I didn't have any hands on guidance for this, so there has been some guess work involved. But, I have had wonderful coaches in the past that have imprinted some good things in my training tool box. There is also plenty of literature out there now as well, so it is not hard to at least figure the basic structure that needs to happen, at least in regards to long runs and overall mileage.
For me, I chose to start with a lot of MAF and soft surface running. I was coming into this marathon only averaging 20 miles a week, give or take. Yikes yikes yikes! But, I was able to pretty quickly build up to the 40s and 50s- injury free and not missing workouts- for what I think are the following reasons:
- I quickly realized that my marathon block would be a base block as well. I kept that in mind during my training and remembered that this is just a small part of a larger puzzle for years to come. I kept a bird's eye view on how these 3 months played into the big scheme of future training.
-I used my HR monitor on easy days and kept it at MAF or below. There was no guessing if I was going easy enough, and no getting sucked into running the pace of others.
- I followed my VDOT interval times for track workouts and didn't really go any faster, even when they felt too easy. This helped me from feeling trashed after track, and making sure I was able to complete all of my other runs.
- I still did 1-2 x swim a week and 1-2 x bike a week. I think this helped me strengthen my aerobic system without having to run too many miles.
- I did a lot of soft surface running initially, but now I am almost always on the road to get used to the pounding. I transitioned slowly, and I haven't had any trouble.
- Every run had a purpose. If I said I was doing a tempo run, I actually did a tempo run. I didn't do a quasi-tempo run. If I was too tired to tempo, I ran easy. I really believe that if I am going to do a specific type of run, it needs to be done correctly. This thought crept into my head during a track session: "Do what you are supposed to do, the way you are supposed to do it, every time." I think that is a Drew Brees quote. And it made sense to me in the middle of that interval, and it really stuck with me for the rest of my training. If I said I was doing 10 x 800 or 5 x 1 mile, I did it. If I couldn't do something, I moved it to another day rather than "kind of" doing it. I really think I was able to keep this mentality, though, because my easy days were easy.
- I always did 1-2 slow warm up miles. By slow, I mean 9:45-10:00 miles, at least, if that is how slow I had to go to warm up. I am not one to fret about "overall" pace on the garmin and how warm up miles affect that number like some of my friends. I warm up slowly and then do work.
-I ran with an awesome running group 2-3 times a week. We all have different paces, but this is a pure marathon group. You know, the kind of runners that are always marathon training, even when they don't have a marathon on the schedule? They were awesome and encouraging, and I never felt pushed to run paces that didn't fit my plan. They made it worth waking up at 4:30am.
What I wish I could have done differently?
- If I had come into this with more miles and more fitness, I would have loved to have run more miles and more marathon paced miles. I just didn't want to risk injury by going higher than 40+ to 50+. Because it was really easy for me to run this mileage, I think I could have handled more.
- I ran through June, July, and August. NOT IDEAL! Lots of 110 degree heat index days and 90-99% humidity days here in Memphis. So, I compromised quality. I did not get to do as much marathon paced running during my runs as I would have liked to have done. But, you can only do what you can do in the heat. I think if I could have had some cooler months for training, I could have increased the pace in several areas.
- I wished I had put on more muscle post baby. I have lost so much muscle. Breast feeding 2+ years, not sleeeping, and not eating was extremely catabolic for me. I have visibly lost a ton of leg, glute, and shoulder muscle. Yuck! I think strength is important. After this marathon, I am going to hit the weights as hard as I can this winter and see if I can put some muscle back on my body. I have always had difficulty putting on and maintaining muscle, and now that I am getting closer to 40, this is a real issue that I want to address.
-I wish I could have run an open half marathon at some point to get some ideas for marathon pacing.
- and this is just wishful thinking, but all of my racing during this time frame sucked. I had terrible triathlons as well as terrible 5k/5mile races. Oh well. I always think back to Jen Harrison when I am training well with a particular goal in mind, but don't race well at other things. She used to tell me I just couldn't have it all. Smart lady.
This is me, suffering in a 5miler, where my normal tempo pace ended up being my race pace, and even half marathon pace felt hard. We all have those days. :)
I think my ability to put together a training block is directly related to having a child that now sleeps and a family that is functioning with more ease now. There was a recent conversation in my running group about the "baby boost" that some moms get, whether it be more oxygen in your blood or whatever. I am sure this exists, and I have seen many friends have amazing races in the first year post baby. However, this did not apply to me. I think you have to be healthy and have the ability to train post baby, and I had neither of those things for the greater part of 2 years. Now, though, everyone sleeps in my house and I am motivated. Motivation and a vision to be the athlete I know I can be get me up at 4:30 am every single morning to train.
So, with two weeks to go, I am happy with this summer of training. I did it solo, used my brain, and tested myself. I won't know if it worked until after the marathon, so it will interesting for me to write a post after the marathon on what worked and what didn't...and we will see if it matches! I have so many more thoughts on this topic- maybe next post on goal setting, and how I don't know how to set one for this race....
