Week 11 was a super low mileage week where I tried to keep my runs at a decent pace. The temperatures were still in the mid 80's so I am glad that it was an easy week. This week will be even easier with two really short and easy paced runs.
Week 11 consisted of the following:
Run 1: 7 Miles@8:44 on the TM
Run 2: 10 Miles @8:29
Run 3: 5 Miles@8:46
Total Miles: 22
Race week is finally here! For some reason I
am more nervous than excited about this race than any other race that I have ever ran. Is it because I haven’t ran a marathon in over a year or simply because
it’s a marathon? 26.2 Miles is no joke! I have a love/hate relationship with the marathon but I have
to conquer this distance to continue my journey to get to Boston someday.
I have been recapping my training for the past eleven
weeks to keep myself accountable and to track my progress. I ran a total of 323 miles (which includes 9 miles I will run this week) in the past 11 weeks which included two 20 milers and one 22 miler. I opted for a
12-week training period at the last minute to avoid training through the summer
for a winter marathon. I am hoping this shorter training cycle does not result in an upsetting race since I normally train for 16 weeks. I never follow any specific training plan since I have problems sticking to them due to my busy schedule. I usually look at a few different plans and create one that works for me.
I felt pretty strong on my long runs but know that I still need lots of
work to make them feel much easier. I had a lumbar strain in my
lower back which forced me to miss a planned 20 miler in Week 3 but other than
that I had no major setbacks. In Week 7, I ran the So. Cal Ragnar Relay so I rested up and
kept the miles low since my body is not used to running 3 times in a 24-hour
period. I didn't want to risk an injury so I lost some mileage in Week 7 as well but I think I played it safe.
So having said this, it is time for me to trust my
training and start preparing myself mentally for this challenge. I haven’t
figured out my race strategy quite yet. I tend not do this since it
completely throws my race off if I get derailed and can’t meet the goal. The
only numbers that are sticking in my head right now are 9:09, which is
the average pace needed to run this marathon in under 4 hours (3:59:59)!
