Running. This chick’s been running. And wondering really what is so interesting about that to blog about it? But, I guess it is to those that know me well. I get asked multiple times a day about how my training is going.
So – jumping back in to this blogging thing to keep myself honest and share my experience training for my now FOURTH marathon. Yeah – that’s crazy. I can say that this training is much different than what I’d done the other times. First, I was doubting myself back in August and got a refund for the marathon I was supposed to run this weekend. Second, without the pressure of hitting miles, or paces, I ran better for a few weeks. So that brings me to my fourth marathon October 28 in Rhode Island. I’m still on track to do a marathon in each New England state before I’m 50 (no I’m not even close to 50 yet but I’ve now got about 7 years to get New Hampshire and Connecticut crossed off if I complete this one in a few weeks!). I keep questioning my “training” and making it up as I go. I figure as long as I’m consistently running 30-35 miles a week, and can finish long runs in the range of 15-18 miles every other week, I’ll be ok.
Would I recommend this training to someone doing their first marathon? Probably not. There is something mental about knowing you can knock off 20 miles and live to tell about it. I’m actually contemplating not even doing my 20 miler which I put on the calendar for this Sunday. I’ll tell you after my run – it really depends on the day and how I’m feeling. Some days I can go forever and others its a struggle to put one foot in front of the other.
I’m sore in places this season that I’d never experienced soreness before in those other marathon training cycles. And no soreness in the usual places. Strange. I’m stronger in some ways and weaker in others. I’m more in tune with what I’m capable of on a day to day basis. But, there are lingering questions. Should I be doing this? Why am I doing it? What’s the point. I don’t have those answers but what I do know – on a morning like today with the cool, crisp feeling out there and the leaves crunching under my feet I stopped to smell the fall in the air. And it felt good. So I kept going.
