Finally!!!
After talking about racing, writing about racing, and daydreaming about
racing for months, I am going to race again this Saturday! As part of my Marine Corps Marathon
training, I am scheduled to run a half marathon this Saturday, September 21st
at the Marine Corps Half Marathon in Camp Lejeune (Jacksonville, NC).
There is always something special about race week…maybe it’s
the little butterflies of excitement or the multiple guilt-free bowls of pasta I
get to enjoy as I carbo-load. Whatever
the appeal, race week is a time to take a step back, rest my body, rest my
mind, and get ready to race!
Every runner has her breaking point, and this past week I
was tiptoeing the line on mine…Work was long and draining and on top of it, I
was pushing myself to run 80 miles for the week. It only took a few days of working till past 7:00 pm, then
coming home and trying to fit in ten miles of quality running before my body
started breaking down.
On Thursday night, I was scheduled to run 10 miles at
moderate pace. I made it a mile…Gave
up. Came home. Had a beer. And went to sleep.
I knew that by skipping that run I would not meet my goal of running at
least 80 miles this past week, but – even as much as I hated it – I knew I had
to listen to my body – not my training plan.
Six days before race day, my body is not 100% (but when you
run as much I do when is it ever??)
Most likely due to tight calve muscles, I am combating a little bit of
plantar fasciitis in my right heel and achilles tendinitis in my left ankle. Even though the injuries are far from
severe, I am icing everything (including taking foot ice baths) and trying to
be careful to not further any injuries.
One of the best ways (and most delightful!) to loosen the
body and prepare it for race day is to get a massage. So, Monday night (don’t want one too close to race day in
case I am sore after), I am having some woman massage my back, butt, and legs
until I am loose enough to bend over and twerk it like Miley Cyrus.
While I cannot control the weather (and I am certainly
concerned that it will be too hot for fast running!), I can do everything in my
power to get my body ready to race.
In addition to getting a massage and loading up on carbs, I am also cutting
back on my miles this week and making it a priority to get ample amounts of
sleep!
The goal of this half marathon is not to run the fastest half marathon of my career. My training plan does not have the time
to fit in a proper taper for a half marathon (I ran 22 miles on Sunday – 11 miles
easy followed by 11 miles moderate.) Instead, the goal is to have a solid race that will build confidence for
the Marine Corps Marathon in October. As long as the
weather is cool, I hope to keep my pace around 6:30/mile or below (around a
1:25:00 half marathon). Thus, I
hope to be able to take my half marathon time from this weekend to predict a
sub-3 hour marathon. http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/race-times-predictor
You can’t
always follow your training plan perfectly, but this week I think I am going to
have no problems getting a massage,
loading up on pasta, and just sitting on my butt a little more. Marathon training sure can be tough!
MCM Training Week Fourteen:
72 Miles
This Week’s Beer
Choice: Avery Brewing Co.’s India Pale Ale
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