31 miles, oh how sweet you taste! I’m proud to report that after 3 months I finally made it to 31 mpw! And why exactly is this so exciting you ask? What the heck is so special about mile 31? 30 would be a more logical milestone. Well let me explain...
I started training for my half marathon the first week of December last year. I started with a modest 12 mpw, increasing <5% each week, sometimes not increasing at all to really make sure the miles felt comfortable. But then, in March, I caught running fever! I thought “hey, I’ve been doing this for 3 months and feel totally capable. I wonder just how far I can push it? Why not increase 2 miles every week? Or 3? Or more?!” And so I suddenly went to increasing my mileage 10-15% every week. This is a big no-no! But I was still relatively new to this whole training thing and thought why not? What could possibly happen? Four weeks later, just after I closed out an awesome week of 30.89 miles (a month and a half ahead of my original training plan by the way) I experienced sudden, searing pain in my left knee mid-run. I was forced to walk and was barely able to even manage that. I was confronted with the fact that I had to slow down and rest for a few days. And the only thing harder then training is not training at all. But I forced myself to take a few days off, iced every night, got a brace, and was back the next week, cutting my mileage way down to make sure I didn’t injure myself again.
One week later I was feeling great and I began to amp up the mileage once more, feeling uber confident and eager to make up for the time I lost icing on the couch. Flash forward another four weeks: having just finished a 30.72 mile week, I was heading into what would have been my 31+ mile week when BAM! Knee is shot again. Apparently I need to be told not once but twice to take it slow, steady and not be a super jerk and run like crazy! Around this time I also started having these strange thoughts of “maybe I will NEVER be able to get to mile 31. Maybe my body just isn’t built for it.” Silly of course, but on the 3 mile walk home after my knee gave out, this is exactly what was going through my head. Fortunately after a full week of rest (okay 4.5 days, let’s not go crazy here!) the pain went away and I was able to run again. My dreams of 31 mpw had to be shelved for the time being though. The half was approaching and it was time to taper. And then there was a week’s vacation in Puerto Rico (no training, just maintenance miles). And so the first week of June I began my 25-week marathon training plan, starting with a healthy 25 mpw and increasing ONLY 1 mile per week. NO EXCEPTIONS! And guess what? It worked! Who knew that proper mileage increase could prevent injury and get you to your goal? NO WAY! And so THAT is why mile 31 is so major, because it took so long to get here and THIS time I did it correctly and injury-free.
And speaking of my long awaited and finally attained 31 mpw, the run that finally got me there nearly kicked my ass. Fourth of July weekend in DC = the most crowded, hot, and humid place on the planet. Perfect time to score a 13 mile run on Sunday morning! Though the 85% humidity nearly destroyed me (I had to stop home 11.5 miles in to re-hydrate as I had long run out of water at that point), I still really enjoyed my run. In fact, it might be one of my favorites. Running really is the best way to see places! Starting in Georgetown I hit up Dumbarton Oaks, Rock Creek Park, Connecticut Avenue Bridge, the Phillips Collection (my old job!), the White House, the Mall (3 miles of dusty, hot, crowded bliss!), Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Mt. Vernon Trail, and Key Bridge back to Georgetown.
Overall a very nice, albeit sweaty, partially dehydrated run. In fact the only thing that really pissed me off about this run was something that happened near the Lincoln Memorial. Something I never thought would happen: someone STOPPED ME to ask for directions! Okay, well I sound like an ass when I say it like that, but think about it: I’m running, clearly not taking a leisurely stroll around the Mall, but grunting, spitting, breathing heavily running! I mean I have a water bottle STRAPPED to my hand for goodness sake! If I don’t have enough energy to hold my own water bottle maybe that means I’m trying to focus on something else! Like running! The most ridiculous part of the whole thing though, was the fact that there were literally 10,000 people around! Like right next to me. Anyway, of course I stopped to give her directions. Partially because I’m too nice (I was flicking her off in my head though) and partially because I was 9 miles into my run and I was just too exhausted to argue. I just grunted, pointed the right way and kept on trucking.
