Will She or Won’t She?

That unexpected two-week trip home put a wrench in many of our plans. (What’s that saying about God laughing our plans?) Stephen was pulled out of WLC, we were about the pull the trigger on a trip to Belgium, and there’s that whole marathon thing I’ve been training for.

I took my running stuff with me to Texas. It wasn’t so much because I had the intention of keeping up with my training (although I did take a picture of my training plan before we left) as it was a way to relieve stress. I knew it’d be a hard trip and I knew that I’d want to (or more likely – need to) run a little. And a little is about all I did. Two runs each week, 22 miles total. Not really what you’d expect 6 weeks out from a marathon. In fact, race day is now less than a month away.

So where does that leave me? Well, I’m jumping back into training today. I’m supposed to run 20 on Saturday, and as of right now, I’m planning to go for it. If I manage ok, then I figure I can toe the line on race day, although I’m not sure if my lofty PR goals are still realistic. And I’m still not sure that I will race.

Reasons TO run the Konigsforst Marathon

I’m mostly training for it, I think. The 20 miler will give me a better idea if it’s realistic, but I think I could probably do it.

I could always drop to the half if the full seems too lofty; I could definitely run 13.1.

I don’t want to not do it just because of all that happened. Running the marathon would be a way to honor Ben. He could never go 26.2, but I know that if he had been healthy, there would have been no question – he loved running.

I don’t know that there is a really a reason not to.

Reasons NOT to run the Konigsforst Marathon

I’m feeling under-trained (debatable) and my confidence is shaken. I’m fairly certain I can do the distance, but I don’t know if I could do it within the time limit.

If I decide that the full is too much, and I drop to the half, is the race worth all the hassle and money if I’m “only” doing the half? (I don’t think that 13.1 is by any means a small accomplishment, but I’ve already run my share, and this race is going to cost me a pretty penny. If I make the trip, I want it to be worth it.)

If Stephen is able to get into the next WLC class (which is what we are hoping), then he won’t be able to come with me. If he can’t come with, then I’ll be driving 5 hours clear across Germany by myself and running a marathon by myself and driving myself 5 hours home afterwards. I’d also have to board Geronimo, yet again.

My focus is gone. In previous weeks, I was working on becoming a running beast. I’m not sure that my fire and determination are still there. Do I really want to put in the effort necessary for this goal right now? I’m not sure.

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Where does that leave me? I don’t know. I have thought about this (a lot!) and continue to flip-flop without coming any closer to an actual decision. I know this is one of those things that I have to figure out for myself, so I’m hoping myself gets it together soon.

What do you think? Is there an angle to this that I’m missing? A hidden pro? An unnoticed con? What would you do?

Practice Half

No post yesterday – sorry about that! I ended up spending the majority of the day just hanging out with Stephen and saying offline. The day included eggs and hash browns a la me, a long afternoon nap, some reading, watching Lord of the Rings, and a pasta dinner. The highlight: deli sandwich for lunch!

Our commissary makes the best deli sandwiches. They taste great, and the price is pretty darn unbeatable. ($1.65! That only encourages me to buy these all the time!) I’ve been so spoiled by Stephen’s light workload. It’s going to be rough when the holidays are over and he’s back to the grind.

On tap for today – running a practice half marathon. I have run a great many races in my day (35!). You might think that makes me feel like an expert, but it so does not! My last race was back in August and my next one (the big one!) isn’t until March. During my last training cycle, I ran a half marathon every month leading up to my full. That served as good practice and a good check-in to see how I was progressing. My current non-racing approach has me feeling like I’m flying blind. Every time I think about it. I get all squidgy in the stomach.

That’s not the only thing worrying me. Normally I approach my long runs with a casual attitude. I like to run them long and slow. If Geronimo is with me, those miles will be pretty slow (more so because I worry about him; he can run pretty fast), and when I drop him off back at home I often times dawdle and take my time getting back out there. It’s not a bad way to run, but again, it doesn’t give me much insight to whether or not I’m race ready.

So if you are keeping track, we have lack of races + slow/meandering long runs + racing nerves = a need to create race-like conditions. While I know it won’t be exactly like a real race, I plan to run this week’s long as close to race day conditions as I can. That means:

• No running with Geronimo
• No untimed breaks or stopping at home
• Predetermining where I’ll run (I usually just wing it as I go)
• Hydration and gu taken in “on the course”
• Attempting race pace instead of purposely running slow

I need the confidence boost that races usually provide. My hope is that this will give me some reassurance that I’m where I need to be in my training. Time to hit the pavement!*

KF Marathon Training: T-Minus 12 Weeks

Between helping Stephen get prepped for the board and then making the most our time after he passed, it was a really busy week in our house. My runs ended up being spaced out kind of funny (Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday), but I still got them all in. In fact, it was a pretty darn good week for training.

Stats:

• Number of workouts this week: 4 (Tempo run, interval run, long run, and one cross training “session.” We were sightseeing, but I think walking for 4 hours still counts as cross training.)
• Total number of miles run so far during training: 56 (22 this week)
• Geronimo’s total number of miles this week: 6
• Temperature on the coldest run: 36 (Got up to 50 on today’s long run!)
• Days until the marathon: 84

My long run this week was 11 miles. And I ended up running all 11 in the rain.

You know what I really like about rain? The fact that it isn’t snow! No offense, snow. I like you, you are pretty to look at, and I even enjoy running in you. Just not all the time. Don’t worry. I get the feeling we haven’t seen the last of you.

It really was a great run, regardless of the rain. Geronimo kept me company for the first 4 miles. I felt a little bad about dropping him off back at home completely soaked. I left Stephen with the duty of drying him off. (Thanks for that, Honey!) I downed a gu and drank some water, then went back out for the remaining 7 miles.

I ran 3+ miles in one direction and made it all the way to Kaltenbrunn.

G-mo after he had dried off some. Still looking pretty wet there, Booders!

It’s a nearby town, but I have yet to run all the way there. I ran out of running path, so I couldn’t get too close to the town. (Rain + no sidewalk = me not running there for long. Safety first!) From a distance, though, it’s pretty cute. And I felt victorious for making it all the way there!

I felt good the entire run, which was icing on the cake. I managed to wrap it up with a 10:36 average pace. A little fast for a long run (my goal was to hit 10:45), but I’m still pleased. Post-run meant time for a much-needed shower, equally much-needed chili, and lots of water.

(I made this chili for a small get-together we had on Friday night. It’s Mama Pea’s recipe. I followed her instructions almost entirely. I just added celery and chopped up roasted green chiles since we had them on hand. It was warm, and spicy, and filling, and I could have eaten 5 times the amount that I did, but I restrained myself.)

Last week I said that my goals were to get in all three of my runs, have one of those runs be on the treadmill, and do one cross training session. I didn’t end up needing to hit the treadmill (thank goodness!), but I did meet my other goals. For next week, my goals remain pretty much the same. I want to get in all 3 runs, cross train at least once, and squeeze in some ab ripper x.

We are now off to the commissary for some last-minute holiday grocery shopping. I have a feeling the place will be packed. Here’s hoping we make it out in one piece!*