You may have heard about this race coming up in about six days. It falls on a state holiday. It also coincides with the start of baseball, spring, and everything right in this world. Yes, it's the Boston Marathon, and I will be one of over 20,000 runners taking part in the journey from Hopkinton to Boston.
But this is not a story of a prepared, well-trained, veteran marathoner. Nope. This is a story of a foolish one. This is how not to train for a marathon.
1. Convince yourself a training cycle dependent on completing five runs on five weekdays is feasible
Early in the training cycle for Boston, I made the choice to focus on fitting in the majority of my training during the work week. I knew our weekends would be filled with trips to New Hampshire, and I didn't know how feasible running would be while we were up there. I figured, hey, as long as I get my weekly long run in, I'll be okay. Well, the past three months didn't really go according to plan, and there have been many weeks where I was only running every other day or so. That would be all well and good if I was able to catch up on the weekends. And I wasn't.
2. Let life circumstances determine your actions
I'm not really sure where the past three months went. I swear yesterday was January. I know it wasn't, but it certainly feels that way. Beginning in December of last year, a work project took control of not only my work hours but much of my free time as well. It required some long days and some sleepless nights. It was a great example of allowing life's curve ball to get in the way of good decision making. After two weeks, I should have realized the pattern-- there would be a lot of work until March, and adaptation was required. But I did not adapt. I fit the definition of insane. I kept doing the same things-- thinking running after work would fit my schedule-- and getting the same result-- no running after work. My runs should have been planned for the morning, before work. And I probably would have been a much happier and more peaceful person if I did run in the morning.
3. Fall into a false sense of security
The 117th Boston Marathon will be my ninth race of that distance. From the first one to this one, I have learned so much, but at times it still feels brand new. Three months ago, I felt secure. This would be my fourth Boston Marathon in a row, and the past three training cycles were each not perfect in different ways. I still found a way to either produce a successful or semi-successful end result. The less than perfect training cycles led me to believe that I had more time to train than I did, that I was already in better shape than I was, and that I could race semi-successfully on a not-so-great training cycle. Wrong on all counts. While, at the start of January, I did have over three months to train, I pretty much eliminated two days a week by ignoring the weekends. Yes, I did just run a pretty quick marathon at the end of September, but this was now three months later... and I had taken it easy over those three months. My third assumption is somewhat correct; the past three Boston Marathons had shown that I was able to run well on less than stellar training... but was that what I really wanted? No, not at all. Yet I felt secure and did not change my approach to training. Three months later, at the end of March, I realized I had very little time left to train... which leads me to my next mistake.
4. Complete three REAL long runs in your entire marathon training cycle
Back to the ever-consuming work project... I was scheduled to head out to San Francisco for a weekend in early March for a major conference, at which my project would be presented and the results released. It was a HUGE deal and I was beyond excited to attend. I knew the weather would be nicer than it would be in Boston, so I packed running clothes, and planned a trip to the Marin Headlands where trail running would await me and I could make my marathon training comeback. While I was able to make it about eight miles before the hilly landscape took its toll on me, I realized I really, really needed to step up my training if I thought I would make it successfully through Boston.
Back home, post-conference, I found my after-work free time restored. Runs became more consistent, and longer. The next weekend, we dog-sat, and while J-Hay set up camp with the pup watching March Madness, I forced myself out the door and onto the Charles River bikepath to go as far into Cambridge I could muster, only to turn around and tack on additional miles downtown. I made it fourteen miles, my longest run of the training cycle thus far, and I had about a month to go before Boston.
By the next weekend I was feeling some major pressure. I needed to run at least 16, hoping to make it 18. I ran the first ten by myself down Commonwealth Ave, along the course, only to turn back and come up the hills. Everyone and their mother were out doing their last long run before Boston, and here I was, doing my second one. I picked up a friend, and we went off for another eight. I did make it those eighteen miles... but not without feeling quite out of shape.
Finally, thank goodness my Easter long run plans worked out between me and my best running buddy for, otherwise I was a goner. We tasked ourselves with an out-and-back from Newton to the finish and back, for nineteen miles. That would be the last real long run before Boston. Oh boy.
I think it's easy to see that I serve as a wonderful example of what not to do when training for a race. I'm not proud of the training I've put in, and I wish I adapted my training so it fit my life at the time. But, as we're only six days away from the big day, there's little I can do now. To play with a common training phrase, there is hardly any hay in the barn.
Now, instead of continuing to act foolishly, I need to start thinking smartly and develop a strong race plan... one that I'm sure will start with "perceived effort".
No comments:
Post a Comment