On the treadmill

I'm still trying to figure out if this could have been correct. Yesterday, we were at a hotel in Ohio, so I went for my run (which was meant to be a short run of about 6km) on a treadmill. I decided to run for half an hour, but was too into it to stop, so I kept on going. I'd been looking only at the time, not the distance, and I'd been doing a lot of sprints and intervals, playing around with how fast I could chug away on the little track, and for how long, basically pushing myself like I tend to do. At about 38 minutes, I checked my distance. I was really close to 6 miles, so I did a little more sprinting and got there, then cooled down for a minute or so, and clocked off the treadmill at just under 40 minutes, having run 6.2 miles.

Then I checked how far that was in kilometres. That's almost exactly 10km (9.977 to be precise.) Is that even possible?? Maybe it's easier to run on a treadmill than outside, because I've never clocked in at a pace like that outside: my race last spring got me across the finish line in just under 48 minutes. At first, I wondered whether maybe the treadmill was giving me the distance in kilometres, but that makes no sense either: I do know my own pace, and I was running much faster than that. Plus, we were in the States where no one measures in kilometres, ever. I spent all weekend translating distances for my cousins, who were interested in my training plans and the marathon and the triathlon, etc.

Anyway, after that run yesterday, I'm kinda interested in getting a used treadmill and sticking it my basement. I could do my speed/interval runs on it all winter, when it isn't safe to go sprinting around outside in the ice and snow. Outside in the winter is still great for long runs, or slower runs, and I love running outside all year long. But I could see the advantage of training on a treadmill. It reminded me of being on a spin bike. Not the same as a bicycle, but you're able to push yourself harder and in a more controlled way than when out on the road.

Wish I'd known how close I was to running a full 10km. I would have sprinted all the way to that finish line and clocked the time as my fastest ever. It felt like I was running fast. But it was hard to tell. Anyone have experience on treadmills? Are they just plain easier? Can you go faster?

:::

Training plan for the week (the week before the marathon!) ... I skipped the early swim this morning. I was way too tired. I could sleep all day if that were possible, actually. It was a draining weekend. I'm planning to spin tomorrow. Run Wednesday. And possibly swim Thursday. Yoga Friday. Short run on Friday evening or Saturday morning. Like, really short. The book recommends 3km. And then I'm going to run a really long way on Sunday morning.

I hope I'll make it.

Trail season is over

I ran at my daughter's soccer practice last night. I ran on my favourite trails, and I ran fast, because it was getting dark. But it didn't matter how fast I ran, it still got too dark, too quickly, and the trails were hazardous. I ran on the trails until I really couldn't see, and the sun was good and down, and then I had to run around the sports facility's roadway, which is a little over a kilometre loop, but even that got dark (it stayed lighter longer than the trails beneath the trees.)  And soon I was running in pitch black darkness illuminated by the occasional orangeish streetlight. I couldn't run very quickly because it would have been dangerous, too easy to set a foot down wrong. I had to force myself to go around the loop three times, and probably ended up running no more than 12km, though I'd planned to run 16. It took all of my mental strength just to make it around three loops in the cold and the dark. It was just so dark.

It really felt like the end of something. The end of the season.

So I think that will be my last run at my favourite trails for the season. It's only going to get darker the next little while, and I know people stop running trails in the winter anyway. Too slippery.

The question is: where will I run, now? And when? Will I change my training and start swimming more and running less? Any suggestions?

Day of doubt

Am I doubting whether I can complete this marathon? I am, a bit, just a bit, a wee bit. I'm also doubting my training plan as it comes down to the end here. I'm feeling SO TIRED this week. It's been a stressful week. Things have happened that no one can plan for, or around. On Monday, we had some issues on our home construction project that thankfully have since been solved. The sadder and bigger occurrence is that my grandpa (my mom's dad) passed away on Tuesday. He lived in Ohio, so our family will be travelling across the border for the funeral this weekend. That means two long drives in a short amount of time, and an emotionally gruelling weekend, which I find can be as draining as anything that's physically challenging.

Not that it matters, given the context, but I also won't be able to do my planned 16km run on Saturday. What I'm thinking of doing now is skipping tonight's planned run (SO TIRED!) and running instead tomorrow evening for 16km. I'm pretty sure that I can squeeze it in during my daughter's soccer practice, if I map out a route in advance. There is a treadmill at the hotel in Ohio, and I could get up early Sunday morning to run for half an hour or so. And then I'll check in with my body and mind when we're home on Monday, and decide how the week ahead should look, training-wise. Monday (Halloween) is also the fourth anniversary of my father-in-law's passing, and my maternal grandma died almost exactly a year ago, too. It's a dark time, and I need to take care and remember that even though it may seem that these emotional anniversaries are not outwardly affecting, they may actually be, quietly, taking and requiring some energy.

Any advice? Would you aim to do less and conserve strength, or do I risk slipping back and losing some of the endurance I've gained during training?

I still believe that I can do the marathon. At this point, though, I'm thinking less and less about ideal times, and more and more about simple completion, being brave, going ahead with the plan, and doing my best, whatever that turns out to be. Which is probably, let's face it, a  healthy approach.

