On the Fly

So here I sit, 41 days from the marathon. Anyone who looks at my training log either thinks I'm forgetfull and no longer am logging miles or that something is wrong. Unfortunatly it is the latter. Moving back to last weekend, I had to make an emergency trip back home to the valley to see my family. I left on Saturday after work, but before I left, I went for a quick 5 miles that didn't go very well. I could really feel my left groin bothering me. When I tried to go out on Sunday and get my Q1 in, I could barely run. I wound up taking Sunday and Monday off and then coming back with 10 miles Tuesday. On Wednesday, I went out for 5 at lunch, and the plan was to get another 5 after a meeting a work. Well at the meeting, I was informed that everybody was taking a 10% pay cut, so me and one of the guys went to have a couple beers insetead. On Thursday I went out and ran 4 X 12 minutes @ T pace, with 2 minute rests. Including the 2 mile warm up and cool down, it was 10 miles total. It was also probably the best marathon specific workout that I have ever had, with the possible exception of a 20 miler I did before my first marathon, before I knew what LSD was. Friday morning I got up, felt a little sore in my legs, went down to Runners Roost, ponied up the 95 bucks for the marathon, and was planning a 13.1 mile run that day. No go. I tried to run Saturday at lunch, same result. My thigh on my left leg feels torn up inside. Rewind to Thursday afternoon. My left foot was bothering me some that day, but having missed some runs, I wanted to try and get out and get my workout in, especially having missed my previous Q workout. I tested it, and it felt ok to run the 10 miles on. Looks like it changed my gait though, bothering my thigh, my knee, and my groin all at once. So bottom line is this. Last week I ran 20 miles, I haven't made a Sunday long run in 2 weeks, and although I'm on the mend, I probably will have almost taken 6 days off by the time I resume.

I went to watch the Colorado Mammoth play indoor lacrosse last night, (it was entertaining, but I still prefer hockey) and as I watched the game I was thinking alot about training, marathoning, and such. For both of my first two marathons, I trained for 13 weeks. 11 hard than a 2 week taper. When I tried to prepare for Chicago last year, it was right around the 12 week mark that I broke down. Looking at the calendar, this is right about in that same time frame. The difference right now is that, when I was training for Chicago, as the days and workouts came and went, I really felt like I was never getting anywhere. Looking back, I still think I could have saved the Chicago Marathon this year, I just didn't have it in me to continue on in the training when I knew it wasn't working for me. I could have worked throught the IT issue and still run it. I just don't think I had the fire in my belly to go out in front of all these people I knew, and not be able to perform to the standard I had set for myself. Not one anyone else has set for me. I don't feel that way right now. I have made tremendous gains in my training this time, with Thursday night's run really showing me how far I have come, in really what has been a short time. I was running less than 35 mpw when I first started this program, and although I only hit 70 one out of the three times I was supposed to, and even with this time off, this marathon is not only doable, but I can still get in around the time I want to I believe.

I will hopefully return to running tomorrow, for 5 miles or so. Then run the rest of the week, leading up to Sunday. The Daniels' program Q1 workouts are now out the window. My next 4 sunday workouts will go as follows (hopefully) 19 this Sunday, 20 the following, 21 the weekend after, then the Horsetooth Half Marathon, then my 2 week taper. The 2 marathons that I have made the starting line to, that's how I did my 20's. The Q2s will still be run each week, but the long stuff will change.

No worries people.