It's now been over a week since I ran the big race, and it's been a strange period.
I'd read a lot about how you have a post-marathon low and often you feel like you have a gap in your life. I didn't really notice it at first, because I was obviously on holiday anyway and out of my routine. I didn't have any gaps to fill because my days were full of holiday stuff. But I did manage to fit a couple of runs in post-marathon. The first one was on the Wednesday, in a small town in upstate New York. This run was short and far from sweet. My knees and fronts of my thighs were clearly unhappy to be hitting the road again so soon, but they did warm up and ease off a little after 20 minutes, so that helped.
The second run was far more glamorous, in that it involved running over the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday morning - you don't actually get to do this part of the city in the marathon, so it's quite nice to stick another icon in your running route catalogue. New Yorkers must get used to running it, but it's still quite awe-inspiring for me (even if the photo-taking tourists get in your way all the time).
Now I'm back in the UK, I am missing the marathon training as predicted. It took up so much time and involved so much scheduling that it seems to have left a huge gap in my calendar, which is in danger of being filled by work. So I need to make sure I install some sort of maintenance routine, so I keep my fitness ticking over for the next marathon year.
Yes, I really do want to do another one. For the last four weeks of training, I would tell anyone who asked me that I would never run another marathon, it is just too timeconsuming to do the training and I was sick of it.
But then I ran the marathon. And I am hooked.
I'd say the training was the hardest part, because the marathon itself was an adrenaline-fuelled, (literally) knee-jerking ride through a major international event. Just being part of the spectacle alone is addictive , but the fact that I enjoyed it and didn't feel wrecked afterwards means I just want to try it again. Most importantly, I want to see if I can beat my time - I am so self-competitive, it's embarrassing.
I'm going to have to pick my marathon carefully because I don't think it would be nearly as much fun running it in some wet, windy middle England city on a Sunday morning. I think I need another global event, another great atmosphere to keep me going. And if you want to stick a flat course with no potholes in there as well, that would be just lovely.
I'm not ruling out doing New York again. NY already has guaranteed entry and I entered the lottery this morning. They're unlikely to resurface the roads before November 7 next year, but at least I'll be prepared for it this time
Other candidates at the moment are Berlin or Chicago - both autumn marathons (and therefore summer training programmes) and both cheap and easy to enter. Will they be as much fun? Will Berliners shout 'lauf, Anne Marie' as much as the Americans shouted 'looking strong'? Will Chicago be too toddling for me?
I'll be back next year, to let you know
LON
xx
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Monday, 2 November 2009
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
The deed is done, the marathon is run, and my legs are still intact. And my name is in the New York Times!
I didn't quite get the time I wanted but I wasn't far out and, honestly, it was the fastest 4 hours and 34 minutes of my life. The time just seemed to fly by on the day, from the moment we got on the Staten Island ferry to the moment I crossed the finish line.
The 40th New York Marathon was all I expected it to be - great atmosphere, fantastic support and 26.2 miles long. It must have the most scenic start to any marathon, as you look to your left from the Verrazano Bridge (top level, to avoid men urinating on your head as you run), you get great views of the city that lies ahead of you and, of course, all those miles you have yet to cover.
The waiting around in Staten Island was fine, if very cold. There weren't too many pre-race nerves, so we didn't have to queue lots of times to use the toilets - although it might have been a case of pee fright after visiting the toilet the first time, as it's not an experience you want to repeat in any hurry. I did use one at mile 7 during the race, and I will have Nam-style flashbacks of that toilet for the rest of my life. It was too horrific to talk about, at least not without several hours of therapy, but at least it ensured that my bladder stayed happy for the rest of the race. It was obviously as traumatised as I was.
Every section, every borough brings its own pleasures. Locals head out onto the streets to welcome you to their neighbourhood, offering tissues, oranges, water and leftover Halloween candy. Bands of all description, and of varying quality, are out on the street to serenade you as you run past. I saw lots of the city I'd never seen before and plenty of places I'd like to go back and explore at a more leisurely pace. The Bronx and Harlem were particularly welcome, with luxurious wide lanes for us runners, and friendly locals cheering us along into the final section.
