Marathon training is like a power hour…in the beginning you wonder when the next run (beer) is coming and think “this isn’t so bad” then as you get into the training (hour) you think, “no way is it time to run (drink) again”

Marathon training is like a power hour…in the beginning you wonder when the next run (beer) is coming and think “this isn’t so bad” then as you get into the training (hour of drinking) you think, “no way is it time to run (drink) again” 

No lie, this is truly how I feel and the best way to explain it.  You know what it was like to do a power hour....30 minutes in and you're swearing at the time keeper accusing him/her of lying. ha ha   Training is the same way...you start checking your calendar saying, "no way is it another run day." 

What really stinks about me feeling this way is I'm thinking this with SEVERAL more weeks of training ahead of me.  OH  MY!

A professor I had has run quite a few marathons and told me training gets worse before it gets better....I guess this means things can only get better?  I hope (gulp).  I can't complain too much considering I'm 11 weeks in and this is where the miles REALLY start adding on.  Most of the "problems" I'm having are mental.  I find I'm getting myself worked up about long run.  I start to wonder if I can actually run what they are asking me to run.  I also get worked up when I plan my runs...There are tons of places I can run by my home, but no matter which way I go I have a hill at the end of my run.  So that turns into a  mental issue where I am literally talking (panting) my way through hills to keep myself going.  I have said any number of things like, "power through-you own this hill" to "each step gets you closer to being done" or "keep looking down...you can't see any hill if you are just watching your feet."  Then I starting thinking, "I'm officially talking to myself, out loud, and with my iPod on and I don't know how loud I am....I hope nobody is behind me!"  ha ha

My running week starts out with a low mileage run (it started with 3 mile runs for 10 weeks, 4 mile runs for 3 weeks, 5 mile runs for 3 weeks then the last 2 weeks are a 4 miler then a 3 miler).  I then have a higher mileage mid week run which started out with 3 miles and every 2 weeks adds a mile. (This too will go down in the last 2 weeks of training) The 3rd run of the week goes back down to a low mileage run similar to the Monday runs.  Each week ends with a long run on Saturday.  (Every 3 weeks there is a drop down for the big Saturday run).  Lately all of the runs have been coming faster and faster.  I had a 4 mile run this week that was easily one of the worst runs of my training...4 MILES!!!  I guess it's better to have a short run go poorly as opposed to a 16 miler.  I just wish they were all great runs ha ha!

Most people get excited for the weekend....not me anymore!  Weekends mean I have a long run waiting for me.  Sure I feel accomplished and proud when it's done, but until it's done I can get apprehensive, anxious and at times I'm straight up dreading the miles I have to run on Saturday. (except for the drop down Saturdays...I treasure those ha ha)  Leading up to the long runs kills me, but when I'm out there I feel great!  I need to get over my mental block that makes me crazy each week because I know it'll be fine come Saturday.  While it may seem completely contradictory to everything I've just written, I can honestly say I'm liking the training. 

As I've said before...this is my journey and you're getting the good, the bad and the ugly!  Happy Running!  :)

What kind of crazy nut would spend two or three hours a day just running?
(This is how Steve reacted in Junior High when he saw the High School Cross country team running)

1/2 Way There.....Race Day Is 2 Months From Today!!!

I biked a "race" once that had the slogan "1/2 the hills are down."  I thought it was genius and true....It's how I feel now that it's official and I am half way through my training-so far I've done the down hill portion of the training...from here on out it's uphill!  As of today, the marathon is 60 days away! 

Hindsight is 20/20
As I sit and look back at the last 9 weeks I can honestly say it wasn't what I thought.  It's not necessarily easier than what I thought it would be, but it's totally manageable. (I can also say this because I don't "technically" work over the summer...I waitress when someone needs me which worked out to being most days this summer, but my schedule is pretty free for running unlike during the school year) When I look at my calender and see a 7 mile run I don't freak anymore.  7-10 mile runs are "whatever" runs.  I never thought I'd be in a place where a 7-10 mile run would be a "whatever" run but it is.  Alice and I continue to think back to the time when we were about to run our 1st 5k and it blew our minds that we'd be be running 3 whole miles ha ha. 

LITTLE BITES
Little bites is the best way to describe what you have to do to get through marathon training.  It's like a brunch buffet....(I know how to eat so I can give advice about buffets) you don't go in and get everything the 1st round.  To REALLY master the buffet you go in, scope it out, get some stuff but don't overdo it and don't waste your time with salad, fruit, and bread....they're fillers ha ha  A little bit of everything over a few trips will totally satisfy you.  You can't go into the marathon thinking you can just get up and run a 17 mile training run one day...you build up to it.  As of now, the highest mileage we've had to run in a week was 25 miles...the next few weeks are 29 miles, 32, 36, 33, 40....we'll be getting up there AND I'll be back to teaching so perhaps my, "It's totally manageable" comment will be tossed and spat on ha ha. 

