Working back up to marathon distance for the SF Marathon (www.thesfmarathon.com, +The San Francisco Marathon) is proving a little more of a challenge then I expected.
The starting out slow part wasn't so bad. 6, 7, 8 , 9, 10 miles came pretty east. even getting to 12 was ok. My first 13.1 training run wasn't easy, and I've had 4 or 5 failed attempts at 15 since then. Too hot, too tired, too stressed at work. I've gone out for 15 for the last month and not gotten there. I keep wanting to blame the aging thing, the injury thing, the rehab thing. But there's a bigger issue here, and maybe I need to acknowledge that I'm not running in a vacuum.
And that's the lesson here for me. Running and life are not two separate worlds. They feel like they are, running feels like that place I can go where nothing else counts and I'm out on my own. But it's not. And it in the real world, the last month has been a real challenge. Family health issues, transitions at work, no sleep, added stress. Leaving your troubles behind on a run is a lot easier then it sounds.
So it feels good to have gotten through 15 yesterday, and it's a mirror of what I have to do with the rest of the issues I'm dealing with. I went out slow, 12+ minute splits to start. Got my legs under me, got warmed up, and worked through a plan in my head to finish the run. I was able to break the problem down into digestible pieces, and then take it one split at a time. The longer into the run, the more confident I got, and the greater my ability to press the pace without risking failure. All the same shit I have to do with the rest of my life. Start out slow, evaluate the problem, work out a plan, and then take it one step at a time. The further in I get, the easier it is to see the end, and the more aggressive I can be.
By the time I got to the pier I was half way and I knew I could get to the finish. Even the hills at the end, the toughest part of the run, weren't an issue because I knew I was on track and close to conclusion.
So for me, it was more then a 15 mile run, it was a lesson in perseverance, it was a reminder that I can't ignore what's going on in one part of my life and expect no consequences in the others. It was an accomplishment after a few failures, and it was a great day at the beach.
15 in the books, 16 on deck.
At 50 and only been running for 2 yrs I know the feeling! Have had 8 orthopedic surgeries in past 10 yrs. The most recent in Jan '14 (hip). But managed to run my second 1/2 last month (Boston Run To Remember) in 2:22. First was last Sept '13 in 2:01. Went back to running to soon after surgery against doctors advice. Still recovering. But one of my goals is to run a marathon like yourself. Big commitment but reward is well worth it. Good Luck!
ReplyDelete-Mike
www.marty427.blogspot.com