That’s What Mile 26 Feels Like…

Our last group workout for the training cycle!

We met up a lot later than usual because the workout was so much shorter than our normal Tuesday morning workout.  The sun was even out:)  We did about 2 miles as a warm-up and then we got right to our MTC mile (aka the mile repeat that we do often… last week we did 10 of them… partly flat and mostly down).  Yesterday felt the hardest that mile has ever felt.

This is what mile 26 feels like in the marathon.  Because of the carb depletion I could hear my muscles during that mile screaming to me—> THERE IS NO ENERGY for me to make your legs move any faster.  It really did feel like the last mile of the marathon when you are telling your body to go faster but it just won’t because it is all out of glucose.

So now I get to experience that mile 26 feeling twice in one week;).  Point of reference… yesterday’s one mile MTC pace was pretty much the same as the TEN mile repeats that I did last week.  I was expecting to go faster because we were only doing one but this was all my body had to offer me.

It really was such a shock to my system.  Years ago I did a lot of runs without eating anything before running but yesterday’s run was my first time in a very long time not eating before a run (I wasn’t going to cook up some eggs and bacon before my run ha) so I did it without eating anything and it hurt so bad.  Our bodies adapt to what we give them and my body is very used to eating carbohydrates before a run now.

5.2 miles total for the day and just about 8 more miles of running before the marathon.  I plan on hitting 20 miles before Saturday.  Six today, I’ll take tomorrow completely off and on Friday I will run 2 miles.

These two walked part of the way to school together all by themselves for the first time ever.  I may or may not have creepily driven behind them because I was nervous about it ha;)

And then my mom and I met for deliciousness.  I was so ready for this.  The carb depletion really was practically the hardest part for me of this marathon training cycle (except for the day he had us race a half-marathon and then run another 13 miles afterwards).

My sister and her boys stopped over for a bit to talk too.

Skye and I met some of my friends that are in town at BYU.  This is where I went to school so it’s always fun for me to bring the kids here.

Andrew was at a training for the first half of the day so it was nice to have him at home for the second half.

Just the usual homework time…

Our dinner involved avocados…

And then Brooke worked on a goal that she has made.  Our church has come out with a program for the children and youth where they come up with a goal for their physical, spiritual, intellectual and social health.  Brooke chose to learn how to cook under her intellectual goal and she picked out a cookbook from her school’s library and made the cupcakes entirely on her own (I handled putting things in and out of the oven and helping her understand some of the directions).  I am very proud of her for making a goal and following through with it!

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Before I let you go today, I listened and loved two podcasts yesterday while doing laundry/house stuff and I thought I would share a quote from each that I really loved!  (ps I am typing these as I am listening to them so they are not quoted 100% perfectly:)

From Ali’s episode that was a Q&A with Greg McMillan & Dr. Cathy Yeckel about MENTAL SUFFERING

“Suffering is part of it.  That is what you are going for and the better you can deal with it and have an expectation for it, you handle it much better.  We know from neuroscience that If you expect something to be easy and it’s hard then your brain really freaks out.  If you expect something to be very hard and it is hard then the brain says this is exactly what I expected and it will allow you to keep pushing.  It’s less likely you will have a pity party.”

I’m preparing for a lot of suffering on Saturday:)

From The Strength Running Podcast with Deena Kastor:

“My attitude in any given workout (because we always get to that place of strain) and to see how my attitude…  Whether I had self-pity at the forefront of my mind or excitement at the possibility of strengthening and enduring more than I ever had.  It gave a physical difference, it radiated in my body in a much more different way.  I can feel that so intensely that I always thought to uplift and  inspire myself (be a cheerleader)… the point of giving the moment the most potential that it could have.”

I am so excited to endure more than I ever have on Saturday!

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Please give me three words to describe the last mile of a marathon or half-marathon in your opinion?

Anyone else go to BYU?  Share with me about your schooling if you want to and where you went!

Made any non-running goals lately?  

What’s the best part of your Wednesday going to be?