With just five weeks to go until race day, we are now heading into our peak weeks of training before we start tapering back down to get our batteries fully recharged before our big event. This is both an exciting and grueling few weeks because while we’ve been steadily building up our bodies to be able to handle the load, no matter how disciplined we’ve been with our training, we are still doing long runs of 18 and 20-miles in addition to all our other usual training. GREAT stuff all around.
These are also the weeks when we focus on putting it all together in earnest, working intently on our mental game, fueling our bodies well, and trying to get as much rest as possible.
I’ve said this numerous times before, but endurance events are 85-90% mental. If you skimp on training your mind in addition to your legs, lungs and heart, you will do yourself a great disservice. Long runs offer us perfect opportunities to work on steeling ourselves to the challenges and discomfort that come with this sport. How will you respond when fatigue hits hard? What will you do to keep moving forward when your feet are telling you they have other ideas? What kind of discipline and focus will you have to remember to fuel and hydrate like clockwork so you feel your best? What mental techniques will you use to help you reach your goals when the going gets tough?
For me it’s mantras, counting steps, visualizing, singing, focusing on what feels strong, not letting my mind wander too far so that I don’t space out my nutrition, and most of all it’s about swimming in gratitude. It’s celebrating the fact that I GET TO DO THIS and be part of this remarkable moment.
Never underestimate the power of gratitude. It has a way of wrapping itself around your pain and reminding you of how lucky you are that you get to experience this incredible journey–the one you so boldly signed up for so long ago, and trained your heart out to get to where you are. So many other people will never know the beauty of this adventure, so be in the moment and appreciate it all, especially during the hardest moments.
Here’s a peek at my Week #15 training schedule (Sept 25-Oct 1):
- Mon 9/25: Run 6 miles (w/ 2.5 mile pick-up effort in the middle), strength 45 min. (Kim Miller Fitness legs/glutes)
- Tues 9/26: Spin class 55 min EZ (15 miles), mobility work 25 min
- Wed 9/27: Run 6 miles, undulating hills
- Thur 9/28: Active recovery day–yoga, core, & foot exercises 35 min, walk with Jeffrey
- Fri 9/29: Run 5 miles with 4x80m strides, core and mobility work 25 min.
- Sat 9/30: Run 18 miles
- Sun 10/1: Rest & recovery day, yoga, walks
Monday morning, short on time, I set out directly from my house instead of driving somewhere scenic, and knocked out a 6-mile run on nothing but concrete and asphalt. It wasn’t the most exciting route, but it was good mental practice for running through the streets of NYC. In the middle of the run I pushed the pace for 2.5 miles.
Tuesday was another fun outdoor spin class at the gym with Kristine. I intentionally took it easy and used this workout to simply flush out my legs from Monday’s run in preparation for Wednesday’s run. I came across a quote somewhere the other day that said something like, “The sign of a maturity in a runner is knowing when to reign it in, and also having the discipline to do it.” I’m definitely a work-in-progress in that department, but today was a win.
Wednesday I felt strong after taking it easy on Tuesday, and knocked out 6 miles of rolling hills in the early morning. Repetez, s’il vous plait: “I like hills, I eat them up. I like hills, I never give up.” Mantras aren’t just for race day! 🙂
Thursday was an active recovery day after yesterday’s hills, and in preparation for Friday’s 5-miler and Saturday’s 18-miler.
Friday morning was a steady 5-mile maintenance run, topped off with 4-5 strides at the end. I countered our gray weather with cheery color, fiery tunes, and thoughts drifting to race day.
Visualization is a powerful training tool I lean on often for endurance events. For NYC, I begin by imagining myself at the starting line on Staten Island, swimming in gratitude, feeling all the feels, then taking off, light on my feet, soaking up the experience, smiling, running strong and steady, turning the crowd’s energy into my own, remembering to fuel and hydrate as I cruise through each borough, powering over the “forever long and quiet” Queensboro Bridge, and then being lifted off the ground by the indescribable energy reverberating from throngs of spectators as we turn onto 1st Avenue; making it all the way up to the top of the course at mile 21 then turning left and heading back down 5th Avenue into Harlem, knowing this is where it gets especially real; thinking about how I will focus on the parts of my body that feel strong, then count steps to stay focused, remind myself of tall posture and good form; then finally, oh finally, turning into Central Park where there last two miles will feel like forever, but knowing my mental toughness will help me find another gear to get across the finish line, all the while savoring every second and appreciating all that has gone into getting to this moment.
Saturday was an 18-mile dry run for race day, starting with carbo loading the night before, trying out shorts I plan to wear, practicing my fueling and hydration, testing out the shoes I’m hoping will work, and working on my mental game. This ended up being a great learning day, for which I’m eternally grateful, because some things did not work well for me. Traditional carbo loading did not feel good on my run so I will adjust that to a lighter pre-race meal and start with small carb meals/snacks earlier throughout the day. The shorts I had to planned to wear on race day continually felt like they were going to fall off (which Becca and I laughed about hysterically. Thankfully I discovered this during our quick warm-up loop not far from my car, and had also thrown in a back-up pair of shorts in my car so I was able to remedy the annoying problem before knocking out the other 17 miles.
Sunday is a whole lot of aaaaah (ie-rest, recovery, and reset) after yesterday’s long run. The deeper we get into training, the more important this day feels in order to be ready to knock out another run on Monday. Today is all about good food, nice walks, and friends and family.
Things I’m Loving Right Now
Training for a marathon takes a lot of time, as we well know. Finding time to make gourmet meals to replenish our bodies isn’t always easy, even with good planning, so I thought I would share a few ideas here that I have leaned on recently when there aren’t enough hours in the day (or energy in the body).
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Run Be Run 