Here is the much anticipated Lansing Marathon training recap. I know. It’s exciting. Control yourselves. I DO find it very helpful to put together a training recap though. Kind of corny, but it helps me to look back over my training cycle – both the details of the workouts and a more general picture. It usually gives me confidence and perspective going into the marathon.
- The training plan: provided by Coach MB from Lifetime, though I didn’t workout with the group much at all this time.
- Weeks of training: 17 (including last week of taper next week)
- Miles run: 695
- Long runs: 14 miles (1 times); 15 miles (2 times); 16 miles (3 times); 17 miles (1 time); 20 miles (3 times); 21 miles (1 time); 22 miles (1 time)
- Tune up races: Polar Dash Half Marathon (1:40:33)
- Other things of note: My paces on most of my runs were faster this time; typically in the 8:30 – 8:45 range. MP was around 8:00 – 8:10. This was also the most 20+ milers that I’ve done in a training cycle (5). But, of note, my last 20+ miler (22 miles) was 4 weeks out from race day instead of the “usual” 3 weeks out from race day. (So last long runs were 22, 17, 16, 10.5). I’ll be interested to see how these changes pan out for me.
- Extra stuff: pilates several times a week. I had such good intentions of doing cross training and weights, but that never happened. I just couldn’t do it all and those were things that I sacrificed this time.
- Injury: None! However, my right hamstring still feels a little off/tweaked at times, ever since August of last year when I did something to it. Nothing major, but off.
- Weight: started at 115, not sure where I am now but if I had to guess I would say about 118.
So those are the numbers, but how do I feel about Lansing? I feel calm, peaceful, excited and ready. I feel like this training cycle, more so than any of the previous 8, has prepared me – both mentally and physically – to tackle the distance and leave everything that I have out there. I feel like I’m in a really good place physically. I feel strong and fast. I feel like I’m peaking at just the right time. And all that is good. And important.
But, more importantly, I feel like I am in the best place mentally that I’ve ever been before a marathon. As you know, I’ve been through an enormous amount of life stress since last Fall, with the divorce, adjusting to life a single parent and several really big trials. And this stress carried through the entire training cycle. But I feel like I’m in a good place, a better place, now. I feel like I’m moving forward in a positive direction and I feel excited about the new opportunities that are out there. Mostly, I feel like this life stress has made me really really strong and comfortable with who I am, where I’m going and what I want out of life. In terms of the marathon, the life stress I’ve been through has made me realize two things: 1) It’s just a race. It might be a great day, it might not be. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s just a race. There are so many more important things. So relax. And enjoy. 2) I can handle anything. I have learned that I am tougher than I thought I was. I have dealt with some major lows and hard times during this training cycle, but I made it. And I am not just ok, but great. So even though there will be low points in the marathon, really, they are just low points in a marathon. I can get through them.
So what do I feel like I’m trained for, time-wise? I think on a great day I could do 3:32ish. Let’s hope April 22nd is a great day!
One week from tonight I’ll be in Lansing trying to sleep before race day. Hopefully I won’t need to make a 9 o’clock noise complaint call to the front desk like at Grandma’s Marathon last year. Man, I’m getting old and lame. 🙂
🙂 You sound more than ready.
I love your two realizations!