In fact, the vocal support all the way round the course is tremendous. I expected there to be crowds and plenty of support but not to that extent. Both NY and I had stickers with our names pasted above our numbers (a huge thanks to Sarah for her artistry in creating our name badges for us) and this made all the difference. It's the closest I will ever come to fame, with literally hundreds of people shouting my name for over 26 miles, preceded by any of the following: 'go', 'looking strong', 'doing good', 'pick it up', 'almost there', 'attagirl'. Although, my personal favourite would be the lone woman on a particular block in Harlem shouting, 'go, Anne Marie, that's what I'm talking about'. Thank you, ma'am, for keeping me smiling for another half a mile.
There were negatives. I missed a few of the mile markers, as they are not always easy to spot, so pacing became difficult. The road surfaces here in this city, to use the vernacular 'totally suck' so you are essentially running on a very uneven surface all the way round. And it took a lot longer than I would have liked to get out of the park, making it difficult to keep moving and prevent the muscles stiffening. As a result, I am hurting today in places that I have never hurt before. But not nearly as much as I thought I would. In fact, I am in surprisingly little pain considering the effort I expended yesterday. I'm fine as long as I don't try to get out of any chairs.
There are lots of moments you think in advance are going to be uplifting or pivotal in your run but, to be honest, by the time to get into Central Park, you are far too tired to care that you are running the New York Marathon in Central Park and just focusing on how soon you can finish and have a sit down. This is a bit of a shame and I am pleased that I did manage to regain some enthusiasm in the last 800 meters heading back into the Park for the final strait. It definitely helped that the band at Columbus Circle was playing 'Hold on, I'm coming', which is a pretty brilliant track to play if you're looking to put a smile on someone's face in the last mile of a marathon, and also that I was entertained by a slightly bonkers middle-aged Brazilian guy who ran the last 500 metres backwards high-fiving the crowd. But I did love the last few metres for themselves, for the fact that I was about to cross the finish line of my first marathon, exhausted but exhilarated. And I sure do hope they got my photo...
LON
I didn't quite get the time I wanted but I wasn't far out and, honestly, it was the fastest 4 hours and 34 minutes of my life. The time just seemed to fly by on the day, from the moment we got on the Staten Island ferry to the moment I crossed the finish line.
The 40th New York Marathon was all I expected it to be - great atmosphere, fantastic support and 26.2 miles long. It must have the most scenic start to any marathon, as you look to your left from the Verrazano Bridge (top level, to avoid men urinating on your head as you run), you get great views of the city that lies ahead of you and, of course, all those miles you have yet to cover.
The waiting around in Staten Island was fine, if very cold. There weren't too many pre-race nerves, so we didn't have to queue lots of times to use the toilets - although it might have been a case of pee fright after visiting the toilet the first time, as it's not an experience you want to repeat in any hurry. I did use one at mile 7 during the race, and I will have Nam-style flashbacks of that toilet for the rest of my life. It was too horrific to talk about, at least not without several hours of therapy, but at least it ensured that my bladder stayed happy for the rest of the race. It was obviously as traumatised as I was.
Every section, every borough brings its own pleasures. Locals head out onto the streets to welcome you to their neighbourhood, offering tissues, oranges, water and leftover Halloween candy. Bands of all description, and of varying quality, are out on the street to serenade you as you run past. I saw lots of the city I'd never seen before and plenty of places I'd like to go back and explore at a more leisurely pace. The Bronx and Harlem were particularly welcome, with luxurious wide lanes for us runners, and friendly locals cheering us along into the final section.
