I’m almost at the top of the training arc for my fall marathons (NYC and Philadelphia).
While I’m still logging between 70 and 100 miles on the bike every week, I’ve upped my running miles to between 35 and 50 (depending on the long run scheduled for the weekend).
And it’s rough.
This morning was the longest run so far. We started at 7:30 and circumnavigated Central Park three times for a total of 18 miles.
It’s funny how the mind easily forgets the pain these kinds of runs induce. As I sit at my desk writing this post, I can’t get over how much my toes hurt.
I’ve now trained for and run nine marathons, which means I’ve logged at least 45 training runs of 18 miles or more.
Yet, I have to remind myself every time I run more than 16 miles that I need to use a Mantra to deal with the pain and keep my mind off of just stopping. Today’s Mantra was: Ignore the Pain, think of Sammy; Ignore the Pain, think of Sammy; Ignore the Pain, think of Sammy . . . (more on Sammy later this week).
My brain has a great Internal Forgetter. I’m positive if I remembered how I felt during and after these long runs, there’s no way in HELL I would have done more than one long race, let alone three a year!
That said, to complete a long course race, it’s vital prepare yourself mentally and physically. And I believe that long runs train you for both. They provide and opportunity to learn a lot about your body, on-course nutrition, your gear (shoes, shirts, HRMs, etc.), how to think and recovery. These are things you don’t want to find out on race day.
I’ll give you a nutrition example. I consider myself a marathon veteran. Yet, my meals yesterday consisted of a smoothie for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch and some wild Cod and rice for dinner. The result was that I felt like I was hungry through my entire run today. By the time I hit 18 I was done. And I mean I couldn’t take another step. I know for a fact that had I consumed more calories yesterday, I would have had a MUCH better run. I knew I was running 18 today, it’s not like it came as a surprise but I still did nothing about it yesterday.
Not smart.
(As a side note, I don’t usually eat like this but circumstances were beyond my control.)
I was prepared for the mental stress today which is interesting to me. I’m not sure why it’s the physical pain that doesn’t stay in the long term memory banks, but I’m not complaining.
Next weekend is a 20 miler. And if adding two miles doesn’t sound like a lot to you, I can say back to you, without a hint of sarcasm, you’ve obviously never run 20 miles.
Wow, Eric, did I need to read this! I’m training for my first marathon on September 28, and on Saturday I (barely) completed the second 20-miler on my training calendar. I was beyond cranky and swearing by the time I stumbled home. You’re a veteran and your feet hurt, too?! That makes me feel so much better (and I mean that in the best way possible!). I’m not gonna turn back now, but…geesh. I don’t mind TOO much that I’m a turtle, but do I have to be a b*tchy turtle, too?! I’ve been working at hydration before and during (and nutrition during) the long runs, but I honestly haven’t been thinking about what I eat the day before. At this rate, I gotta do anything and everything I can. Thank you so much for this post. Would love to hear more like this : )
I completely agree that you need to get used to dealing with pain to successfully train for a marathon! I'm currently training for Chicago on the Hansons marathon method, so I won't be doing anything longer than 16 (one feature of that plan) but running six days a week has been a huge adjustment for me as I am always running on tired legs. I just feel sore and tired all the time. But recognizing that is part of the process, and that I'll come out in good shape to hit my goal on the other end is important. Good luck with the rest of your training – NYC is my favorite marathon – such a blast.