See Ya 3 Mile Runs....
Yesterday was the last time I'll be running only 3 miles for a training run until October 3rd when we REALLY start backing down out mileage.  A few thoughts on that last 3 mile run 1) I was sad that now, after 9 weeks I'm no longer running just 3 miles. I looked forward to these "baby" runs. 2) I thought I'd be a badass and run with 3 lbs weights in each hand today.  6 lbs, I thought, would be nothing, WRONG! After about 1.5 miles I wanted to DIE!  It's amazing how heavy the weights can get and how long a 3 mile run can seem-NEVER AGAIN!  3)I started to break in my race shoes...ahhhh!  My race shoes have been sitting in my closet for a few months and finally came out...to me that says, "shit's getting serious!"   Little bites, little bites, little bites! 

Enjoy the next month!
I hold firm the belief that you can't drink the month before a big race* (*Disclaimer If your life turns upside down, as mine did right before my last 1/2, you can do whatever you want including, but not ltd to, drinking hrs before the race-it ended up being my best race! ha ha)   As of Sept 13th (ok, ok Sept 14th because my little sister is having her engagement party on the 14th) I will no longer be drinking until the marathon is over-Just another test of my dedication and willpower! 

Here Goes Nothing....
The runs are going to REALLY start getting long....this weekend I have a 15 mile run...I've never run that far in my life.  I'm nervous and excited at once. 

If you keep at it, one day something which at first appeared impossible will become merely something very difficult indeed. Danny Paradise

Everybody Poops!

I told you...good, bad and ugly. I'm giving you all of it.

Interestingly Enough, A Baby's Nap And A Runner's Poop Are Really Very Similar....

Parents who keep their children on a schedule often say things like, "We'll be a little late, (insert child's name) is napping at that time."

Runners on a pooping schedule say things like, "I can't do my run yet...I haven't had my poop yet." 



I, like many other runners, fear pooping in my pants on a long run or worse-race day.  Once I hit 12 miles my stomach is not a happy camper and after each 1/2 marathon I've done I have suffered from terrible stomach pains the day of and (usually) 2 days following the race.   

My poop is dictating my running schedule!
I've learned to be flexible with my runs.  I'll get up on a Saturday morning at 5:30 hoping to be on the road by 6:15 running then still sitting around my house at 7:00 doing random stuff to waste time until I poop.  I have yet to give in and just go run without pooping, but I may have to-I fear that day. 

I am not one of those people who has to eat several hours before a run or I will cramp up/can't run.  I can eat Thanksgiving dinner and hit the pavement 20 minutes later-food doesn't affect me.  Some runners plan what they will eat the night before a long run so they know they will poop before running.  Some people will drink coffee to get things going.  Unfortunately, the flip side to eating whatever I want means I don't have a go to plan to fix my pooping my pants fear.  I have also read about people who poop before a run then take anti-diarrhea medicine to avoid having to poop during a race/long run.  I haven't tried this, but I'm tempted....it's probably not healthy, but the embarrassment of pooping my pants might kill me before popping some anti-diarrhea meds ha ha!

Everybody Poops....And Talks About It!
As I was reading a blog about this very topic you can see I'm not the only one talking about this.  It's quite the hot topic and people aren't embarrassed to tell all (probably the safety of being behind their computer screen helps people speak so candidly) ha ha. Here are some replies I read:

"Unfortunately, I do not have bowels that run like clockwork like some people. Nor are there foods that I can depend on to "clean it out". I'm not irregular, per say, I go plenty (tmi yet??) -- but my body just does at it pleases, when it pleases, and follows no schedule."

"I will say I worry much more about the prospect of a #2 during a marathon than actually being able to finish the marathon itself. The best advice I feel is to figure out your body's time clock and then just get up earlier and do your business naturally before leaving for the race. You DO NOT want to be the one pooping in your shorts!"

"This is a fantastic subject, haha. I always just get up at least a few hours before race time and have a small cup of coffee. I might have half a bagel or yogurt as well, but try and keep the food to a minimum. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I also do some light up and down jumping or jump rope. It can help!"

"I love this topic, it made me laugh! I have had so many conversations over the years with fellow runners about pooping before (or during) a race. I was extremely worried about having an episode during my first marathon but it never turned out to be an issue thank goodness!
I am a coffee drinker so that usually does the trick in the AM. I just make sure to get up early enough to drink it along with my breakfast and let it do its thing and still have time for the belly to settle before the race. and I am extremely superstitious about my meal the night before a marathon. I eat the same thing before every marathon just because it worked the first time and I go with it."

Hopefully some of these tips will help you or at least make you laugh!

I found this amazingly funny story about very topic....check it out Everyone Poops!

So what is it?  Why is it that runners are know to be pant poopers?
“Contributing factors likely include the physical jostling of the organs, decreased blood flow to the intestines, changes in intestinal hormone secretion, and pre-race anxiety and stress,” said Dr. Stephen De Boer, a registered dietitian with the Mayo Clinic who has studied this topic. “What is clear is that food moves more quickly through the bowels of athletes in training.”

For more on this check out these articles:

 Why do I have to poop when I run?

Out There: Everyone Poops

Hilarious internet find for this topic!

I hope writing this today didn't jinx my long run tomorrow! :)