In fact, the vocal support all the way round the course is tremendous. I expected there to be crowds and plenty of support but not to that extent. Both NY and I had stickers with our names pasted above our numbers (a huge thanks to Sarah for her artistry in creating our name badges for us) and this made all the difference. It's the closest I will ever come to fame, with literally hundreds of people shouting my name for over 26 miles, preceded by any of the following: 'go', 'looking strong', 'doing good', 'pick it up', 'almost there', 'attagirl'. Although, my personal favourite would be the lone woman on a particular block in Harlem shouting, 'go, Anne Marie, that's what I'm talking about'. Thank you, ma'am, for keeping me smiling for another half a mile.
There were negatives. I missed a few of the mile markers, as they are not always easy to spot, so pacing became difficult. The road surfaces here in this city, to use the vernacular 'totally suck' so you are essentially running on a very uneven surface all the way round. And it took a lot longer than I would have liked to get out of the park, making it difficult to keep moving and prevent the muscles stiffening. As a result, I am hurting today in places that I have never hurt before. But not nearly as much as I thought I would. In fact, I am in surprisingly little pain considering the effort I expended yesterday. I'm fine as long as I don't try to get out of any chairs.
There are lots of moments you think in advance are going to be uplifting or pivotal in your run but, to be honest, by the time to get into Central Park, you are far too tired to care that you are running the New York Marathon in Central Park and just focusing on how soon you can finish and have a sit down. This is a bit of a shame and I am pleased that I did manage to regain some enthusiasm in the last 800 meters heading back into the Park for the final strait. It definitely helped that the band at Columbus Circle was playing 'Hold on, I'm coming', which is a pretty brilliant track to play if you're looking to put a smile on someone's face in the last mile of a marathon, and also that I was entertained by a slightly bonkers middle-aged Brazilian guy who ran the last 500 metres backwards high-fiving the crowd. But I did love the last few metres for themselves, for the fact that I was about to cross the finish line of my first marathon, exhausted but exhilarated. And I sure do hope they got my photo...
LON
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Period of reflection #3
Regardless of jetlag, it's been difficult to sleep since my visit to Javits for registration. I am now ridiculously wound up - the sense of anticipation is overwhelming.
But am I nervous? Do I feel ready? These are the questions that people have asked me regularly over the last couple of weeks, and on marathon eve, I need to answer them.
I'm not nervous as such, but I am fairly wound up. It's more a pre-race excitement than nerves and I think it's probably important to be fairly pumped up at this stage but I just need to make sure I channel that energy in the right way.
As for feeling ready, I think there's two states of readiness to consider. Am I physically ready? Well, I've done the training and it's been fairly textbook, apart from having a cold a couple of weeks before my last half marathon. So I am confident that I am as ready as I can be, physically. I just hope my body agrees with me at mile 22.
There's been much discussion about finish times, and pace teams, and race tactics. I'm conscious I don't want to go off too fast, in a state of high emotion, and then end up being exhausted in the final third. But as long as I pace it right, it should pan out ok for a respectable finish time. I just need to remember not to compete with myself too much!
As for mentally, how do you tell? I'm excited, I'm looking forward to Sunday, I can't wait to get started, so in that sense, my head is ready.
But people tell you that it's mid race your head needs to be ready, when you hit a low spot. I need to remember my mantra, I need to remember I've done the hours, I've done the runs and I need to recall this current state of pre-race euphoria and remember why I'm doing it.
I'm doing it to do it - so I'm just going to do it.
See you at the finish line
LON
But am I nervous? Do I feel ready? These are the questions that people have asked me regularly over the last couple of weeks, and on marathon eve, I need to answer them.
I'm not nervous as such, but I am fairly wound up. It's more a pre-race excitement than nerves and I think it's probably important to be fairly pumped up at this stage but I just need to make sure I channel that energy in the right way.
As for feeling ready, I think there's two states of readiness to consider. Am I physically ready? Well, I've done the training and it's been fairly textbook, apart from having a cold a couple of weeks before my last half marathon. So I am confident that I am as ready as I can be, physically. I just hope my body agrees with me at mile 22.
