Training: Catching Up

It's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks and I have lagged severely in keeping up-to-date on my marathon training efforts. In fact, I was actually surprised to learn that I hadn't mentioned anything since after week #4 of the training, and here I am beginning week #8 already. I won't bore you too much with all the details, but suffice it to say that I am still in the game, and feeling better about my efforts now than I have since I began. Last week was particularly rough, as the long run was 11 miles and it was very grueling. I felt like I walked more than I ran, and ended up very discouraged. The book I'm using talks a lot about the mental aspect, and includes testimonials from folks who have been through the training in the past. Several of those testimonials seemed to coincide with exactly what I was experiencing after last Sunday. Several mentioned their bodies being worn down, and their inability to finish a run without walking. In so much as I was discouraged after my tough run, I was encouraged to learn I wasn't alone, if that makes any sense.

That was all week #6. Week #7 was much kinder, and I found myself really pushing my pace on the shorter runs of the week, and having some success with it. Finally, this last Sunday was a twelve mile run to end the week. Was I nervous? Absolutely. In fact, I was flat scared. But I'll be darned if I didn't finish that twelve miles feeling the best yet. Sure, my legs were dog tired and felt like rubber, but I still had the mental and physical stamina to finish the run. So, I'm pretty much feeling on top of the world at this point, and as I begin the eighth week of the program. I've racked up a total of 138 miles since I began the training, and will be half-way home at the end of this week with a total of 166 miles.

As I celebrate my 37th birthday today, I am so glad to have made the decision to follow through with this training. I have already said I probably won't do another marathon, as the training takes a lot of time. But, I have definitely found a new appreciation for running and what it has done for my body both mentally and physically. And, I've learned that despite my age, I'm really not too old to continue to challenge myself. Us silly humans really can do anything we decide to put our minds to, of that I am convinced. Heck, I'm proving it!