Marathon Training: Week 3

 Week three started with nice easy miles. As I went out to my first quality workout of the week, I reminded myself how quality workouts used to really stress me out. I think it was due to a couple of reasons. I didn't have as much "experience" in serious training. I wasn't as strong as I currently am and I doubted myself. I almost always overthought the workout! 

 Although training isn't always easy, I go about it a little different than I used too. I try to leave the thinking to my coach. This is hard and I still struggle with it. I have proven to myself I can run the pace I'm training for! If I don't hit pace for one run, I will be ok and I'm not a failure. Chances are, I'll have a bad run or two in the mix! The big picture is the math problem leading up to June 4th, the marathon. One or two bad runs are expected. 

 This week ended with a race. Last week I talked about "being tested." I like to work in a few races during marathon training, not only get a good strong workout in, I need to go through the emotions of "race day" as it's pretty intense emotionally and physically. Going through this is extremely helpful and I feel necessary to do at least once. I will be doing two more races during my training cycle leading up to Newport. Each race will be much shorter than the marathon but all will be hard as shorter races are run at a faster pace, testing my abilities to handle the pressure come June 4th. Running has so much mental in it! If you don't practice the mental practice races and training runs, you are missing it big time! 

 Yesterday I had a chance to practice. I stayed nice a calm pre race. My husband raced too. We arrived in plenty of time to get our race bibs, go use the bathroom and then do a warm up. The warm up is always important but I felt even more so this morning as the wind made it bitter cold and we would be running HILLS! It ended up being colder than I thought with the wind chill so at the last minute I decided to wear a light long sleeve, rather than my usual race tank.  We started from the finish line on gravel going slightly up hill. The hill didn't bother me but I did start boxed in by other runners. The slower runners were a slight problem and the gravel felt slick. I carefully weaved through the runners and found my pace group. 

I took the first incline really well, and then headed downhill like a speeding bullet. I was playing back and forth with a lady in a purple shirt. After about 1.5 miles in, I realized purple shirt and I were neck n neck for women's 3rd place! The 2 women in 1st and 2nd were young and extremely fast. They were going to have there own battle and I wouldn't be in it! Ha! I decided it was time to duke it out with purple shirt. I had to find out who was the stronger runner so I gave her one for her money, She gave it right back. I love this game! It's really a fun part of racing. After we passed back and forth a few times I really pushed the pace as we headed back up the hill. As I got to the top and got to cruse for a bit I realized my game had worked. I had broke her! She wasn't on my tail anymore! I wondered when she would be back? Would I break??? 

I hit the halfway point and headed down hill FAST! I knew I would have to come back up this hill to get to the finish line and it was going to be hard! I got to mile 4.5 and had to turn around and go back up the steep hill, over a mile long! Was I even going to make it? 

At this point you can give up and walk because nobody really cares if you do or not, you can walk off the course because it's hard or you can dig deep and say, what if I actually make it to the finish line without walking! I felt nothing but run up the hill! It got really hard as there was no leveling out for this final 1.4 miles of up! All I knew was to RUN to get to the top! I once had a coach that told me, "push it up the hill Julie, you'll recover...I promise, you'll recover!" I always tell myself this when racing hills now.  I didn't stop, not once. I saw a couple of my running friend on that hill, giving me a little hope and encouragement. I was able to finish strong!

I am thankful for another week of training. I am very sore today, but I know the process. I will recover! Yesterday's race was a great test and I feel like I passed in my own little weird way! 

If you've taken the time to read this, I love you for it! 

PS Purple shirt never even came close to me as I ran up that hill! I beat her! Ha! 

Jerry and I both won 1st in our age group. Jerry 2nd male and Julie 3rd female. We are too old to beat the teenagers! ha!!!

