It's been all relays and no marathon around my blog these days. But I promise I'm still in training for the upcoming Disney World Marathon. Really, I am. At least I think I am.
I looked at a calendar yesterday and was a little shocked that the marathon is in 38 days. Thirty. Eight. Days. Wow. THAT crept up on me. My training was going great until I got sick a few weeks ago and it really threw my training for a loop. I missed a couple of long runs because of it. And my endurance suffered.
Then I ran the Ragnar. My marathon training had me scheduled for a 16-miler that weekend, but I figured since I'd be running 20+ miles during the relay that could equate for my long run.
Then Thanksgiving happened. Food. Stuffing. Sweet Potatoes. Raspberry butter and rolls. Homemade Reese's. Stuffing. More stuffing (mmmmm, I love that stuff). I swear, it felt like I had a food baby. And that food baby stayed with me for a few days. Subsequently I postponed my scheduled 14-mile long run. And by "postponed" I mean "blew off."
Luckily, I've hit all of my scheduled workouts this week, including a mid-week 9-miler, but I'm facing a daunting 18-miler in approximately, oh, well, you know, TOMORROW. I've never done 18 miles at once. Heck, the most I've ever done at once is 16. And that was a while back (ie., in the summer) when I was feeling more confident and consistent with my training.
I blame it on the holidays. Oh, and guess what? The mother of all training runs is scheduled for the day after Christmas. WTF?! The 20-miler. The rite of passage run for all first-time marathoners in training. And I have to run it approximately 24 hours after I open gifts, eat large amounts of yummy X-mas Breakfast Casserole (read: lots of eggs, sausage, and cheese), and scarf down the delicious treats that will inevitably fill my stocking. Oh, and let's not forget about the ham I will no doubt be eating. And the plates of goodies sent over from neighbors and friends. Heaven, help me.
Why did I decide to train for my first marathon during the holidays? I must enjoy pain or something.
Just reading your food list makes me stuffed! Great food but it comes at a price I think.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling you on the long-distance runs. My 20-miler is scheduled for Dec. 20, which is better than the day after Christmas but we've got a party to attend on the 18th and I think one on the 19th. And you know how that goes.
Good luck on your 18-miler tomorrow. It's tough (I ran one on the 22nd) but I know you can do it.
The holidays definitely make it a little more difficult to stay on top of a training plan!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the 18-miler this morning. Believe it or not, I'm jealous - I wish it was me running that far. Stupid IT Band.
I'm telling ya, the holidays are the BEST time for marathon training - for the very reasons you listed! Trust me, there's nothing like a 20-miler to erase a good holiday binge :)
ReplyDeletelol! I just thought the same thing today as I was running my first 18-miler!
ReplyDeleteI keep wanting to postpone (i.e. ditch) the long runs too :) lol