12 Mondays until Boston!
In college, of all the responsibilities that came with collegiate running, the thing I always dreaded most was keeping up a training log. I hated the pressure of remembering to log my mileage, cross-training, and comments every single day. Some runners live for these training logs, but it is just not my thing.
I am more of a weekly reflective person when it comes to running. I like looking at the big picture from that week’s mileage and putting to words the common thread of that week’s training. Now that I have full control of my running and my husband now is my coach, I can do things differently. Starting today, Monday January 27th, 13 Mondays out from Boston, I will be posting weekly with mileage updates, workouts, fueling, things I am listening to, goals, and overall reflection to how I am feeling leading up to the big race.
Honestly, this is mostly for myself. It is my open training log; a way for me to look back and see progress. It is a way to keep me accountable to actually record all the training that I am doing. While the motive is entirely selfish, I do hope it can provide some interest to you, whether you would like to run a marathon in the future or just generally curious what training looks like for a post-collegiate, postpartum gal that still has running goals she is chasing after.
Training Catch-Up
Since this is my first Monday post, I want to do a quick catch up on training so far. Since Christmas it has been all about base training. I am definitely starting this training cycle at a higher fitness level compared to last year. That being said, since July (SF Marathon) my mileage has been very low and inconsistent. I love to run, but I have realized my motivation to run comes from having a goal and something to actually train for. I don’t think I will ever be that person that runs just to run. There needs to be something on the calendar to prepare for. That is just how I operate. I am not going to run a tempo workout just for fun, it needs to be for a purpose.
This Boston Marathon training cycle really began right after Christmas, Dec. 26th, just under 4-months from the race. With lower mileage leading up to this point and only a few short tempos in preparation for the local turkey trot, I needed to first build my base back. Lance is coaching me, and I trust him completely. Every Sunday before bed, we will fill in the calendar together and he gives me my daily mileage and workouts for the week.
I am still pretty low in mileage. Last week was 45 miles, week before that 40, week before that 40, and the week before that 33. This whole month of January has been about building up a base and February and March will be all about getting to peak mileage and incorporating longer tempos and SPEED!
Base Training + First Workout
The reality of base training is that it not very fun or exciting. It is a lot of slow and painful miles. Like with a lot of life, it is the base phase that is essential for the more glorious and glamorous aspects. The boring and hard and slow miles lead to the fast and thrilling miles. Like a marathon, this early stage of training requires a tremendous amount of patience. These slow miles will lead to the fast ones. You just have to keep showing up. Keep logging those miles day in and day out. The exciting miles are on the horizon. They are coming.
Last week, I did my first workout.
2 miles warm-up, 4 miles tempo-ish pace, 2 miles cool down.
I say tempo-ish because for my goal marathon time, which I am just going to go ahead and put it out into words or I guess numbers…2:48, tempo pace would need to be around 6:04 pace. I am not there yet, so I ran goal race pace. Those four miles I was anywhere from 6:24-6:30 pace. And the truth is, it did not feel easy or natural or very comfortable. My normal logic of thinking is wow that is the pace I am expecting to hold for 26 miles? But after the workout, I felt confident. I know this is just the beginning. I have a confidence that in the next 3 months of training, I will get to the point where I can hold 6:24 for 26 miles. It will come together.
What I am Listening To
I have never been a fan of running with music. I have always taken pride in my ability to go out on a solo run and not rely on the company of a playlist or audiobook. This is all beginning to change now that I have AfterShokz headphones. I could literally go on on and on, but to keep it short: these headphones are seriously amazing.
Since getting these headphones, I have really been enjoying listening to things on my runs. It is making running feel a bit less lonely since I do the majority of training solo. So here is what I have been listening to during last week’s mileage:
The Playlist of My Miles
- Road to Olympic Trials- Jared Ward- Ep. 39 This one got me excited about my own goal and reminded me the power of goal-setting, especially for running. He talks about creating exciting goals that get you out of bed training, but also do not produce anxiety. It is a balance of creating goals that feel like big reaches, but also at the same time feel obtainable. He also talks about his mantra for Boston 2019, which was “Because I Can.” This inspired me to come up with a mantra I can use to pull me through the tough miles in the race. Still need to figure out what that is.
