January 15 and the furthest I’ve run in weeks is 4-ish miles. How in the world can I expect to complete a marathon on 4-ish mile long runs? I can’t. That’s where a plan comes in. I’ve already signed up for my next marathon (Newport RI next October) and I know from experience that means I’ll need to plan 15-16 weeks out. So catch up with me in July and those 4 mile runs will be long gone.
The marathon distance is daunting if you don’t have a plan to tackle it. Most mere mortals can’t just go run 26.2 and have no repercussions. After three marathons, all of which have followed very different training plans, the key to finishing is that I’d planned for each one. A marathon training plan breaks the prep down into smaller, more manageable, chunks. You purposefully start off small and build to greater distances as the race draws near. I take a calendar and write out all my workouts with paces and distances so I can see weeks and months out what I know is coming. And – lets be realistic – life happens. I may travel for work one week or the kids may be off on a school vacation – so knowing that I can adjust my training plan accordingly.
There also comes a time in every marathon training season where I’m staring down a 20 miler. The calendar doesn’t care if that week is bringing less than ideal conditions. And training for a fall marathon also means doing lots of miles in the height of summer. Last fall on a particularly hot day I planned to break up my long run by doing the first half with a friend who paced me slower than my usual before the heat of the day caught up. I also planned a pit stop back home to change shirts, refill my water bottles and head back out in a different direction. I felt fresh and ready for the next 10 miles. We will just ignore the fact I got stung by something a mile in! By that point I was already committed to 11 miles of a 20 mile run and wasn’t going to let that get me.
A plan to break down parts of your run also help when you are in the midst of a race and conditions are making it really hard to continue. At mile 10 of a half marathon? I just realize its 5K and I can run a 5K in about 30 minutes on a normal day. Almost done! My marathon this past fall made me exercise this skill. The Green Mountain Marathon in VT is set on Grand Isle, right on the lake, very picturesque but on that day particularly windy! This was my third marathon and I had high hopes of breaking my PR which was 4:31. 30-40 mile headwinds made that goal impossible! The first half of the race with the wind at my back I finished in my usual half time. Not ideal for running a marathon! Turning into the wind at miles 15-18 all I could do was muscle through and keep putting one foot in front of the other. At 18, I told myself two miles to 20, I can do 2 miles. At 20 I knew it was 2 5K’s and I can run a 5K no problem. Strategically planning my walk breaks vs. running and some encouragement from family and friends who texted me along the way and I finished. 4:42:32. And you know what? I was 9th in my age group out of 17 women with that time. I wasn’t last. Conditions were tough but I’d already been able to practice breaking down a large goal into smaller chunks that my mind went there immediately when faced with a challenge.
It is easy to get overwhelmed with faced with a challenge – no matter what that might be. I see my ten year old overwhelmed by homework when he hasn’t prepared for it. When he writes down his assignments (and brings the right sheets home from his workbooks) plus pays attention during class, it makes it much easier to complete his homework. When I don’t let the laundry pile on the floor load after load its much easier to fold an put away (don’t look now but the piles have been piling up…). Breaking down a challenge into smaller pieces helps make it not so overwhelming. Today I’m starting with folding my sheets and towels and tomorrow I’ll get to to the rest…
So, even though its January, I’ve got some fall planning to do. I’ll be researching my next marathon training plan, and breaking it down so I can manage it. What about you? What are you planning for?
