Marathon Training Update: Week 22 | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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I feel like all I do is talk about running, think about running, and write about running.  However, I went back through my posts here and I see the last time I shared an update was at week 12.

I am in week 22 right now.

A lot has happened.  Many thoughts- good and bad- have crossed my mind. Let me bring you up to date.

  • Week 15, 13.1 miles:  I love running, how glorious is 13.1 miles, I could do this forever
  • Week 16, 15.3 miles: I hate running, this sucks, I never want to run again, why did I sign up for this?
  • Week 17, 13.0 miles: My pace sucks and my hip aches but I am determined to get the miles done and I did
  • Week 18, 16.0 miles: Slowed my pace even more because I was determined to OWN this run and not feel like sh!t.  I own this run, I own this run, I own this run.  Got it done with minimal aches and a smile on my face. Mental toughness for the win!
  • Week 19, 17.67 miles: slow and steady in the cold. Not much liking the runs right now.
  • Week 20, 10.00 miles: this was right after New Year’s so I chose to run less than my plan called for. It was a COLD, RAINY run that I just plugged through.
  • Week 21, 18.00 miles: coldest, slowest miles of my life.  I did it but I do not love running right now. Truth be told, I feel like marathon training is sucking the joy out of running for me.
  •  Week 22, 10.00 miles: running these miles as you read this (hopefully! or maybe I am done already). Again, I ramped down because my legs feel like crap and are so very tired.  I want a few more days of lower mileage (and some rest…..whatever that looks like for this working mom of three) before doing my last long run of 21 miles
  • Week 23, 21 miles: not done yet
  • Week 24: taper
  • Week 25: taper
  • Week 26: marathon (February 15, 2015)
  • Week 27: celebrate and recover!!!!!

I have reached the point in my training plan where every run is tiring and feels so slow, although my week day paces are not that much slower….but they feel slower. My legs feel like wooden stumps some days, my calves are tight, and my time-stretched schedule is screaming for a break.

I cannot lie here- it is HARD.  Really hard to do it all.  Marathon training is a full time job at times (with pre-run, post-run, stretching, rolling, yoga-ing, getting all your gear together, etc).  But then I have these other roles as a mom, a wife, a worker, a Shrinking Jeans writer, an errand runner, taxi driver, cook, referee, and more.

I don’t want to end on a down note.  I am honest here and with myself.  Running is hard and when you are trudging through the trenches of a long training plan basically on your own, it is tough. At the same time, I am 100% positive without a doubt in my mind that I will finish 26.2 miles on race day.  But what I am most looking forward to is enjoying my runs once again.

For realz, yo.

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