Saturday, August 13, 2011

Marathon Training

     I ran 18.63 miles of the marathon course this morning. It seriously kicked my butt. The marathon distance is scaring the bejeebies out of me. 7.57 more miles. Yikes. I really struggled just to finish toward the end of today's run. I'm not sure I can run the marathon without having a very angry last 10 miles. I find I'm generally in good spirits with my long runs until mile 15 and then it is hard, hard, hard. Thanks to my running partners Erika, Emily and Dave for pulling me though the last of it or I might have cut the run short otherwise. The run left me deflated and I'm contemplating switching to the half marathon. We'll have to see what the next few weeks of training brings. I want to enjoy the marathon experience and not leave it cursing after mile 15, wondering what the heck I got myself into. I run because I love it. I'm not competitive so I want to keep the experience fun. If I'm cursing the last half of the marathon, well, that's not so fun. Only time will tell. Thankfully I have a half marathon on the race calendar for next week, with Erika, Emily, Dave, and another Emily E.. Like the fall marathon, it's another new race for the area. I'm super excited for it and I'm happy to only have to run 13.1 miles. Funny, because I thought I'd never hear myself say that. I'm  pretty sure I have told Emily E. on a run, that I could never do a half marathon. I eat my words.

7 comments:

  1. Climbing closer to that marathon distance and approaching the high teens and beyond was daunting for me as well. Going from 18 to 20 miles was torturous. You'll do it though. If you can go as far as you did, the energy of the race and the seeing goal of finishing just within your grasp will carry you there on race day!

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  2. You've got to want that marathon. A HUGE part of finishing a marathon is the mental training, not the physical. Don't think it's easy for anyone those last 6-8 miles. That's where all your mental training kicks in. Your goal is to finish. Enjoy the experience. Don't go too fast in the beginning. Pay attention to what you will need to fuel your body through the run. I'm sure you're experimenting with foods and nutrition now, so take note of what works, what doesn't.
    It's not mileage you need to conquer, it's the time on your feet which is why a lot us train in time vs. miles.
    Which marathon are you doing and when?

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  3. I'm doing Empire in October. I LOVED, LOVED the half marathon I did at Turning Stone. I fell in love with that length of race. I'm going to finish the handful of weeks of training until the full in October, more than likely, cursing every long run. :) The time commitment for the marathon is huge and I am spent for the remainder of the day after my long run, forcing my husband to pick up my slack. I think after this marathon, I'll stick with the half. It's long enough to be a challenge, but short enough not to impede on life, my husband and my kids. My poor husband hasn't been able to fly fish on Saturday morning for months!

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  4. You're running the marathon in Syracuse?! Awesome! I was thinking about doing the Half since I'm training for NYC in November, but decided to the do the Arc half next weekend instead. But I'm going to go watch the Empire!

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  5. i secretly wish i was doing the half instead. these long runs are killing me. i am dead for about two days afterward. i just don't understand why anyone would ever do more than one marathon. not a fan. just sayin'.

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  6. Carrie, I know you will do great with your marathon, but only you know what's best for you. And if you feel you need to run the half instead that is nothing to be ashamed about...a half is a long distance and just as big of an accomplishment. I wish you luck as you continue to do what's best for you.

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  7. ...oh and i still don't get how people can use the words "fun" and "running" together. i love running. but i do not think it's fun.

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