Sunday, January 20, 2008

THE THRILL IS GONE



Or maybe it's just on vacation.

I think, after the Austin Marathon, I'll take a vacation from marathons. It's the training, the long runs. I just don't feel into it.

I needed 18 or 20 miles today, since I bailed on last week's attempt. Well, last week I made it 10 miles. Today, I made it for a half-marathon. My own, not a "real" one with other runners and a t-shirt. I set out planning 18 or 20 but got to a place where I knew if I hung a left I'd come out on our road and could just loop back home, so I did.

I think I planned a training season that was too long and peaked too early. Normally, I just increase my long run by 2 miles every 2 weeks up to one 20-miler 2 weeks before the race, and by race day I'm ready for the next step-up, and then it's over. This time, I've been following a 17-week plan that increases to 24 miles.

I ain't runnin' no 24 miles in training. At the start of the program, I thought I would, but I forgot how much I hate long training runs.

Anyway, after 13.1 miles, physically I could easily have kept on going. I could even have done the distance again, probably. Mentally I was dead.

Well, the marathon is 4 weeks away. If I do 16 miles next weekend and then taper, I'll finish the marathon, I'll give my borderline injuries a chance to subside, and I'll be off the hook.

My mother stayed 2 days/nights in the hospital, by the way, and is home doing her own nebulizer treatments 4 times a day, getting a few visits a week from a home-health nurse, and recovering slowly. Bronchitis/pneumonia take a lot out of anyone, especially someone who's a couple months shy of 87 years old.

3 comments:

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I know what you mean-- this sport really is mostly in the head. I made the mistake of choosing a looped course for one of my training runs, instead of an out and back, and consequently cut it short.

If you're not feeling it for more than a couple weeks, I think you're wise to look for other ways to have fun. You'll be ready when you're ready and life is too short to torture ourselves on purpose.

I'm glad your mom is doing better!

ShirleyPerly said...

17 weeks is too long for me too. And I don't do runs over 20 miles either. It's just not worth the effort in order to just finish.

Glad to hear your mom's home now!

Shawn said...

I do 18-milers. It's plenty, IMO. Eight of my 11 marathons were run on 18-milers (a few of them on less, but we won't talk about those...)