Every time I go into marathon training I have this weird idea of how the training cycle is going to go. I think that I’m just going to be bouncing from run to run feeling so much energy and that I will avoid all aches and days of low motivation. And every single time that is the opposite of reality:)
I’ve learned going into races that I need to expect that pain is going to show up rather than go into the race thinking I’m just going to feel like a million bucks the whole way. If I go into the race knowing that there will be miles that are going to really hurt then I can come up with ways beforehand to know how to cope with it and overcome it. I think the same goes for entering marathon training cycles. I just have to expect that there are going to be days where I feel extremely tired. Bouncing back from these monster workouts and the long runs is going to be hard. There are going to be days where I don’t feel nearly as motivated as I do right now for my goal of a pr at the marathon. Over the next 10.8 weeks I expect to have days where I am so tired from mile repeats or a tempo that it’s going to take a whole lot of self discipline to get out of bed and get in a challenge run. I expect there to be really rough days mixed into the months of really fun/energetic/confident days in marathon training.
Along with expecting marathon training to have really hard days/weeks, we have to expect that we are strong enough to do it and that we will show up (as long as we are not injured, sick, overtrained or life takes 1st place) for each run and get it done. Such an awesome article and quote from Kellyn Taylor here.
I love this quote that my coach sent on Saturday. It’s all about persistence for whatever goal we are reaching for and while I can’t promise I’ll hit every split/workout/run perfectly, I can promise I’ll be persistent as long as I am healthy.
Seen on my run yesterday… my community really likes runners:)
Seven miles yesterday and I’ll either run two miles today or take it off to prepare for my race tomorrow. It feels kind of weird to be racing in the middle of the week but it’s Utah’s big holiday tomorrow so that is why the race is on a Wednesday.
Time to get ready for that 10k pain. Picture from my last 10k at the beginning of June. At this point below I promised myself to never do a 10k again and here we are doing another tomorrow haha…
Let’s talk about the rest of yesterday:
We went to the park and lasted there about 12 minutes because it was so hot.
And then we made it over to Costco for the ingredients for our meals this week.
Turkey Trot Meatballs for dinner… definitely one of my absolute favorite recipes from Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.
And popsicles for dessert! I think Skye must have had a brain freeze…
Finished off by getting Andrew’s meals ready for today at work and Full House with Brooke (she is hooked).
For those of you running on the trails, Katherine sent a very important PSA (and I’m so glad she is okay).
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Tell me about where you live… are there a lot of runners there? A lot of accommodations for runners (trails, drinking fountains etc)?!
Any running PSA’s that you can share with us?! Things you have learned lately you can share with us?!
Do you run the day before a race or take the day off?
What’s for dinner for you tonight?
24 comments
Becky Przy
Good luck at the race tomorrow! I love Brooke and Skye matching in stripes!
I would say that there are a lot of runners in our town, especially for its size (less than 1200). Unfortunately, we have no trails, but lots of country/farm roads;-).
That is so nice of you to prepare Andrew his lunches! It has never occurred for me to do that for my husband. Maybe once school starts back up, I can prep his along with the kids.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I even wore stripes yesterday to be like them too! I bet those country/farm roads are so peaceful! I don’t always pack his lunches but he was working on invoices for me so I got to work for him;) . Have a wonderful day Becky!
Kristy
Im in Houston, TX & it’s hot and humid this summer. There are tons of runners here that brave the heat….but it can be rough. Those meatballs look amazing and the one thing that ALL my kids will actually eat.
I signed up for my first full marathon! I have only done half’s and decided to just do it :) I’m worried about my IT band as it always gives me trouble so hopefully I can get the right amount strengthening and streching to keep that darn thing happy!
I usually do not run the day before a race…maybe walk and just prepare my mind and music!
The Hungry Runner Girl
AHHHH I AM SO SO EXCITED FOR YOU KRISTY! Which one is it? Try to get on the dirt for some of your runs to help your IT band. Keep me updated with all of your training!
