Week 7.

I have been spending almost every Saturday at the Waterfall Glen Trail, my legs feel dead almost always and my appetite is that of a 300 pound man.  Yup, I am deep into marathon training.  Almost 7 weeks down and roughly 9 more to go.  Seems like I still have a long way, but I know these next two months are going to fly and it makes me nervous.  I still have many kinks to figure out and work to do to get to where I need to be.  But I know I can do this.

My current workout schedule is as follow:

• Mondays:  AM Crossfit
• Tuesdays:  AM 6-8 miles/ PM Crossfit
• Wednesdays:  AM Crossfit/PM 5-7 mile Track workout
• Thursdays:  AM 6-8 miles
• Friday: AM Crossfit
• Saturday:  Long run
• Sunday: Off or hot yoga

For my Tuesday/Thursday run I do not keep a set pace but I do for my track workouts and long runs.   My long runs are not exactly where I need to be just yet, but I am still feeling pretty good.  My biggest thing is I am still consistent with my crossfit workouts, even if it means my legs are dead for a long run.  This might make for tough training runs, but when I am prepping for a race day and have a rest week beforehand, it makes my legs feel superhuman and light because I am so used to running when they are heavy.   The slowest average pace I have kept on a long run is 8:30 and the fastest average pace has been 7:30.  So for race day, I need to be somewhere in the middle of that.  Boston qualifying pace is an 8:15 average, but I am aiming for 745/8 to be safe.

My biggest concern right now is how long it takes me to settle into my pace. My running style is a little odd, I  like to start off pretty slow (about 2 minutes slower than race pace) and then work my way up.  While this has worked for me in the past, I am just nervous that I am going to lose too much time on the front end of my marathon getting myself “warmed up”.  So, we shall see.   I have a half marathon coming up in a few weeks and then a 20 mile race in September, so these will be two big trials to work all this out and see where I am.

Every time I visualize crossing that finish line in a Boston qualifying time, I tear up.  It would be a dream come true, something I never thought in a million years I could accomplish.  I also never thought I would be capable of running a half marathon in the 1:40’s or a 5k in 20:20, and I did.   Me? A fast runner? Nah, I just run for fun.  Just goes to show what our bodies are capable of  when we push out of our comfort zone.  ANYTHING is possible.