Marathon Training: Week Two "I'll understand if you eat my lunch"

Week Two: 

 I'm extremely nervous as I write today! I'm not sure why except I am always expecting someone not to understand why I do what I do. I guess that's to be expected 😝🤣 

My goals are big and I have trained "advanced" before. I know what it takes, that's probably why I'm nervous. I did realize one thing this last week! Some of you who are new to following a "marathon runner" don't know exactly what a full marathon is. It's not just any old race. Its a race you train for, for about 16 weeks and on the big day, you will race 26.2 miles. It's a really long race, thus the jokes about marathon watching when you binge on your favorite TV series. 

This last week I had a day where I was just mentally exhausted. I decided to take a day off and rest and it did me good. Most often I will  have a "active rest day" where I still put in some miles but they are very slow, just to keep the legs loose. Even though I chose to take a break Wednesday, I got up Thursday and went right back into my training. Resting is fine but the marathon will not run itself. 

By the end of week two I felt very happy. We are just beginning but we are off to a really great start. I haven't felt this strong is a few years. I did the work to get a really quality base of weekly miles up after healing from an injury. As I go into track work/speed work the last two weeks, I'm already feeling a difference. I'm ready for this! 

People at work are catching wind that I'm in training and I'm hearing, "I'll understand if you eat my lunch." and " I'll understand if you're in a bad mood."  I will be the first to say, I work with a very supportive group of folks! They don't understand why I am doing this but seem happy to support my journey and watch the process. I sure love them for that support.

Newport Marathon Week One!

 Ive been absent here for a few years as I blogged for another company. I'm back, and am keeping it real. I've chosen to come back starting with Newport Marathon training 2022! I plan one weekly blogs with my thoughts and feelings for the week, but chances are, I will miss a few! Thanks for taking the time to read. 

Week one training: As I go into training for my 16th full marathon I think, what would my PT (physical therapist) think about this??? Sometimes it better not to share everything!!! I've had doctors tell me that running more than 3 miles a day is too hard on the body. Many people think I'm ruining my knees and damaging my body. The truth is, over the last 13 years, I've slowly, ever so slowly built up the tendons in my ankles, legs, knees, shoulders and more. I've taking my heart health to a beautiful healthy level and I feel and even look so much better. The key is taking it slow, knowing it won't be perfect and consistently. 

I don't expect everyone reading this to finish to the end or even be remotely interested. This is just the thoughts of a crazy marathon runner who has been on a 13 year journey to bettering herself. 

Week one: This week I was excited to get started. My last training cycle (2021) was cut short due to a mild injury resulting in PT and a major cutback in high intensity workouts. I have a great PT and was back at it in a matter of months. I had lost way too much training to race. I took a step back and slowly got my mileage back up, got my eating patterns back on track and am running very strong once again. 

The thing that scares me the most about this and most training cycles is knowing that my goals won't be handed to me. I very well might fail and then feel I will need to tell you. I actually have to work my butt off, miss social gatherings and go to bed early, really early! I know that even if I have a steller training cycle, race day comes with rain, wind, heat, injury, or it will all come together like a perfect song! Just because I train with a coach and do things correctly will not ensure a perfect ending in June 4th. The thing is, when it does comes together perfectly, every long run, every track workout, every early morning easy run, everything I gave up over the last 4 months is made worth it!!!! 1000% worth it! I have tasted this perfection three times and I've run so many races I can't count them anymore. Only 3 times! One 1500 in HS, one marathon in Eugene and one 15k in Portland. There's nothing like the finish line of a perfect race! I suppose when you get a taste of something so so great, it's something worth going for again. 

It's such a perfect thing, I try to get anyone to give it a try. Most people won't take me up on it but the ones who do .... They typically find great joy and fulfillment in the run even with completely different goals than I have. 

I am trusting myself and my hard work over the last 13 years to carry me through the next 16 weeks of training. 

Tomorrow (Sunday) I'm meeting a couple friends for my long run. In the coming weeks I may be a little crabby from time to time. I may try to eat your lunch. My body will be rested as I believe in rest being part of training but the truth is, training for a marathon sucks so please be patient with me and if I seem tired, just feed me 🤷‍♀️😘