There's been much discussion about finish times, and pace teams, and race tactics. I'm conscious I don't want to go off too fast, in a state of high emotion, and then end up being exhausted in the final third. But as long as I pace it right, it should pan out ok for a respectable finish time. I just need to remember not to compete with myself too much!
As for mentally, how do you tell? I'm excited, I'm looking forward to Sunday, I can't wait to get started, so in that sense, my head is ready.
But people tell you that it's mid race your head needs to be ready, when you hit a low spot. I need to remember my mantra, I need to remember I've done the hours, I've done the runs and I need to recall this current state of pre-race euphoria and remember why I'm doing it.
I'm doing it to do it - so I'm just going to do it.
See you at the finish line
LON
Friday, 30 October 2009
How to get runner's high without even running
Post-run yesterday, I headed into the 'city centre' and up to Central Park to check out the progress.
The finish line is up, the grandstand seats are installed, the portapotties are out (and, just for the record, Royal Flush Inc is a top quality name for a chemical toilet company). Central Park was looking beautiful, a giant saffron-coloured arena for the big finish of our endurance test. There must have been some sort of junior fun run, as there seemed to be about 80 schools-worth of children and teachers milling about the West Drive, not to mention the usual mass of tourists and prospective marathon runners.
Just seeing the bare finish line was exciting - I tried to visualise a strong finish for Sunday (while trying not to notice the slight uphill climb to the line) but, to be honest, I found it all very emotional. If I'm that weepy just watching them build the finish line, how much am I going to be bawling my eyes out when I cross it on Sunday?
After a nice healthy carbtastic lunch in the Upper West Side, I headed down to the Rockefeller Centre to pick NY from the office so we could head over to the Javits Convention Centre for registration. The expo is massive and the registration process is slick, although I imagine it will be more of a bun fight on Saturday itself.
I now have my race bib, my timing chip and a fantastic free race t-shirt. The t-shirt alone is well worth the price of the flight, and I can't wait to wear it - after the race of course!
The expo itself is a mix of lots of clothes and shoe stores, marketing for other marathons and lots of sports gels and drinks. We did manage to get a few PowerBar freebies, a free Andalucia t-shirt and some lanyards but otherwise it was fairly low on free samples. Probably just as well, as NY and I were hyper enough without an additional sugar rush.
The goody bag is full of weird and wonderful stuff, including a fridge magnet that you adapt to read your finish time and, bizarrely, a sachet of olive oil and sherry vinegar(?). The latter is only packaged in Spanish so I think there is a strong chance that some monolingual Brit is going to neck the contents of the sachet thinking it's some sort of energy gel...
Despite having sworn blind for the last 3 weeks I would never do another marathon, I also managed to enter competitions for places in next year's marathons in Edinburgh, Seville and Sydney! Anything for a free holiday!
And to be honest, this pre-race state is so exciting, it's almost making me change my mind already...
LON
The finish line is up, the grandstand seats are installed, the portapotties are out (and, just for the record, Royal Flush Inc is a top quality name for a chemical toilet company). Central Park was looking beautiful, a giant saffron-coloured arena for the big finish of our endurance test. There must have been some sort of junior fun run, as there seemed to be about 80 schools-worth of children and teachers milling about the West Drive, not to mention the usual mass of tourists and prospective marathon runners.
Just seeing the bare finish line was exciting - I tried to visualise a strong finish for Sunday (while trying not to notice the slight uphill climb to the line) but, to be honest, I found it all very emotional. If I'm that weepy just watching them build the finish line, how much am I going to be bawling my eyes out when I cross it on Sunday?
After a nice healthy carbtastic lunch in the Upper West Side, I headed down to the Rockefeller Centre to pick NY from the office so we could head over to the Javits Convention Centre for registration. The expo is massive and the registration process is slick, although I imagine it will be more of a bun fight on Saturday itself.