Try out the meatballs, they are so good! You guys are hardcore down there! It was 80 and dry here and I felt so hot… I don’t know how you do it in the heat and humidity.
Stephanie
Good luck at your race!!! I have never been a huge runner but I think that once I get this baby out (11 weeks to go!) and I am cleared to workout I want to maybe pick it up and try again! Maybe a mix of running (short distances) and burn bootcamp!
Tonight for dinner we are having korean beef bowls!! SO good. https://damndelicious.net/2013/07/07/korean-beef-bowl/
Normally I would serve with cauliflower rice or a mix of cauli rice and rice but hubby has requested just rice since my pregnancy diet has loved ALL.THE.CARBS. and he knows once lil babe is here I will be filling his plate with more veggies lol as I clean my diet back up.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Just bookmarked that recipe for our family! Her pictures are amazing. I hope you are feeling well and you are so close! Oh burn is the best:) . Enjoy the rest of your day Stephanie and hopefully you can fit in a nap (I did every chance I could when I was pregnant).
Ali
I’d kind of forgotten about that recipe – used to make that exact one all the time! Thanks for reminding me – so good and easy!
Eleanor (@smileygirlrunning)
Hey Janae! Good luck on your 10k tomorrow!
There are a lot of runners in my area–there’s a running store in town that really has encouraged it to be a running community. Unfortunately the infrastructure itself isn’t very runner friendly. You can go run on the beach, but in town there’s not sidewalks everywhere and it can be dangerous with traffic. So we tend to run the same routes around downtown. There aren’t any trails or drinking fountains along the way but we do have some runners who actually put water stops in their yard and they put fresh water during Saturday mornings (even with little cups!!!) so that’s really nice.
I like doing a shakeout run the day before, I think its more for nerves and digestion than anything else.
Dinner tonight will probably be a bagel with cream cheese topped with kale and tomatoes and two fried eggs:)
The Hungry Runner Girl
You have some runners that put water stops in their yard on Saturday mornings… nicest humans ever. I love that so much. I hope that at some point they can put in more trails for you guys. Haha that’s why I need a shakeout too! Your dinner sounds amazing, send one here. Have a great day Eleanor.
Jessica R
Tick check …. not sure if links will work here so sorry if this is a mess. It’s a fun video, though!
https://youtu.be/5xNMRwZkyAc
The Hungry Runner Girl
Bahaha Brooke watched this with me… it sure explains how to do a tick check well:) . Thanks Jessica and I hope your day is a great one!
~ R
There are a fair amount of runners here – some paved trails, a lot of dirt trails on the west side, and lots of good sidewalk systems. I never knew how big a difference sidewalks made until I visited other areas of the country where they aren’t standard everywhere…so I appreciate that we have so many.
Most bikers here are mean. They will not move over on their side of the path (majorly hang on the center line) and don’t use bells/call “on your left”. So even if your body is on your side of the path, watch out for your flailing elbows/hands. I got hit by a bike yesterday and my hand is going to hurt for awhile.
I usually do a good walk the day before a race, 3-4 miles. Shake out the legs, get a little distance, but no pounding.
Dinner tonight – going to use the left over steak that came home from trek to make melt-y steak and cheese sandwiches with chips and watermelon.
Torrie
Good luck at your race!! I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
There are lots of ticks in my area and so many people I know have Lyme disease! So scary!
The area I live in is home to the Brooks training team (Desi Linden lived and trained here for years before she recently moved) and is very runner friendly. There are lots of trails and parks and plenty of big races around here too! You should probably come do a race here (Michigan) and have a meet up :-)
Mary
How do watch full house? I used to love that growing up!
Our community is not great for runners. No greenways or anything special for us. Just run on the side of a hwy through town or neighborhoods. Kind of a bummer after seeing all your town has to offer.
Johb
My wife and I watched Full House when we were dating – been married 27 years this August! I know you can watch the sequel “Fuller House” on Netflix. We’ve watched all of those too. Doing a quick google search it seems Full House might be available on Hulu.
