With the weekend promptly behind me I woke up Monday morning a complete stress case. It's as if during the night a switch was flipped. If Sunday was summer, 12 hours later fall had officially started. I woke up to to 55 degree weather outside, the first week of classes, and the beginning of busy season at work.
As I tried to get through my little morning anxiety attack I flashbacked to this exact same time last year, when I also freaked out during the first week of class. Working full time is tough. Working full time and going to graduate school is tougher. Working full time, going to graduate school, and training for a race is tougher times at least two. At least this year I don't have to add wedding planning on top of it (thank freaking god).
I know based on my reaction last year that in another 10-14 days I will have settled into my pattern and be able to get through the days no problem. Until then I will probably be a basket case.
JFK Training wise I am starting to freak out a little bit. On the one hand I still really like not using a training plan. It allows me more flexibility, less guilt, and less chance of injuring myself. On the other hand, I feel like I'm falling behind after having to skip so many long runs in August do to sun poisoning/hospital time. The last long run I did was a month ago when I ran 25 miles. I was planning to run 12 miles on Sunday after Tough Mudder on Saturday to put me at around 57 for the week, but I was so exhausted and sore in my upper body that I bailed on it.
What I am left with is seven weeks of training until taper. Seven weeks where I feel like I should be shooting for 50-70 miles per week, yet I haven't even broken 52 miles this training cycle. Fail, fail, fail.
Without forcing a training plan on myself I am going to make some weekly goals to help myself get to a point where I feel confident in my ability to run 50 miles on November 17th:
1) Running 6 days a week: I've been running 5 days per week since my injury in the spring. I used to run 6 all of the time, but I freaked out after my shin splints and have been holding back.
2) Running before work: In order to prevent a complete stress freak out, I need to get my add out of bed and run in the morning. Biking home after work, making dinner, doing HW, and then feeling the pressure to run is going to make me go bat shit crazy.
3) One double per week: I've been doing this already, but I need to commit to continuing them.
4) No excuse back-to-back weekend long runs: Super long run Saturday, 10 miles Sunday. End of story.
I may be a stress case trying to get everything done, but it's only seven weeks. That's nothing right?
As I tried to get through my little morning anxiety attack I flashbacked to this exact same time last year, when I also freaked out during the first week of class. Working full time is tough. Working full time and going to graduate school is tougher. Working full time, going to graduate school, and training for a race is tougher times at least two. At least this year I don't have to add wedding planning on top of it (thank freaking god).
I know based on my reaction last year that in another 10-14 days I will have settled into my pattern and be able to get through the days no problem. Until then I will probably be a basket case.
JFK Training wise I am starting to freak out a little bit. On the one hand I still really like not using a training plan. It allows me more flexibility, less guilt, and less chance of injuring myself. On the other hand, I feel like I'm falling behind after having to skip so many long runs in August do to sun poisoning/hospital time. The last long run I did was a month ago when I ran 25 miles. I was planning to run 12 miles on Sunday after Tough Mudder on Saturday to put me at around 57 for the week, but I was so exhausted and sore in my upper body that I bailed on it.
What I am left with is seven weeks of training until taper. Seven weeks where I feel like I should be shooting for 50-70 miles per week, yet I haven't even broken 52 miles this training cycle. Fail, fail, fail.
Without forcing a training plan on myself I am going to make some weekly goals to help myself get to a point where I feel confident in my ability to run 50 miles on November 17th:
1) Running 6 days a week: I've been running 5 days per week since my injury in the spring. I used to run 6 all of the time, but I freaked out after my shin splints and have been holding back.
2) Running before work: In order to prevent a complete stress freak out, I need to get my add out of bed and run in the morning. Biking home after work, making dinner, doing HW, and then feeling the pressure to run is going to make me go bat shit crazy.
3) One double per week: I've been doing this already, but I need to commit to continuing them.
4) No excuse back-to-back weekend long runs: Super long run Saturday, 10 miles Sunday. End of story.
I may be a stress case trying to get everything done, but it's only seven weeks. That's nothing right?
Right there with you, I've been failing on long runs and long runs back to back as well. I need to look back to earlier in the year because it shouldn't have been too different and I don't remember struggling this hard to get everything in!
ReplyDeleteLet me just tell you that I have been following since I am planning on Stone Mill 50 the same day as JFK. My running has not been up to par distance wise (I will always be slow). I run 5 days per week. No doubles. No back to back long runs. Average 45 miles per week. I just ran a 12hr race in Reading last weekend. It was just to be a long run and lots of fun. It ended up being so much fun that I ran 45 miles in 11:15. I see your training and depending on what your goal really is...if it is to just finish...keep doing what you are doing. You are fine! Dont stress so much. Your body needs rest too. Dont run it into the ground. Or worse....burn out! I have a whole new outlook on the November race after accidently running 45 miles on less training then you have been doing. Your long run is the most important not so much how many miles per week.
ReplyDelete--Stacey
Don't be hard on yourself! Of course you want to get the training mileage in but it's better to listen to your body and go in undertrained rather than overtrained and injured. It is possible to race with less mileage than recommended especially if you've been running for years. You can do it!! Sounds like you have some good goals that will help you get there :-)
ReplyDelete