I'm reading the latest issue of Runner's World and there's an article about insanely busy people that manage to train for marathons. "Wow! They're just like me! Except for the fact that they're women. And they train 8 days a week. And they don't have jobs."* Wrong. They're not just like me. Nobody is like me. I'm special. At least, my mom always told me that.
I'm rambling.
Do you ever get the feeling that RW assumes that you're willing to eat flax seeds and yogurt for 4 months to finish your first marathon? I don't think I'll be getting that serious. I do have issues, though. Here are some that I have with this whole marathon thing:
- Diet. It's not like I have a punch card to Wendy's, but I do like the occasional burger/fries/frosty combo** and maybe a pint of Ben and Jerry's hither and yond. I'm not even considering cutting out coffee, so that's not even up for discussion.
- Burnout. My concern is that I get bored with the routine. I'd like to throw in speedwork/tempo runs/intervals to replace a short run, but everything I read assumes that I should already know what they are. I know what 4x800 means, but that's 2 miles in my book. Do I rest in between? How long? Am I running all out? Remember, I'm special.
- Skipping a few runs. I'm being honest, I may have to skip a few runs. Not the long ones, but I see some potential skippage on the schedule.
- Why am I doing this? Just to say I've done it? It hurts. You ache days after the race. There's the potential for injury. I'm trying to find the upside. I know it's there. I just have to find it. I love running, but do I love running?
That's all. 3 straight days of posting. Nice, huh? It's like a marathon. See the parallels? I'm pacing myself. I'm special.
*OK, I think they were stay-at-home moms. Really, though, how tough is it to lock your kids up in the dog's crate and go out for a run? The kids are safe. The dog is happy. I do it all the time.
**Try dipping your fries in your Frosty. Holy Lord, there's nothing better!
9 comments:
1) Improve the diet gradually but really focus on eating right in the 3 weeks or so leading in to the race.
2) Change up the routine to keep interested but, I think, the ever increasing Long Runs will be enough to keep you on your toes.
3) I skip runs all the time. Life happens. Just hit those target Long Runs if you can.
4) You have something better to do than run a marathon??
That's my 4 cents. Proceed.
I prefer skipping the dog crates and just going straight to Benedryl. Guaranteed to knock those kids out for a good 6hrs at least.
Damn that Nitmos. He always says what I was going to say.
The diet thing will come naturally too. Once you start having *shitty runs* from a bad meal, you will change up your diet pronto.
*pun intended
And the skipping happens. Sometimes life takes over. As long as you get your longies in, you're fine.
I also get frustrated when training programs and running sites assume that our lives can and must revolve around training. It'd be nice to have a little reassurance that life happens and that it won't ruin the race.
Also the frosty + fries combo is super. I might be drooling on the keyboard right now.
Milkshakes & Fries is what I craved when I was pregnant. lol.
It's so hard to not grab those high-calorie foods when you're body is craving them & you *feel* like you've earned them.
I'm already bored out of my mind with my routine and it's only been 2.5 weeks...ugh. I feel your pain.
I'm glad you posted those questions, I had some similar ones. Nitmos seemed to have answered them!
I'm always confused when I read about training means skipping dessert...isn't ice cream part of the reason I run? I know I've tried to be more careful about getting veggies and protein, but I don't see giving up occasional dessert!
Wow, I used to do the fries/frosty thing when I worked my first job at a Wendy's... uhh... twenty years ago? Made my mouth water a little, there, though.
I also read recently in RW to remember that a plan is JUST a plan - it can be changed, and shouldn't rule your life. That was probably a different article than the flaxseed one, though...
I didn't change my diet when marathon training, except for eating more because I was hungry all the time!
That was last year. This year is triathlon training, and I've decided I want to eat healthier. And am actually doing it. I don't know if all the cross training is getting to me?
I don't subscribe to Runner's World because I still can't fathom the idea of training for a marathon. It sounds like there are people out there who prepare and don't just sign up and run the race and hope for the best, but the latter tends to be my strategy.
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