Thor's Running Journal

The problem with a marathon is I can't directly implent the lessons I learned because of the gap between recovery time and length of the training cycle. I have to wait a full year before I can have another go at correcting the errors (or suspected errors) of this past weekend. I mean I guess technically I could make another run at it in the spring, but for where I'm at, I think it would be more helpful to ease off the gas a minute than to barrel into another 4 months of work, especially knowing how much more difficult winter training can be.   And now that I've run 4 marathons I fell I have a better understand of where my primary pitfalls are. 1. Being to aggressive at the front half of the marathon 2. Poor or at least inconsistent fueling between the carbs, calories, and sodium. I also understand where I can excel 1. Rock solid training. I can follow a plan. Just tell me what I need to do and I can execute it. There isn't a lack of will or unwillingness 2. I'm incr...

  Hind site is always 20/20, but I have no regrets about my attempt to go after a super big goal and finishin 3 hours and 10 minutes at the Indianapolis monumental marathon. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. If I pulled it off it would mean Chicago and maybe Boston, and if not than I wouldn't be any worse off. Making a PR would be nice, but even if I went a 3:15 it wouldn't get me to advance my BIG goals. Running with a pacing group felt great. The crowd was in it and there was this incredible sound of the cadence of shoes hitting the pavement. At moments, it almost what sounded like a synchronized percussion instrument. It felt good. Hardly looked at my watch But when I did, I noticed my heart rate higher than I would have liked. At 175+... I did know if that would be sustainable.  And I almost pulled it off, but the woozies kicked in at mile 18. I came out of an aid station and a switch flipped, making my body chemistry all out of sorts. But I fought the stumblin...

I only have another 9 miles before race day. That's 6 miles tomorrow and 3 miles on Friday as a shake out run.  "Only" another 9 miles...I mean,  I say it so casually now, but its more miles than many people do in a week or a month or ever. It really is a wild thing the way my body managed to adapt to the load not only during this training cycle, but throughout the time I've been running.  It's interesting how so much can come down to a single day. I'm working on not getting ahead of myself and living in the moments as they come, but it is an unusual feeling to work so hard for something that is all going to be over in a matter of hours (or, to be specific, it will hopefully be over in 3 hours 10 minutes). It feels to mater of fact and somewhat unceremonious still. But I know race morning is coming and all that changes. I can't wait. 

I thought there would be torrential down pour this morning on my run, but it didn't happen. I am grateful for that. It would have been a dark cold wet 5 miles. I've escaped any really inclement weather this cycle which is sort of miraculous and awkward. I guess it is a mercy considering the winter training earlier this year. I am not complaining at all.  The closer this marathon comes, the more I get sort of emotional that it is coming to a close. I feel like I can finally give myself permission to get excited about this race. When in the thick of things, when I am tickling 60 miles a week waking up at all kinds of  early hours, it is tough to get really excited because there is such incredible amounts of work to get done right in front of me. I couldn't get too far with my thoughts because I needed to take care of focusing on the next workout, the next mile, the next day or week.  But now...I can start to visualize myself finding the starting corral. Warming up and stret...

6 easy effort miles and I loved them First run of the season with leggings.  Went groceryshopping with the kids and got a menu plan together for the week. It sì all happening so fast now. Hard to believe it is almost over. Its been such a good cycle. It's felt hard and without a doubt challenging, but never impossible. My body just kept waking g up and I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I keep saying it, but what ever happens on Saturday I am a proud of the effort and dedication day in and out. I feel the fresh feeling of "if I can do this... What else is possoble?!?!" much like I did way back when I finished my first marathon 2 years ago. An hour a day of focused work on a singular task for 4.5 months wasn't easy all the time, but it sure feels good now.

 There are lots of things that can happen in a week, but there is a sense of relief making it this far along. It warrants a moment of reflection on all the interesting things that a training cycle brings with it. Not all runs are memorable, but there were a few that stood out. Especially those vacation runs because I was outside of my neighborhood...Smiths Grove KY, Fayetteville WV (oh those hills), Indianapolis IN. And off course the integration of the sailing adventures with the running regimen. 4 And just so many days of waking up in the middle of the early morning and hitting the pavement.  Race day will mark my 101st run of the training cycle. Pretty momentous.  This morning I dropped Pascal off to ref a soccer game and went for a beautiful daylight 8 mile easy effort run around SVSU campus. The sun just came up and it made the trees glow. So lovely. I've also been thinking...I think I've got a real shot at going 3:10. I redid all the math and it is within spitting d...