The Marathon Training Blog

Last Week's Running, or should I say "Running"

Last week was minimal running on my part. I was so exhausted and achy that I decided to cut back a bit on the training schedule. Is it possible that I was still recovering from my 20 mile run for so long? I mean I just started to feel a bit more human today. At any rate, I just did one 5-mile run during the week and my long run on Saturday which was 12 miles.

My 5-miler was surprisingly fast and easy, and my 12-miler was surprisingly slow and difficult. I was in so much pain during that long run that I'm actually getting a little concerned. I was struggling. And my feet and knees and ankles were bothering me so much that I just felt like I was running barefoot on pavement.

New Shoes

As Steph and I were running we were discussing the amount of miles we'd put on our shoes. It never ocurred to me before, but I've probably put upwards of 250 miles on my shoes and that's a month before the marathon. It's hard to say if there's still any cushion left in them or if it's just that my body is starting to give out from all the pounding and no amount of cushioning would matter. And while the thought of dropping another $120 on a pair of running shoes was not in the plan, I decided to at least try on some new running shoes to see if I could feel a difference. Fortunately, I found the pair I used to love and wear, ASICS GT 2110 on sale for half the price! I'm convinced it's a better shoe than the one I've been wearing, the ASICS Kayano, which I decided would be ideal for marathon training because it's a lighter shoe. I think it's ultimately less supportive, however. I'm trying out my new half-price GT2110s tonight.

Still Wondering What to Wear

Now, Steph and I have had an ongoing dilemma -- what to wear on race day. It was freezing on Saturday so I was wearing two layers on top and knee-length leggings and I was okay but a little warm by the middle of the run. Steph had only one layer on top and was pretty cold. So how do you know what to wear? Fortunately, I stumbled onto a fab article in Runner's World, which also had this handy chart on how to dress for various temperatures. It seems my current outfit (long sleeves and tights or shorts) is right on. Actually, the whole article was great. It's the 25 Golden Rules of Running, so check it out.

Feeling Fragile

Okay, so back to how my body is falling apart ... I really am getting concerned. I have a 20-mile run (my second) scheduled for Saturday. Not only will I not have my running buddy to help me get through this (she's tapering) but I'm scared that I don't have too many long runs left and that I'll push too much and not even be able to run the marathon. Of course, I'm also scared of not being ready. What to do? How crucial is a second 20-mile run? Anyone? The article I mentioned above said you should do at least one 20-mile run, so I guess I can rest easy knowing that I've done the minimum. I don't know. Maybe I'm overreacting. It's been known to happen.

This Week

I have 5 runs in front of me, and depending on how I feel, that may be adjusted to 4. Of course, my focus is the 20-mile run this weekend. I'll try not to obsess over how daunting it is. Good advice for all aspects of my life.

One Cool Blog

No, not mine. I stumbled on to this very cool blog about a guy who's running 50 marathons in 50 days in each of the 50 states. I didn't believe it at first. I don't even understand how it's physically possible. But his blog is amazing. He'll race in tiny, I-didn't-know-they-existed marathons with as few as 6 participants, and some of the bigger ones like Chicago. It's fascinating, inspiring, and unbelievable. Talk about endurance.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this