I now have my race bib, my timing chip and a fantastic free race t-shirt. The t-shirt alone is well worth the price of the flight, and I can't wait to wear it - after the race of course!
The expo itself is a mix of lots of clothes and shoe stores, marketing for other marathons and lots of sports gels and drinks. We did manage to get a few PowerBar freebies, a free Andalucia t-shirt and some lanyards but otherwise it was fairly low on free samples. Probably just as well, as NY and I were hyper enough without an additional sugar rush.
The goody bag is full of weird and wonderful stuff, including a fridge magnet that you adapt to read your finish time and, bizarrely, a sachet of olive oil and sherry vinegar(?). The latter is only packaged in Spanish so I think there is a strong chance that some monolingual Brit is going to neck the contents of the sachet thinking it's some sort of energy gel...
Despite having sworn blind for the last 3 weeks I would never do another marathon, I also managed to enter competitions for places in next year's marathons in Edinburgh, Seville and Sydney! Anything for a free holiday!
And to be honest, this pre-race state is so exciting, it's almost making me change my mind already...
LON
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Autumn in New York, why does it seem so exciting?
The last few days have just been a blur of packing and weather forecast checking but I'm finally in New York and on the last leg of the marathon journey.
The journey over was nervewracking for more than one reason. The tailwind was very strong which made the flight a lot shorter than normal but also made it extremely turbulent for most of the journey. The last half an hour was particularly bumpy, and there were a few moments where we were just a little bit too close to Long Island Sound for my liking, but in the end we landed smoothly, with a fantastic view of Manhattan (or the city centre, as the idiot woman in front of me called it).
The flight was made even more tense by the man sat next to me - with a cold. Germ alert, people! I am now crossing everything that he hasn't shared it with me before Sunday, as I think I would be heartbroken if anything got in the way of me running the marathon now.
I've been here less than 24 hours and I'm already feeling refreshed. I had a lovely evening out last night, eating good food in good company, and managed to get a full night of jetlag-beating sleep.
Most importantly, I've already been out for my first training run this side of the Atlantic, and loved it.
Running round Red Hook was a pleasure - how often do you get to see the Queen Mary 2 in the few 500 yards of your training run? Two people said 'hello', one man told me to 'have a nice day'- no abuse, no attempts to trip me up, just good vibes. I just can't wait until Sunday now, if this is what a neighbourhood New York run is like!
The change of scenery has shaken off the inertia and the boredom and I'm raring to go. Tonight NY and I are off to get our bibs for Sunday and pick up some freebies, and I want to pick up a couple of Clif bars for Sunday's pre-race breakfast. In the meantime, I'm going to spend the day exploring Brooklyn and making the most of being here while my leg muscles can bear it.
I heart NY!
LON
The journey over was nervewracking for more than one reason. The tailwind was very strong which made the flight a lot shorter than normal but also made it extremely turbulent for most of the journey. The last half an hour was particularly bumpy, and there were a few moments where we were just a little bit too close to Long Island Sound for my liking, but in the end we landed smoothly, with a fantastic view of Manhattan (or the city centre, as the idiot woman in front of me called it).
The flight was made even more tense by the man sat next to me - with a cold. Germ alert, people! I am now crossing everything that he hasn't shared it with me before Sunday, as I think I would be heartbroken if anything got in the way of me running the marathon now.
I've been here less than 24 hours and I'm already feeling refreshed. I had a lovely evening out last night, eating good food in good company, and managed to get a full night of jetlag-beating sleep.
Most importantly, I've already been out for my first training run this side of the Atlantic, and loved it.
Running round Red Hook was a pleasure - how often do you get to see the Queen Mary 2 in the few 500 yards of your training run? Two people said 'hello', one man told me to 'have a nice day'- no abuse, no attempts to trip me up, just good vibes. I just can't wait until Sunday now, if this is what a neighbourhood New York run is like!
