We never know where life is going to take us or what challenges it brings. In January 2010 I was happy, so happy I wanted to stay that way for as long as I could. I realised that if Ali and I wanted a long and healthy life together, we had to change. I was clinically obese, had a bad back and my knees were feeling the strain. I had various health problems and I was ageing faster than my years. I looked ahead to a life I did not want. It was time to change. By the end of the year I had lost 4 stone - 56lbs. My confidence rocketed - I had taken control and it had worked. I was exercising, enjoying buying clothes, speaking up for myself.

I began to believe in myself again, I began to dream. For years I had watched marathons with admiration and a lump in my throat. In April 2013, I ran my first marathon.

This blog is about living life as a slim person, staying slim and fulfilling my dreams. Come and join me, support me, advise me!



Take care, Sue

Sunday 17 March 2013

Marathon Training Update: The Last Push



Week 12 beckons. One more week of training runs before the taper. One more 20 miler. One more week of 30 plus miles. This week, I've been preparing for my last long run next weekend, the dress rehearsal for the big day.

I had a few kit failures when I did the the Meadows Half and that's been a really important bit of learning for me.  I hated being too hot and it is much colder running along the open beach into the wind, so I've got a couple of new lighter weight tops. My big toe-pad got sore because my socks were a wee bitty worn, so I've got Balega socks which are wonderfully soft and cushioned yet light.  I also stocked up on gels as I need a boost at about 7 miles (more mental than physical).  I'm loving the SIS berry and caffeine ones - you don't need to take them with water. And to counter the flapping i pod and melting jelly babies, I've got a neat little Nathan belt for my drinks and one for the iplayer.  I tried them all out yesterday and it all felt pretty comfortable.  I think I might need something more through, I don't travel light - tissues and lip salve are essentials!

Mentally, I've got my running head back on after the half. I'm back to normal,  I shoe up and head off and run until it's time to stop. But with a lot on the to do list and I think as I get to the end of the training, I've caught myself fighting the urge to get the run done quickly. The discipline for me is to focus on how long I run. I've learnt that if I start the run with the intention of running for one, two, three, four hours, with no thought of distance or pace then my mind just settles down and gets on with it.

It's been a massive challenge to stick to my cunning plan and I thought I'd got it sussed, but this week I caught myself at it again - trying to get out of the deal so I can do it more quickly. At about half way through my short run this week, I caught myself arguing with myself that I run for 10 k or an hour which ever comes first. I caved in (I've been fretting about my slower 10K and half marathon times) and I ran too fast. I might have saved myself a few minutes running time, but my knee hurt and niggled me on my long run yesterday. And it was harder to slip into that endurance frame of mind because I'd focussed on speed again. Grrr! Silly Sue!

But better to know this now than bombing it on the big day and I still have time to make some adjustments. I realised that this is probably what they mean by working out a race strategy. So that's on my list as well.   Up until now my strategy has been to get to the start line in one piece and then run til the end and finish with a smile.  I've also been practicing negative splits as a way to manage my speed addiction and it's taught me how much better I do if I keep it slow at the start.  So I'm going to treat Saturday's last long run like a mock marathon; a dress rehearsal. Not 26.2 miles, but I am going to give myself a treat afterwards to mark an achievement - getting to the end of another stage of the journey.

This week has been a lower mileage week - 30 miles in total (I nearly said 'only' 30 miles and then realised that was silly!). I've done my Pilates, yoga and rolling and stretching which have become as essential as the running. I even managed a Sunday swim to loosen everything up and take the weight off everything.  I'm ready for the last push.

Four weeks today til the Lochaber Marathon- if I'm spared and well. Four more weeks.

Scary.

Gulp.

Whatever you're up to, have a good week.

Take care

Suex
Posted by Unknown at 16:56
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3 comments:

  1. pam18 March 2013 at 17:50

    Hi Sue - Following your posts with great interest - there's so much I can relate to, esp re speed, injury etc. I am now entrenched in Zone 2 (aerobic zone) - which is difficult because it's sloooowww! Can I ask what marathon training plan you are following? Pam

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  2. Unknown20 March 2013 at 07:38

    Thanks Pam, that's great to hear. I'm using one my physio Pam made up for me to give me a recovery between runs. it's basically 3 runs a week, short medium and long. I built up to about 6 miles, 10-13 miles and 16-20 miles and did not focus on pace. I started doing cross train in between but have amended that to pilates and yoga and swimming to manage the knee. So far so good, but I really have to watch the speed as it really can cause problems! :-)

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  3. pam20 March 2013 at 21:28

    Thanks, Sue - I do feel you have to go with a plan that your own mind/body knows is best for you, as opposed to following a one-size-fits-all plan. Speed causes problems for me too at this stage. It's hard to rein it in sometimes, but I'd rather keep running, even if it feels slow, than be sidelined with injury (again!). If speed comes later, that's fine. All the very best with your marathon - will be cheering you on from afar!

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