Hello again and welcome to another training Run Down.
It's nearly taper time! Am I freaking out? Sort of...
I'm literally 3 weeks out from my first 50k ultramarathon and everyone keeps telling me it's normal to feel nervous, and boy do I! I'm also really excited! To be honest, I feel trained enough to run another marathon now, but for some reason the sheer thought of adding 5 more miles is making me freak-right-out! Yep, queue the nerves!
I remember how tired my quads felt during mile 24 of my first marathon, the 2019 Rock N Roll Marathon, Las Vegas—in my mind, my legs were going to give out! Thankfully they didn't and I finished. That particular marathon had a strict 5-hour cutoff. Even when I was in the starting corral, I was terrified that I wouldn't make the cutoff, especially when a really nice lady told me she had been swept the year prior, but I made it with time to spare. Thank Gawd! I hope she did too! Unbeknownst to her, I learned something from our interaction; things happen, but it's a privilege to get to the starting line.
Trusting myself is the hardest thing I've ever done.
During this training cycle, I feel much like I did for Rock N Roll—worried about finishing! At least I'm now familiar with how my mind works. I'm doing the Labor of Love 50k in Las Vegas which has a 12-hour cutoff, so unless something unforeseen happens, I'll finish.
I tend to race faster than I train—due to snack breaks at my car, sunscreen breaks, photo ops, you name it—but this time I haven't gotten a handle on how long it will take me to finish, at all! I'm estimating a range; finishing anywhere from 5.5 hours on the fast end, to 8 hours on the longer end—so, let's just say there's a lot of wiggle room, because I really haven't kept track of my time. All I know is this is the longest race I've trained for, so I'll certainly be mindful of my pacing. No need to be reckless and force myself into a DNF.
Training my body also trains my mind.
Do I follow a training plan? Yes! Loosely.
I assume more experienced marathoners and ultramarathoners adhere to a very structured training plan, but for this 50k cycle, I combined about 3 beginner training plans from the internet into 1 Frankenplan. These plans were not written specifically for me—but at first, I followed them to the T because I felt like I had to in order to be successful. After a while, I noticed I was getting too tight, too many twinges, and running my long runs much too fast. After taking a moment to reassess my plan, I tweaked things according to how my body felt. Initially, I was building mileage for 3 weeks, then adding a cutback week, like my plan showed—after a few months of this, I found that I ran better when alternating build weeks with cutback weeks (an every other week cycle). I was worried I set myself up for failure because I wasn't crossing every single T, or dotting every I in said plan, but listening to my body and making my plan flexible seems to be working. These small tweaks are helping me feel more confident that I can finish come race day. Yep, my training is in full bloom!
Side note: I have to say that I'm happy I tested a new vest this week before crunch time. I just purchased a Camelbak Circuit and so far, I love it! My Ultimate Direction Vesta is starting to fold in on itself near the rear pull cords, and it rubs my back when I use it with the bladder. Not sure if the folding is because I washed it in the washer—so boo! Learn from me and hand wash yours. Camelbak it is! Actually, I prefer how comfy it is.
Anyway, on to last week's training.
Last week was a cutback week, so here goes:
Sunday- Recovery day. Runners yoga. Watched Aprille Walker's Yoga Ranger Studio on YouTube.
Monday- 9-mile spin bike ride with Studio Sweat on Demand. Arm workout, Blazing Guns on the FitOn app.
Tuesday- 3-mile treadmill run, then leg day. I did Caroline Girvan's EPIC video series on YouTube.
Wednesday- Recovery- Stretching with Caroline Girvan's EPIC series.
Thursday- 5-mile hill run at the mountain trail.
Friday- 9.18- mile trail run with my hubby. Ok, so he nailed this run! Then Arm day 2. I did Blazing Guns on FitOn, twice.
Saturday- 5-mile trail run to test my new Camelbak vest, followed by a 5-mile spin bike ride. Then I did a FitOn Ab video.
Total weekly miles biked/ran= 36.18
Final thoughts for the week: We shouldn't feel bad for not knowing something, just as long as we're open to learning more! I will never know all there is to know, but the good thing is, learning is a lifelong process. Why just today I felt silly when I didn't know something, until I changed my outlook. By recognizing what I didn't know, I gained the opportunity to learn more on the subject! With each race I gain knowledge...knowledge of my body, what needs work and what is working for me, and how to get stronger. During my first several half marathons, I thought I was strong, but I still had (and have) a long way to go. As I mentioned in my first blog post, this time around, I've added more strength training sessions and yoga. Need to strengthen these muscles to propel me toward the finish line. I'm learning that adding in more strength training has so many benefits. Who knows, maybe in another year I'll be in beast mode. Hey, it's all a process!
Keep learning and moving forward friends. Learning about running and setting new goals is my passion! What is your passion? How do you train your mind and body? Do you prefer a more structured plan, or more flexible?
Happy training week ahead! Thanks for reading.
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