The change of scenery has shaken off the inertia and the boredom and I'm raring to go. Tonight NY and I are off to get our bibs for Sunday and pick up some freebies, and I want to pick up a couple of Clif bars for Sunday's pre-race breakfast. In the meantime, I'm going to spend the day exploring Brooklyn and making the most of being here while my leg muscles can bear it.
I heart NY!
LON
Saturday, 24 October 2009
The drugs do work
With one week to go, I've done my last 'long' run in training - although at this stage 10 miles doesn't even seem that bad anymore.
It certainly didn't seem that bad for the last 4 miles anyway, as today I experimented with a caffeine energy gel. I've been considering taking one of these for the final stretch next Sunday, but obviously needed to check that it didn't produce any ill effects.
Wow, those things are good. Before I knew it, I was at the crest of a hill and I hadn't even noticed I was running up a gradient. Maybe it was the rain fogging my glasses or maybe it was the caffeine, but either way, I think it might be worth safety pinning one of these to my race kit next week. I just don't know when I might need the extra 'push', although I can definitely have a guess...
So I've got the energy boost sorted out. I've also been doing some prep for the inevitable pain - I went for a bikini wax yesterday. I figure all I need to do it recall that agony at various tough moments through the marathon and it should bring everything into sharp focus!
LON
It certainly didn't seem that bad for the last 4 miles anyway, as today I experimented with a caffeine energy gel. I've been considering taking one of these for the final stretch next Sunday, but obviously needed to check that it didn't produce any ill effects.
Wow, those things are good. Before I knew it, I was at the crest of a hill and I hadn't even noticed I was running up a gradient. Maybe it was the rain fogging my glasses or maybe it was the caffeine, but either way, I think it might be worth safety pinning one of these to my race kit next week. I just don't know when I might need the extra 'push', although I can definitely have a guess...
So I've got the energy boost sorted out. I've also been doing some prep for the inevitable pain - I went for a bikini wax yesterday. I figure all I need to do it recall that agony at various tough moments through the marathon and it should bring everything into sharp focus!
LON
Friday, 23 October 2009
Period of reflection #2
While the taper stage continues to be a struggle, I'm still trying to focus more on the mental side of the marathon prep.
I've already discussed what I've learnt while running the marathon, but I've learnt a lot about myself as well. People have asked me why I'm running the race and, to be honest, I don't really have a good reason. NY suggested we do it and I just said 'yes'. Any excuse for a trip to New York.
To be honest, in the few short years I've been running, the prospect of running a marathon has always been in the back of my mind. As I moved up the distances, I kept thinking, 'could I do a marathon?'. And I'd always thought if I did one, I'd want to do it somewhere scenic, somewhere overseas - a sightseeing marathon, as it were. So the offer to do NYC with a great friend was too good to pass up.
Not having a specific reason hasn't really affected my motivation either. Sure, we've been raising money for a very good cause - a personal cause - and that is an added incentive. But in a way the fundraising is just as much an incentive for friends and family as it is for myself - it's almost as if they need me to be raising money for a charity to be able to understand my motivation. I almost feel bad saying I am running it because I want to see if I can. This clearly makes me sound insane.
But I do want to test myself. I'm not just testing myself against the 26.2 mile distance either. One of the reasons I did not think I could do a marathon was the training it entailed. I thought 'there's no way I'd be able to stick to training for a marathon, not with my job/commitments/total lack of self-discipline'. But I have stuck to it and, up until the last couple of weeks, actually enjoyed it. This alone has been a revelation to me and it's taught me something about myself - that I can stick to a challenge when I choose to.
I've been thinking a lot about mantras lately. To help my motivation, I've been rereading my two best running 'bibles' - Haruki Murakami's 'What I talk about when I talk about running' and Dawn Dais 'Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and on with Your Training'. These are both very different books (let's just say Mr Murakami is somewhat more 'cerebral') but both in their own way are reassuring in that I can identify with the running experiences of both writers.
