I had something of a reversal yesterday. My legs felt great at the beginning of the run, really fresh and energetic. But by the time I headed back down the hill they were totally tight and crampy. I did a kind of modified fartlek (tee hee!) around the track, speeding up when I felt like it and then returning to my normal pace (which is still faster than I'm used to). I dunno, maybe that was too much for my first three-days-in-a-row week. I stretched really thoroughly, and I don't feel any soreness today. I hope I can keep up the pace on my five mile run this Saturday. Now that I've started running faster and not just slagging along I don't want to stop. Speed is addictive.
Before my run I'm going into town to get some new sneakers at Fit Right NW. I really like the NBs I have now, but I've also had them for years (and probably well over the recommended 500 miles) and they've started to hurt my right big toe.
Musing alert: Back in July I toyed with the idea of running the Portland marathon this year (its in October). But I didn't have enough time to train and dropped the idea. Now I've made the decision to (as various highly-compensated sports figures keep reminding me) just do it. And I really think I'm going to – I don't think this will end up the Shelf of Rebecca's Failed Big Ideas. But its funny (from a meta standpoint) to monitor the ups-and-downs of my fear/exhilaration ratio. Sometimes I read a great, positive story like this and I think "I can totally rock the marathon!" And then I read an account like this, where the runner prepared well, hydrated, was young & in good shape and still ran into big problems (no pun intended, although that's a beauty, huh?). I know that if I follow my training plan and I prepare responsibly, I will finish the marathon. Maybe not in a stellar time, but I'll finish nonetheless. Many people have done it with much less running experience than I have (I rationalize). If I can complete my long runs without feeling like death I'll be okay – mentally I know that. But there is still that nagging part of me that wonders if I've set myself up for a very public failure. If I really want to succeed, I need to purge that voice. I need to believe that I can do this, that I have the grit and will have the training to be successful.
(cue inspirational soundtrack please)
Before my run I'm going into town to get some new sneakers at Fit Right NW. I really like the NBs I have now, but I've also had them for years (and probably well over the recommended 500 miles) and they've started to hurt my right big toe.
Musing alert: Back in July I toyed with the idea of running the Portland marathon this year (its in October). But I didn't have enough time to train and dropped the idea. Now I've made the decision to (as various highly-compensated sports figures keep reminding me) just do it. And I really think I'm going to – I don't think this will end up the Shelf of Rebecca's Failed Big Ideas. But its funny (from a meta standpoint) to monitor the ups-and-downs of my fear/exhilaration ratio. Sometimes I read a great, positive story like this and I think "I can totally rock the marathon!" And then I read an account like this, where the runner prepared well, hydrated, was young & in good shape and still ran into big problems (no pun intended, although that's a beauty, huh?). I know that if I follow my training plan and I prepare responsibly, I will finish the marathon. Maybe not in a stellar time, but I'll finish nonetheless. Many people have done it with much less running experience than I have (I rationalize). If I can complete my long runs without feeling like death I'll be okay – mentally I know that. But there is still that nagging part of me that wonders if I've set myself up for a very public failure. If I really want to succeed, I need to purge that voice. I need to believe that I can do this, that I have the grit and will have the training to be successful.
(cue inspirational soundtrack please)
2 comments:
Found you on the Complete Running Network. You can definitely train for and run a marathon at the end of April. Sounds like you have a great plan.
Try to get outdoors as much as you possibly can during the winter to run. Check in with the local running club and find out what others do about running outside. I have no advice to offer on that note as everytime I ran last winter, I was in shorts - it's mostly pleasant around here - Only twice did I regret not wearing anything warmer.
You will do a great job on your marathon. Preparing for it and completing it is a life-changing experience. Blogging is a great way to capture your experience and meet others. Greg is right about trying to run outside as much as possible.
I'll look forward to reading your posts and following your progress.
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