I started training for my half marathon the first week of December last year. I started with a modest 12 mpw, increasing <5% each week, sometimes not increasing at all to really make sure the miles felt comfortable. But then, in March, I caught running fever! I thought “hey, I’ve been doing this for 3 months and feel totally capable. I wonder just how far I can push it? Why not increase 2 miles every week? Or 3? Or more?!” And so I suddenly went to increasing my mileage 10-15% every week. This is a big no-no! But I was still relatively new to this whole training thing and thought why not? What could possibly happen? Four weeks later, just after I closed out an awesome week of 30.89 miles (a month and a half ahead of my original training plan by the way) I experienced sudden, searing pain in my left knee mid-run. I was forced to walk and was barely able to even manage that. I was confronted with the fact that I had to slow down and rest for a few days. And the only thing harder then training is not training at all. But I forced myself to take a few days off, iced every night, got a brace, and was back the next week, cutting my mileage way down to make sure I didn’t injure myself again.
One week later I was feeling great and I began to amp up the mileage once more, feeling uber confident and eager to make up for the time I lost icing on the couch. Flash forward another four weeks: having just finished a 30.72 mile week, I was heading into what would have been my 31+ mile week when BAM! Knee is shot again. Apparently I need to be told not once but twice to take it slow, steady and not be a super jerk and run like crazy! Around this time I also started having these strange thoughts of “maybe I will NEVER be able to get to mile 31. Maybe my body just isn’t built for it.” Silly of course, but on the 3 mile walk home after my knee gave out, this is exactly what was going through my head. Fortunately after a full week of rest (okay 4.5 days, let’s not go crazy here!) the pain went away and I was able to run again. My dreams of 31 mpw had to be shelved for the time being though. The half was approaching and it was time to taper. And then there was a week’s vacation in Puerto Rico (no training, just maintenance miles). And so the first week of June I began my 25-week marathon training plan, starting with a healthy 25 mpw and increasing ONLY 1 mile per week. NO EXCEPTIONS! And guess what? It worked! Who knew that proper mileage increase could prevent injury and get you to your goal? NO WAY! And so THAT is why mile 31 is so major, because it took so long to get here and THIS time I did it correctly and injury-free.
And speaking of my long awaited and finally attained 31 mpw, the run that finally got me there nearly kicked my ass. Fourth of July weekend in DC = the most crowded, hot, and humid place on the planet. Perfect time to score a 13 mile run on Sunday morning! Though the 85% humidity nearly destroyed me (I had to stop home 11.5 miles in to re-hydrate as I had long run out of water at that point), I still really enjoyed my run. In fact, it might be one of my favorites. Running really is the best way to see places! Starting in Georgetown I hit up Dumbarton Oaks, Rock Creek Park, Connecticut Avenue Bridge, the Phillips Collection (my old job!), the White House, the Mall (3 miles of dusty, hot, crowded bliss!), Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Mt. Vernon Trail, and Key Bridge back to Georgetown.
Overall a very nice, albeit sweaty, partially dehydrated run. In fact the only thing that really pissed me off about this run was something that happened near the Lincoln Memorial. Something I never thought would happen: someone STOPPED ME to ask for directions! Okay, well I sound like an ass when I say it like that, but think about it: I’m running, clearly not taking a leisurely stroll around the Mall, but grunting, spitting, breathing heavily running! I mean I have a water bottle STRAPPED to my hand for goodness sake! If I don’t have enough energy to hold my own water bottle maybe that means I’m trying to focus on something else! Like running! The most ridiculous part of the whole thing though, was the fact that there were literally 10,000 people around! Like right next to me. Anyway, of course I stopped to give her directions. Partially because I’m too nice (I was flicking her off in my head though) and partially because I was 9 miles into my run and I was just too exhausted to argue. I just grunted, pointed the right way and kept on trucking.
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