Training for five half marathons in five days was a huge step out of my running comfort zone. When I’m not injured, my usual weekly average is 20 miles. Prior to this adventure, I’d usually only barely make my 100 mile a month goal. During this training, I peaked at 50 miles and ran more than 180 miles in January. Pushing myself like this has taught me a lot about myself and my running.
1. My mind is stronger than my body. I ran a lot of uncomfortable miles. Sometimes everything ached. Sometimes it was just my metatarsal issue that has not been completely solved. I ran on tired legs. I ran on cold days. I ran on cold days in the rain. But right up until I hurt myself, I hit my goal mileage every.single. week. I may not have always enjoyed it, but I did it. And I’m proud of that.
2. Running too many miles is not good for my mental state. While I’m proud of what I did, there were times throughout the training that I realized this wasn’t for me. Running is my anti-depressant and on days when I had to run long and wasn’t into it, running did not help my mental state. It’s also not a good thing for me when running adds stress to my life, rather than acting as a stress release.
3. High mileage = high weight for me. This is the third time in the last five years that I’ve trained for something more than a half marathon. And every single time, I’ve gained weight. I’d love to say it’s muscle, but my jeans don’t fit, so I doubt that’s the case. While weight/size is not the main reason I run, it is definitely a part of it. I don’t like feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and I’m there right now. I’m looking forward to returning to “normal”running and knocking off a few of these pounds.
4. I miss my “free time”. One hour a day of focused working out fits in my life without issue. More than that and I find myself giving up sleep or other leisure activities. I’m not a tv watcher, so it’s difficult to combine running with other leisure activities. I did figure out how to read my kindle while on the treadmill, but somehow that makes reading less enjoyable and doesn’t really make a dent in my dislike of the ‘mill.
5. My body talks. I need to listen. Even if you disregard my injury, my body was very clear on when I needed to cut back. I didn’t plan cutback weeks, but rather waited until I felt like I needed one. And every 2-3 weeks, my body made it clear that I needed to take a little break. Listening to it when it spoke is what got me as far as I got in my training without injury. (And I blame the injury on a bad shoe choice. It was the third time I wore those shoes and the first two I’d had other tweaks happen. I should have paid more attention. And I should have plopped my rear on the curb and called my husband to pick me up as soon as my calf hurt. Hindsight = 20/20, sigh.)
In the end, I’m glad I did this. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my running. I’ve found my mileage “sweet spot” and it’s higher than I would have guessed at 30-40 miles per week. I’m not sure I’ll try to push beyond that again, even if I do decide to run some back to back halves in the future. For now, the idea of another marathon has been tabled until I can fix my foot. It’s just not worth risking a permanent injury. Now to just enjoy a few more days of light running and then a week of a lot of time on my feet. And then, I think running and I are going to take a short hiatus.
What have you learned about yourself during a recent training cycle? Share your words of wisdom with me.
High mileage training is tough!! its very much a learning experience and a tough balancing act with life/running/family/injury etc. Listening to your body and mind and treating it right is the key! Not easy at all…but doable if you want to! nice work…hay is definitely in the barn! Enjoy taper and breathe!
I love this. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your candor in what has been a really tough task.
I think my sweet spot is between 30 and 40 miles too. More than that and the time it takes to do the running seems to consume my life and my body gets tired. Hope your foot heals up soon!
Running offers all kinds of teachable moments, but we never learn them until we push ourselves beyond our comfort zone. You did that. So, it was a worthwhile “exercise,” (ha! I am SO good at puns!) in run-exploration and personal growth. The best of both worlds!
I love your 2nd thing – running is our stress release. Never good when it is the cause of stress!
I hope these next few days go slowly enough for you to get everything done that you need to before your trip but quickly enough that you don’t go crazy!!!
I’ve been reading your blog, and I really like it. It seems like you learned a lot from this training cycle. The most important tip was listening to your body. Knowing what your limits are is also important. Good Luck on your half marathon extravaganza!
I have enjoyed following and routing for you during this time!! For your sake, I’m glad it is over but I’m thankful because I have learnt so much through you. I know there were some highs and some lows but I hope you enjoyed something out of all of this! Take some rest and running will ALWAYS forgive a hiatus. It’s an understanding sport!
There is a lot to be said about what you wrote, especially that running is supposed to be a stress reliever and not constantly add stress (Pre-race stress is normal, I think). Free time, I am not sure what that is! I had a conversation with a friend last night who I haven’t talked to in a while, when he asked me what I have been up to… I said….work..and training… and that’s about it ( thank goodness John and I are getting away to Vermont this weekend to see friends, but of course I still have to run while I am there).
Out of each training cycle I have learned different things. This session is about halfway through for the marathon and just getting started for my half-iron. I’d say this time I am learning about taking control. I am in control of my mind and body and no one else. Yes getting advice from others is amazing, but learning to trust yourself and listen to your body is even bigger. I love learning new things, I am always reading and asking questions, but I am learning to process all of that into what works best for ME.
Within the last few months let go of a very controlling friendship and it was a hard but great thing to do. I didn’t realize how letting someone else control me was affecting all areas of my life. Learn to trust yourself and make sure YOU are always in control of YOU.