- Road to Olympic Trials- Ann Mazur- Ep. 36 As I listened to this and ran park loops at 6-something am, I felt so inspired. She just qualified for the trials with a 2:44! The part that really inspired me was how her mileage is more similar to mine. She does not run crazy high mileage and does a ton of yoga. You really should listen to this. It is a great reminder of the importance of being an overall well-balanced athlete and human. It is not just about the miles.
- Road to the Olympic Trials- Peter Bromka- Ep. 33 This episode was another powerful one for me in my training 2 weeks ago. It reminded me of the beauty in chasing after dreams and it also reminded me of the heartbreak that can come when you fall literally 2 seconds short. A beautiful episode that I will definitely carry with me to Boston.
- Ali on the Run Show- Ep. 199 This is my other go-to podcast to listen to on the run. She usually interviews runners, but this one was about looking ahead to 2020 and I can specifically remember running up a hill with half a mile left in my run and feeling inspired and thankful for her own intentions and goals that got my on wheels churning.
- And last, but most certainly not least, Taylor Swift’s Reputation album on shuffle for the segment of miles I ran a bit faster. Literally, when “Ready for It” comes on, I start sprinting.
Can you guess a goal I may or may not have for 2024 from what I am listening to?? Not quite ready to type it into words, but you might be able to connect the dots.
How I am Fueling
- Coconut water every day.
- Kirkland protein bars.
- Coach’s Oats with brown sugar + banana pre-run.
- Toasted everything bagel with whipped cream cheese post-run (emphasis on whipped!).
When I am Running
- 6:30 am park loops to get in soft surface and get a run in without the jogger.
- Later morning runs with our NEW BLUE BOB jogger. If you have run with me with our old orange 2008 BOB, you know why this is so exciting. I have written about running with the jogger in the past, so you can find running with baby tips here. Now that I have an active toddler, those tips have changed slightly, so I plan on putting together a running with toddler guide soon!
Cross-Training
Goal is to make it into my local Yogaworks studio 3 times a week. This past week I went to 2 TRX, core-based classes and Friday went to restorative yoga. This is a perfect balance for me. It is the perfect blend of intense and relaxing. The restorative class with the essential oils and long-holding poses is my new favorite way to enter the long run. It gets my body ready for the long, grueling miles less than 24-hours in my future. I actually am attributing the restorative class to be a key factor in my 14 miler feeling so good.
What I Keep Telling Myself
Slow Miles Lead to Fast Miles.
My biggest focus at this point in training in to stay patient. I am getting a bit antsy with such slow and low mileage, but I know this is all part of the plan.
High + Low
With any week, there is always the good and the bad. Training is no different.
High
- First workout back and the deep confidence it reminded me I have.
- The long run.
- NEW stroller!
- Naps
Low
- Falling on my run home and crying. Hello, Buzz Lightyear bandaid!
The Long Run
Last Saturday marked the first 14-miler of this training block and it actually felt really great. I can distinctively remember how I felt after my first 14-miler for the SF marathon training block. And let’s just say, I was on the couch for most of the day and was whining to Lance about how terrible I felt. This first-time 14-miler was a different story. I drank some coconut water, ate my bar, picked up our boy, and we were off to the Children’s Museum. These miles did not stick me on the couch, like last time! My body is definitely more used to the miles even at this earlier stage in training, so this is encouraging!
One of the great joys of the long run is getting to look over all the miles after the fact. It is always amazing to me that I run significantly faster on these runs compared to my regular run in the week. There is something about these long PV runs. It could be the extra company or those beautiful cliff views or the fact that the long run is ingrained as super important in my brain. Whatever it is, I love it.
The Long Run in Numbers
1:48
14 miles
7:46 average
9:20 first mile, 7:00 last mile
As I was looking over each mile, I noticed that the first mile was the slowest and the 14th mile was my fastest mile. If you run in PV, you know this is partially because that first mile is an uphill trail and the last one is downhill and on the road, but still, I love how I am starting slow and finishing fast. This is definitely going to be goal for all the long runs in this training block. Finish strong.
This Mama Needs Grace 