Running is Meditation.

Okay, So It's Been Awhile...

I've still been preparing for the longest run and race of my life. I have not been tracking my training through the typed word because of other typing obligations. Those obligations pertain to the research papers and article reviews of graduate school. I'm done with my second semester at Georgia State and ready to hit the road with padded socks and fairly new running shoes for Michigan!

Training has been a waxing and waning endeavor. In the beginning I hit every single training run and every single mile. I did get exhausted, mostly physically from the effort. About half-way through I worried a little too much about injury and held back. About four weeks ago, I got back with the program and hit several big runs, 12, 16 and 18. I was supposed to do two of each of those runs according to the training program. Getting past the mental hurdle of an 18 mile run was huge. If you can run 18 miles, you can run a marathon- at least that's what runners say. Learning to pace myself, drink enough water and eat enough jelly beans (and sharkies!) through the long runs will be clutch during the marathon. I am proud of the effort I have put in even if I did not hit all the training runs. I feel completely prepared and confident in running 26.2 miles. Endurance is one of my strong points and will get me through the tough spots and hills.
Worst run of the last 16 weeks: 90 degree heat, directly into the sun in the middle of the day, I ran one mile and felt like I hit the proverbial runner's wall. So, I walked the next six. Pushing myself to get the miles in was a great experience in endurance. I kept going even though I felt terrible and wanted to stop. It was also a little embarrassing that I was walking my usual run.
Best run of the last 16 weeks: (okay, I have two) First, the 18 miles. It felt so good to accomplish that! Second, early in the training I was supposed to run four miles. It was really windy and cold. After a mile I told myself that I could turn around at 1.5 miles and just get three in for the day. At 1.5 miles, I thought, you're crazy, go the distance, get it in, I ended up finishing the four and it felt like I had climbed a mountain. It was amazing to work through physical discomfort by way of mental force.

I could not have done all this work without the support and help of all the awesome people in my life. THANK YOU!!! Everyone that encouraged me via facebook, email, 'liking' my annoying daily running posts, reading this blog, you are great and encouraged me:) Everyone that watched Lucky so I could run...THANK YOU a million times over...! My wonderful friends and family who asked and cared so much about my progress, thank you thank you thank you. Of course, Stanley ♥. Ah, and most importantly, running. Thank you running for the therapy, the healing, the focus. Running a marathon can change your life if you let it.

I'll be 30 and a marathon finisher in just about 9 days!!! I can't wait.

Training: Week 8, OMG, where have I been?

omg. Running, DUH! That's where I've been. School picked up, family came into town, we went out of town, with that and kids, our house, food, friends, love, a dog and this and that...I've been busy. Less time to write but still running strong.
I've shortened a few of the scheduled training runs- totally okay. It's a vigorous schedule and I'm doing well. It got tough around week 5. My cumulative total after 5 weeks was almost 80 miles (EIGHTY MILES). I was physically exhausted and my body needed to get used to all the steps it was taking! I'm back on track and feeling great. This week's schedule:
Day 1: 4 miles (Tuesday)
Day 2: 6 miles (Friday)
Day 3: 4 miles (Thursday)
Day 4: 14 miles (Sunday)
Again, OMG. That's 28 miles in a week for a total of 154 miles of training. Commitment.

Why am I running all these miles? Why am I training for a marathon?
The level of physical and emotional commitment it requires is huge. Each week I push myself past what I thought was possible. It's an extraordinary accomplishment that can only be done through perseverance. When it gets tough, I keep going. When I don't want to run, I keep going. When I'm tired, I keep going. And all the while I love it. Each time I push through a difficult time I feel proud of the accomplishment. Talk about a boost to the self esteem! To be able to get through 16 weeks of training, almost 400 miles and to run 26.2 miles straight is kind of special. It's a peak experience that doesn't happen very often in life. Like climbing Mt. Kinabalu or having a baby, it's special. To work so hard for something and finish it gives a sense of pride rarely felt on such a scale. I'm running a marathon because it's difficult and I'm up for the challenge.

Training Week 4: It's All MENTAL

"It seems like motivation (attitude) must come first, but it doesn't. The most motivating thing to most of us is to do well (achieve). It feels so good that we want to make it happen again...Every week you run farther than you ever have before in your life! What an achievement! And you have come to believe that you can do it again next week." (Whitsett, Dolegener, Kole, p.72)

The relationship between behavior and attitude is brought up in Chapter 4 of the book. Our attitudes justify our behavior rather than cause our behavior. This is such an interesting concept. We do not behave in certain ways because of our attitudes. It means that we develop our attitudes to explain the way we behave. What does all this psychological jargon mean? It means we must DO! Behavior/Actions change motivation (or lack of motivation) and bad attitudes. I need to keep running, follow the schedule, clock the miles and my attitude will follow. Endurance running is a mental sport and that is what I love about it.

Training Schedule:
Day 1: 3 miles (Monday AM) ✓
Day 2: 5 miles (Tuesday AM) ✓
Day 3: 3 miles (Thursday PM)
Day 4: 8 miles (Saturday AM)
This week two miles are added, one to the medium run on day 2 and one to the long run on day 4. A cumulative total of 19 miles. After this week, I will have run 67 miles in 4 weeks and we will be 25% through the training program.
I'm a little bit tired and a little bit sore but it doesn't matter...I am proud of myself and I'm motivated. Mentally, I feel strong and I look forward to every single run over the next 13 weeks.

Additional Running Notes:
-Thick, padded, expensive running socks are worth every penny. Get a pair and you'll notice the difference!
-I've been trying to stretch 10-20 minutes after each run and my knees haven't been hurting as much. I try to hold each stretch to a count of 30. It seems like a long time but it's worth it.
-Changing up running routes and terrain help the long runs go by faster. So does running with other people.