Beth
How cute are your matching girls?!?! Good luck at your race tomorrow, will be cheering for you from CO.
Ken Chlouber (founder of the Leadville 100) is quoted saying “make friends with pain and you’ll never be alone” I like this one, so when workouts or races start to hurt I say hello old friend, thanks for the company. It makes me laugh a little to treat pain like an old friend but I feel like it helps =)
Jenni
Good luck Janae! Have you read the book “Grit” by Angela Duckworth. It took me about 60 pages in to get interested but I’m enjoying it now, she uses a lot of sport analogies. Basically, the premise is that hard work can beat talent, but more so ‘Grit’ is not only pursuing your passion but also showing perseverance – i.e. you don’t just give up if you fail at something or the going gets hard. It seems obvious but it was interesting to read more about that. Also, the difference in deliberate practice versus flow. Deliberate practice: the day to day training and grind you may not want to do. Flow: the state of performing when it comes together and feels effortless….though not sure we can say that about racing haha. Maybe when you’ve finished.
jenni
I always took the day off before a race when I raced years ago/ran in University, but in recent years (though I haven’t raced much), my training plan calls for a light run the day before. My current location is not a great place for runners, very small town and it kind of sucks – I’m struggling with motivation to run…but it is what it is and isn’t long-term. You are motivating me to actually COOK by the way!
Melissa
Have a fun race tomorrow! And great work on the meal prep. It’s so nice to have yummy and good-for-you food as an option during long work days. :)
We live in Bellingham WA and it is AMAZING for runners! There are running trails everywhere and every day I say (out loud!), “I can’t believe we live here!” We lived in Phoenix for an eternity (it felt like anyway) and it’s nice to not be boiling hot all the time.
Julie
I live in Bellingham too! It is amazing for runners! :) Hope to see you out on the trails sometime!
Melissa
Yay Julie! Our daily short run is on the Railroad Trail and by Whatcom Falls. I always have a sloppy grin on my face. I’ll high five you if we cross paths. :)
Kate
I live in the Bay Area, and I am blessed with a supportive running (and biking!) community. Lots of trails and tracks to utilize. We had the Turkey Trot Meatballs two days ago… SO GOOD! We are doing a Southwestern inspired skillet tonight, with salad. Very excited (mostly because it contains sweet potatoes!) Good luck with your race! :)
Eveline
Hi Janae!
I haven’t been able to read your blog for a while, and I’ve missed it! So glad I could check back in today and so excited to see you’re training for another marathon. I’ve been reading for years and still always think about your “I can do hard things” and “I am strong” mantra’s when I need some extra motivation! I’m training for my second marathon (my first one was 3 years ago and great fun but nowhere near the time goal I had in mind). This time I’m aiming for sub-4, which would mean 45min faster than last time! The training has been going really well though, even though I certainly recognize everything you said about the lack of motivation/being tired/sore etc. every now and then! I’m so excited for race day, and am already thinking about strategies to cope with “being uncomfortable”. I watched “Kim swims” on Netflix and she said something that really resonated with me, which was something along the lines of “just keep going and the hard parts will pass, and be followed by parts you love”, which I always find is so true for me!!
Anyways, sorry for the essay!! Good luck for your race today too!!
To answer your q’s: I live in Perth Australia and there are lots of runners and lots of good trails, drinking fountains, runner groups etc! It’s great!!
Running PSA’s: make sure to drink enough during your long runs!! Being dehydrated can feel like you’ve hit the wall!
Do you run the day before a race or take the day off: day off usually
What’s for dinner for you tonight?: Oven roasted broccoli with rice and vegetable kofta’s!
Krista
I’m living in Dallas at the moment and it is a great place for runners because there are tons of water fountains. I usually run either at the Katy Trail, which is pretty well shaded by trees in the summer if you choose the right time of day, or at White Rock Lake which is a 9.5 mile loop trail! Both are really nice, having parking nearby, and lots of water fountains – also all the water fountains around here have the Dog Fountain at the bottom too which is so awesome!