Ask any marathoner if he or she is going to do another one
the moment they just finish, and probably 90% of the answers would be a resounding
“no”.
While the pain and suffer are fresh in the mind, repeating
the effort seems out of the question. Give it a few months and the pain
subsides. The memories of the stress fade. The desire returns.
Much the same can be said of my training right now. Funny
how easily I forget the tired and sore legs that come with all of the marathon
mileage.
This was never truer than on this past Saturday afternoon. I
was looking to do my 24 miler with a fast finish workout so the idea of running
19 to 20 miles and then running a 5k sounded perfect. I guess in theory it does
sound perfect. In reality, it was not.
A combination of the temperature being in the upper 80s with
plenty of humidity, and a loose dirt and grass circuit left me setting behind
my CRV drinking water as fast as I could.
I started my running around 2:30 PM and had a little over
19+ miles by the time of the 5k race. The first 10 to 15 miles did not feel
that bad. I had already drunk over 40 oz of a Nuun/H20 combination and was
taking my cliff blocks.
But the miles were starting to add up. At 19, I was not feeling the greatest. In
fact, I felt pretty much dead on my feet.
The horn sounded, and I had to “will” my “feet” to move.
About a mile into the course, we turned on the grassy
section and I had nothing. Even going downhill I was not making any headway.
Back to the trail and then back on the grass again, I was
moving forward but mainly it was on “autopilot”.
The course finished with a 200 to 250 meter uphill stretch.
It could have been 2 feet for all that I know. My head was hung forward. I was
staring at the ground. Several guys went
sprinting by me. I only momentarily paused at the finish line before heading
off to find some more water. I soaked down another 3 bottles which did little
to help me.
I finished off my run with a “slow” 2 miles and as I said, I
just sat behind my CRV.
I did it to myself.
In my opinion the more miserable the training, the better
the mind is able to handle the stress of race day. In my case, I feel like I
have stressed my mind enough for one training cycle.
I am sharing this post because we all go through tough
marathon training cycles. Knowing good days and bad days happen to everyone
make life a little easier to bear.
Remember what goes up must come down, but what goes down
must come up as well.
Sharing one thought at time,
The Cool Down Runner
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