Facts versus Feelings

Monday's run wasn't easy: it was hot outside, I felt light-headed, my breathing seemed shallow, my legs felt heavy. In short, I FELT ill. And to make matters worse, a perky young thing sprinted past me, a serene smile on her face. Which made me feel old.

So what did these feelings 'help' me conclude? That I couldn't or shouldn't finish my long run that day.

Say what?

Thankfully, a small voice of reason piped up before I quit. Now wait a minute here, it said. You have 5.5 months before your date with a marathon. And you haven't even finished a 10-mile run yet. You feel hot, tired, and slow. And now you feel cranky too. That's too bad, but you know what? You still have to run a marathon. Your training schedule calls for 7 miles today--not tomorrow, and certainly not sometime later in the week.

This was a FACT.

I needed to push aside my feelings in the present, and focus instead on my longterm goal of running a marathon. So what did I actually DO?

My imagination was getting the better of me, so I trusted the facts: You did a 7 mile run already this spring, I told myself as I panted up the hill. So what makes you think you 'can't' do it today? As hot and tired as you feel right now, and despite the fact that you're not looking as perky as the next runner out there today, the truth is you've never fainted during a run. Never. And even if you did, so what? Chances are you wouldn't collapse unconscious and alone, like you imagine. You'd sit on the grass to the side of the path, catch your breath, then walk home.

OK, so I'd decided to keep moving. But I still FELT like crap. So what could I do to finish this run without crying, or worse, crawling home to my front door? I knew I was physically not my finest that day, so I slowed my pace but kept my form, and focused my mind on my breathing.

And I rechecked the facts: when I glanced at my watch, lo and behold, I was keeping good time.

A healthier conclusion? Feelings are misleading. Don't give in to them. Stick to the facts when training for a marathon.

Bugs and blossoms

I'm back running this week after a few days of gluttony in Quebec, followed by a six-day marathon work week. So I thought I'd be a wobbly mess on the running trails these last few workouts.

Somehow though, I squeezed in four days of running, capped by a long run on Sunday at a really good pace. One thing I'm learning as my training advances is that you never know how you'll feel on any given day. 'Never assume' is my latest mantra---it applies to lots of things in life, including running.

Today's seven-mile run featured a bug in the eye at mile 2. Wonderful, I thought, wringing my hands mentally as I waited for an allergic reaction to kick in. Would this be the end of my first long run in two weeks, I worried? Should I stop at home half-way through to grab some artificial tears and rinse it out? Thirty seconds into my pity party a strapping young guy pushing a running stroller passed me like I was standing still. I swear his three-year old strapped in the seat giggled as they raced by.

So I let that sucker smother itself in the corner of my eye and kept going. And picked up the pace.

By mile four I was in the groove, marveling at the knee-high grass along the trail, just from one week's growth. We'd had a lot of rain lately, but the soaking kind. No puddles.

Blossoms from the dogwoods, crabapples, flowering cherries lay thick on the ground. I crumpled them underfoot, a carpet of petals, fragrant and fresh. Life is good, I thought.

A good run. Time to ice the knees.

Total mileage: 17 miles

Spring is in the air

Week 3 was uneventful as far as mileage/routes goes. And thankfully no knee problems to date!

April reminds me how each season brings its own challenges for runners, especially those of us who enjoy running outdoors. This week, I made sure to carry a Kleenex in one hand to catch the inevitable drips from my poor sinuses, helpless in the maelstrom of pollen floating about here in NJ this week. Spring peeper frogs cheeped in the swampy stretches along the running trail, robins hopped, and woodpeckers were busy high up in the trees.

The temperature changes hourly this time of year, so I checked it carefully each day before heading out for a run. Chilly mornings meant light gloves and two pairs of socks. Long runs in mid-afternoon made me peel off my fleece halfway to the finish.

Weekly total= 15 miles

Week 2 summary

Logged only 14 miles this past week. My running total noticeably shrinks the more hours I put in at the office. Up 'til now, I run only on my days off, or in mid-morning on those days I go into the office late. I plan to fix this as spring rolls into summer, and it gets warm enough in the early mornings to add in pre-work runs.

I've watched my food intake, both quantity and quality, MUCH more this week. With every leftover Easter candy temptation, and after each bite of a second helping at dinner, I wonder to myself whether it will help or hurt my training. It's funny, because I could think like that all the time, but really I analyze what's going down the hatch way more when I'm getting ready for a race. Which is just another good reason to plan to run a marathon.

First Training Week

My first week of training post-marathon sign-up went better than expected. Especially the 4mile Sunday run, coming after a 5mile run just the day before.

It's still cold out, enough to keep wearing running tights and gloves. I did trade in my funky fleece headband for a ball cap though. Slowly, slowly the spring comes....

Weekly mileage total= 20miles

Mon:    5miles
Tues:    3miles
Wed:    30push-ups (hearafter referred to as pups), 40sit-ups (henceforth called sups)
Thurs:   3miles
Fri:        rest
Sat:       5miles
Sun:      4miles

Signed Up and Ready to Train!

I did it! Monday I signed up for my first marathon ever. It's the Philadelphia Marathon held on November 17, 2013.

http://philadelphiamarathon.com/

Thirty-two weeks of training stretch ahead. This week I'm jacking up my mileage to 20 miles, from the paltry 9 or so I was doing all winter.

Foremost on my mind is not whether I can run the 26.2 miles, but whether an injury during these months of training may prevent me from even showing up to the race.

As a forty-something runner, mostly I'm concerned about two joints: my right knee, which has some type of chronic inflammation/loose cartilage/iliotibial band syndrome, I'm not sure which, and my left foot, where I've grown a bunion and trigger-toe from too many years in dress shoes. Ice, stretching and ibuprofen/aspirin will hopefully help me manage them in the coming weeks.

Wish me luck!

Strategy

I was out-of-country the last two weeks in January, during New Jersey's coldest days so far in 2013. I didn't think I missed out too much on marathon prep, since it was too frigid to run anyway. But I was worried the time spent in India might set my training back even after I'd gotten home. I figured I'd eaten way too much naan, hadn't gotten enough exercise, and breathed a lot of bad fumes. Which was true.

Still, I was surprised my first week back running went just fine. I ran my three-mile route a few times without a problem.

My winter training schedule is lighter than usual anyway--I run slower in the cold, and the arctic winds and occasional blizzard offer ample excuses to take additional rest days. So the pressure is off to begin with. And despite being off-kilter in this off-season, I'm still officially in what one marathon training guide calls 'pre-training condition,' meaning 'you should be able to run for at least 30 minutes without stopping.

Phew.

So where do I start? How do you actually 'run a marathon'?

A Google search turned up a couple marathon training schedules that seem like they could work. I hope to run the Philadelphia Marathon on Novemeber 17, 2013. So that leaves me 40 weeks to learn to run 26.2 miles. DH suggested I get started now, and 'see how it goes.' I figure that's as good a plan as any.