to show and what will be waiting for me under the tree when I wake up, if anything. 5 days ago, I started looking at the 10 day forecast for something that was 16 days away. I know, silly. I looked at it while I was at lunch today too, still 11 days out! If you were wondering, there's a 60% chance of rain in Chicago on Friday, October 11th. Nervous energy and excitement abound and many sleepless hours during the night because of it. I think tapering really is like a kid waiting for Christmas!
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