Pic 1: Finish line w my wifePic 2: Finish line w "Gallagher's groupies" I love them
The rest are self explanatory
Since I am rolling over training right into marathon training, I have some time to think. Running only. What can I do to get better? What do I want to do after this? What goals should I make? What races should I do? How far should I race? What do I want out of training? I bounce around from answer to answer and I do not necessarily have any good thoughts. Despite a wandering brain, I am running the best I have ever run. Most of it is better conditioning, the rest is confidence. I feel so good running. The "base" I have under me feels very supportive. So I am torn. Here I am running 16 miles a few weeks after a 1/2 Iron and I do not feel so supercharged but I dont feel a limit either. I am running and I asking myself if I like this. It is windy, cold, long and I dont know if I like it. Weird? I dont know what to think of it. I finish and I feel pretty good. I am not so tired or sore but when I am out there sometimes I dont feel like pushing it. I am inching my way to performing and stop finishing. I think about that too. Thinking...
This year I have had good gains. Before any chickens are counted, I still have 2 more races to go. A 5k and Las Vegas as a half. I believe the reason this year was a step up from last year is because of my running last year. Last year at this time I was training for my first marathon. Longer and longer runs than the week before. This long run flew by. I dont want to listen to music. I like hearing myself. I hardly hear my feet. Its what I want from the runners that I train. Its fun to feel myself not so tired at places I used to be gassed. Then I think why am I thinking about the past? Why arent I in the moment and going faster, going harder. I am not that tired. Ok enough rambling....here is how my week went.
Monday-Rest
Tuesday-Run 4 miles. No watch not rules just out and about.
Wednesday-Pushed a 5 miler to have some fun. Karl will question this move since it brought my weekly mileage under the 1/2 my long run level. Try not to let that happen again Karl.
Thursday-6 mile run. Might be the single best run I have had. Unfortunately no watch to track it. From clock to clock it was about 56 min. I used my rates of perceived exhaustion. I must have had a 3 min or so negative split. I used a strong exhale and a little faster than I used to. I wonder what my HR was. Days like this I like running.
Friday-Rest
Saturday-Long run of 16 miles. About 6 of those miles with a gnarly head wind. Cold/windy. I felt very strong for the first 8-10 miles. Then I was pooped. The funny thing is despite the conditions it was about 8 min faster than the last time I ran 16 miles. I didnt even think about that until tonight. Funny brains of mine.
Sunday-Off. One of these weekends I am going to get a ride in. Quote:
“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”
Andrew Jackson quoting Napoleon Bonaparte
More action, check
4 comments:
Lots of questions but not alot of answers. What are some of your possible answers to these questions? I am intersted in your thoughts.
Marathon training! I certainly don't LOVE every run. I can come back from a run pretty grumpy and disappointed. But I can also come back excited and energized! I have learned that most of the time marathon training is just grinding out lots of mileage and appreciating the days when you "feel fast."
My advice for you, don't worry about getting a hard workout in every week. The 5k will be a great workout. The half marathon will also be a great workout. Just concentrate on getting good runs in 4-5 days a week. Only let one of them be less than an hour and try and maintain a weekly long run of at least two hours, then get in your 18 and 20+ milers 2x/mo. A week could look something like this: 7, 5, 8, rest, 5, 16, rest (XT). The more you can run in Nov and Dec the better.
Again, I am interested to hear your answers to all the questions you wrote.
By the way, you can PR at all distances with consistent marathon training. See Dale's blog.
Thanks for posting the pictures. They are awesome!
Great pics!
Enjoyed the pictures. Thank you for sharing them.
Karl is right on when he says that marathon training is all about grinding out the miles. Before you can race a marathon you need to have the confidence that you can finish without walking. Great job on your 16 miler!
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