Day of fatigue

So ... I did run last night, in addition to the morning swim. I ran 7.4km because 6 just seemed so short (I should be thankful for my slow runs with my friend once a week because apparently, left to its own devices, my brain will not allow me to run short and slow; I always push as hard as I'm able, which means none of my long runs come in anywhere near the time suggested in the Running Room guide ... I run them at race pace. I'm not sure that's wise, or what the thinking/science behind the long slow run, but perhaps I should find that out and if it's important, force myself to run slower. And I can't run short and slow either.) Anyway, for my easy run last night, I ran hard, clocking in at just over 5 minutes/km (which is still pretty fast for me. I don't seem to be getting faster, not yet, who knows, maybe that's my edge.)

And then I got up this morning for spin class. My legs felt fatigued throughout class. But I tried! I showed up and tried, and that counts for something.

I'm glad to have no exercise scheduled until tomorrow morning. Phew. Now I just have to get through the rest of my day and the many things that are scheduled that have nothing to do with running faster, but many of which require a lot of mental energy and work, too. I can't leave it all on the floor in spin class because I have to take some home with me. My day is just beginning.

Day of figuring out my schedule for the next two weeks

So I've got less than two weeks to go. I need to figure out what running needs to be done, to leave me in peak race condition. Ha. Okay, in decent race condition. I'm not sure how to figure the swimming and spinning into the equation, but since neither are weight-bearing, I think I'll leave them out of consideration. It's the pounding that counts.

So ... looking at the Running Room marathon guide, for the "complete in 4 hours" training program, this week I should run 6 kilometres, then 10, then 10, then take a day off, then run 16 at race pace on the weekend, followed by another 6 the next day. (That seems like a heavier schedule than I'd anticipated, for tapering, but anyway...)

Next week, I should take a day off, then run 6 at race pace, followed by 10 at race pace, then two days off, then an easy 3 on the day before the marathon.

Hm. This isn't going to add up precisely because I did my long run on Saturday, not Sunday. I'm going to run a slow 8.5km on Wednesday morning. I have been running 12 on Thursday evenings, and 10 on Fridays, followed by a long run on the weekend, with the possibility of a slightly shorter run on Sunday evening.

Agh. Thinking out loud. Sorry. I could probably squeeze in a 6km run this evening, while one daughter is at dance class. Then I'll take tomorrow off (for running; there's spin in the morning.) Wed will be a slow run, which doesn't fit with the plan. Maybe I'll do 12 like usual on Thursday evening (a couple of extra km to make up for those lost on Wed), skip my Friday run (sigh! it would be at my favourite trails), and run 16 on Saturday, since I'm supposed to have a day off in between.

Okay, that could work. It doesn't have to add up perfectly, but I do want to do a bit less without falling off the training wagon too early. And I'm not an expert to say the least.

Day of long run

Wow. Tired. That was not an easy long run. I figured out that in just under 48 hours, I've run about 48km, or longer than that marathon is going to be. And today it felt like I was running the second half of the marathon, not merely out for a 25.7km jaunt. Actually, that was about 3km longer than I meant to run, or thought I'd run. Sheesh. I felt it in my bones.

I covered the distance in 2 hours and 20 minutes, but I'm too wiped to figure out what that means per km. Wait, I think it's about 5:30/km, come to think of it, because that's on par with my Toad run.

I've been wondering whether I should rejig my time plan for the marathon. I think 4:10 is a more realistic number to aim for, and won't leave me disappointed at the finish line. I may not have I've trained sufficiently to expect a better time than that, simply because I haven't done enough really long runs over the past several months. That's due to not realizing I was training for a marathon until about a month ago, and there's only so much time you can make up in marathon training. Luckily, I had been training for the Toad, so it's not like I was starting from scratch. But still. I know I haven't put the miles on like the serious runners have. Besides, for a first outing, I think it's always best not to run for time, but for completion and for the experience. That's made all of my other races this season very happy indeed. And as long as I complete the race, I'll get to check the experience off my life list. I always hoped I'd run a marathon. And now I'll understand what that means.

Not sure it's wise to run tomorrow at my favourite trails, as planned. I'm going to play this by ear. I don't want to overdo it. It's time to start tapering down a wee bit this week, and even more next week. I'm going to follow the Running Room's marathon guide for the 4hr completion.

Day before yoga

I'm nervous about yoga tomorrow morning, given my body's unhappy reaction last Friday morning (and no warning, I wasn't feeling off before I went or anything). Anyway ... just noting that I enjoyed a nice 12km run this evening, over the supper hour. I ran, then came home and ate. I missed supper with the family, but spent time with each of them at bedtime (which takes forever at our house ... and I really appreciated that time tonight, which was nice for a change.) I didn't run super-fast, but still came in just over 60min for the run, with a few long stops for lights and traffic. It was a busy time of day to be running across campus. Felt good the whole way, easy breathing.

But I'm stiff in my shoulders. And that makes me nervous about tomorrow. Hope it goes well, and hope I get nicely stretched out. Also planning a run tomorrow eve, and Saturday afternoon. Planning to put a lot of miles on these legs this week ...