Murakami's mantra is 'pain is inevitable, suffering is optional' (I think he may be referring to the blister on my left foot), Dais' motivation is 'pineapple cocktails with umbrellas in them'. Paula Radcliffe, who will be getting a whole hour head start on me come November 1st, counts her steps. No wonder she runs so fast.
I say, whatever works for you. But when the going gets tough in 10 days time, I might repeat ad infinitum, 'I can stick to a challenge...'
LON
I've already discussed what I've learnt while running the marathon, but I've learnt a lot about myself as well. People have asked me why I'm running the race and, to be honest, I don't really have a good reason. NY suggested we do it and I just said 'yes'. Any excuse for a trip to New York.
To be honest, in the few short years I've been running, the prospect of running a marathon has always been in the back of my mind. As I moved up the distances, I kept thinking, 'could I do a marathon?'. And I'd always thought if I did one, I'd want to do it somewhere scenic, somewhere overseas - a sightseeing marathon, as it were. So the offer to do NYC with a great friend was too good to pass up.
Not having a specific reason hasn't really affected my motivation either. Sure, we've been raising money for a very good cause - a personal cause - and that is an added incentive. But in a way the fundraising is just as much an incentive for friends and family as it is for myself - it's almost as if they need me to be raising money for a charity to be able to understand my motivation. I almost feel bad saying I am running it because I want to see if I can. This clearly makes me sound insane.
But I do want to test myself. I'm not just testing myself against the 26.2 mile distance either. One of the reasons I did not think I could do a marathon was the training it entailed. I thought 'there's no way I'd be able to stick to training for a marathon, not with my job/commitments/total lack of self-discipline'. But I have stuck to it and, up until the last couple of weeks, actually enjoyed it. This alone has been a revelation to me and it's taught me something about myself - that I can stick to a challenge when I choose to.
I've been thinking a lot about mantras lately. To help my motivation, I've been rereading my two best running 'bibles' - Haruki Murakami's 'What I talk about when I talk about running' and Dawn Dais 'Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and on with Your Training'. These are both very different books (let's just say Mr Murakami is somewhat more 'cerebral') but both in their own way are reassuring in that I can identify with the running experiences of both writers.
Murakami's mantra is 'pain is inevitable, suffering is optional' (I think he may be referring to the blister on my left foot), Dais' motivation is 'pineapple cocktails with umbrellas in them'. Paula Radcliffe, who will be getting a whole hour head start on me come November 1st, counts her steps. No wonder she runs so fast.
I say, whatever works for you. But when the going gets tough in 10 days time, I might repeat ad infinitum, 'I can stick to a challenge...'
LON
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Tough taper
With only 5 short runs and 10 days to go before the big day, I should be tapertastic. Instead, I'm feeling unfit, sluggish and heavy-legged. Admittedly my two runs this week so far have been a 5-mile hill interval session (on a taper! - seriously, this training programme is strict!) and an early morning recovery run. Neither of these are my favourite sessions but even by my low standards, I felt totally unprepared.
During the hill intervals, my 'fast' runs were little more than a jog, and after about a third of the session I felt like I was getting flu. I persisted, and am glad I did because the 'flu' was miraculously cured the minute I got home!
Beloved tells me it's quite normal to feel heavy-legged at this stage of a taper, but I still can't help wishing the next week and a half away - I just want to run the race now. I have had enough of training, enough of tapering, enough of chafing, enough of blisters, enough of emergency toilet stops.
Bring on the marathon, not the wall!
LON
During the hill intervals, my 'fast' runs were little more than a jog, and after about a third of the session I felt like I was getting flu. I persisted, and am glad I did because the 'flu' was miraculously cured the minute I got home!
Beloved tells me it's quite normal to feel heavy-legged at this stage of a taper, but I still can't help wishing the next week and a half away - I just want to run the race now. I have had enough of training, enough of tapering, enough of chafing, enough of blisters, enough of emergency toilet stops.
Bring on the marathon, not the wall!
LON
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