We're well into week seven and still going... um, strong? Well, we're still going. We've done a good job sticking to our schedule. We've had some minor injuries but the biggest challenge has been keeping our minds focused on the positive and not letting ourselves get overwhelmed. It's getting harder!
And the runs are ... well, they are getting longer. This weekend I have to run 14 miles. Rich has to run 12. I know for all you experienced folks it sounds like no big deal. But before this, 10 miles is the longest we'd ever run as adults! (I may have run about 15 in high school for training but that doesn't count).
So we find ourselves trying not to think about it. "One run at a time" is Rich's motto and it's a good one. Like tonight, for example. I was running my seven miler and half way through I thought, "I have to go twice as far on Sunday.... oh gawd how will I do that?!" I could literally feel my heart sink, my body slump and my gait slow down. I had to shake it off and insist that my brain think about something else.
Then tonight Rich reminded me that 14 miles is just one mile longer than a 1/2 marathon. And I thought, "Aha! I know a lot of 'non runners' who have completed a 1/2 marathon - I can totally do this!"
It's amazing - our bodies are hanging in there but our minds are starting to freak out a bit. If you have any good tricks for keeping yourself focused - and not overwhelmed - we'd love to hear them.
It's T-O-T-A-L-L-Y Mental
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5 comments:
I do my long run in sections. car to a local shell station - 3.5 miles. shell to next section of town 2 miles. there to little tore i always stop and buy gatorade at - 2.5 miles... etc...... the whole thing s in chunks. i cannot run 20 miles, but i can run 3.5. then i can run 2.5, then i can eventually make the 20.
dont think of it as a 14 mile run, just think of it in smaller bites and youll be there.
One more thing, leave the watch at home. this is training, do not worry about time. especially for your first marathon. dont even look at it. it will not make you a better runner, just a more nervous one.
andrew
Andrew thanks for the feedback! That's a great way to break up the run and overcome the mind. Good to hear that you also stop during the runs - we are getting used to doing that as well.
However, I think we are too addicted to the Garmins to leave the watches at home :-) But it's good advice! I suppose we could always track mileage with Gmaps Pedometer - which we use to plan new routes.
Andrew - great advice - thanks! I agree with you about working to mentally "break up" long runs into smaller chunks.
Chris is right that we are too addicted to the Garmin watches to give them up but I definitely agree that the watch sometimes makes me more "nervous". I have been working hard to ignore my watch for longer periods of time.
It's like breaking a bad habit.
One thing I MUST do before this weekend's run is DISABLE the little beep that goes off every 1/4 mile. That little beep was nice when I was running 3-5 miles but now that we're regularly running over 10 miles, it's mentally punishing to hear that thing beep 40+ times during a long run!
This is an exciting time in your training. Now many of your long runs will have you going distances you have never done before. And you will have opportunities to exercise your mental muscles as well as your leg muscles.
The first time you run 14 miles it IS NOT EASY. This weekend I am running 14 miles and it won't be easy after training for and running 3 marathons. BUT - what I do to prepare is just get all my stuff ready the night before, get up in the morning and get out and just do it. I try to relax and take it easy early on - conserving energy for the time and distance - and get it done, even if I have to walk it. Then afterwards, celebrate the distance and rest up. Sometimes I felt ok after the longer runs, sometimes I just want to sleep all afternoon. It is all good!!!
Once you get into the 12+ mile range, aches and pains are inevitable. Be sure to ice any sensitive areas (I tend to have plantar issues). Once you get up to 15 miles or so, consider an ice bath. Tough to do but it really does speed recovery! Shirley has good tips on ice baths that I am happy to share if you like.
The best part of training for your first marathon is not the marathon. That will be the icing on the cake. It is the transformation you go through when you are training.
Enjoy! And have a great long run this weekend. Breaking it up is a good idea. It's not 14 miles. It is a 10 miler and a 4 miler :-)
Well Chris and Rich running marathons isn't much different than endurance horse racing. At least psycologically. I always told myself I could ride that SHORT distance to the next vet check (or water station). I could never think about the 100 miles as what I was about to do or I'd have quit before I started! You are learning that running isn't much different than many of your life accomplishments - you started small, tackling that call to a client and then another and another, just like miles, one at a time. Enjoy!!!
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