Training plans and the reality of life

The last couple of weeks have been quite hectic first with last days of work before holidays and then roadtripping through Scandinavia for holidays. After all the enthusiasm and excitement how well the training is going, it has been really hard to stick to my training plan and feel great about it. I have done most of my runs, some of them between work, packing and after work party or others before full day of fooling around in Legoland -but most important to me is that I have done them.

Then the quilt became as I missed the one training I had optimistically planned for the weekend when my lovely little nephew's babtises was. Even though it was clear to me where the priority was that weekend I was surprised to see how I felt almost a panic to miss one training as I did not know how to balance it back. First I thought just to continue from it as soon as possible and catch up track in the coming weeks however eventually I decided to completely skip it, have an additional 40 min run this week the day after the tempo run and most importantly, to be in ease with it.

It does not seem like a big deal at the moment, but for me it was the lesson to remind myself how important it is not to be too focused on the plan and to be able to look beyond it. I am sure this will not ruin my marathon project and I will have plenty of time and kilometres ahead to be ready for the run. 

I don't have time to run and all other excuses

Last two weeks I have followed my training plan for the marathon, did my three runs, strength training and stretches all as planned. Before starting the project, I was wondering if I have time to train enough and whether I have any time left to spend with the family. I did not want running to take over my whole life, that after work I had to put my running gear on and head to the road, that I would meet my son on weekends (and then only on Saturdays as Sunday is of course the long run day), that my husband would forget he has a wife... 

So when I started this project I decided to do my during the week trainings in mornings, as much as possible at least. However I feared that once the interval trainings are in the program, I might face some challenge to tell my body to do it at 6am. And that after all, getting myself out of the bed time after time at 5:30 is really not fun.

But so far so good if not better. It turned out the morning runs are the ones I really really enjoy, whether interval or tempo training, they just feel good. And not only after the training but the training as such is even more fun at that time of the day. Maybe because the brain is still in sleep and it does not recognise the pain or because I am just mad, whatever the reason I am positively surprised by the discovery. And what comes to the time, I feel my daily time available for other things have really not changed that much. I am at the office around 8am, I come home when the work and brain is ready for the day and spend the evenings as usual either with the family or with other activities. Even the other night when building Lego castle with my son, I felt a bit guilty that I should be training for my marathon -until I realised I already did my run the same morning. Surely I admit the season is on my side, I am fully aware it might not be the same feeling if mornings were dark, grey and cold. But the season is on my side and I plan to take full advantage of it!  

 This is one of my favourite views when returning from a run.

Let the (serious) training begin!

I am ready, I can go for it! The last few weeks I have prepared myself mentally and physically to follow my marathon training plan. I do three runs a week plus some cross-training, my weekly kilometres are around 40k, I feel comfortable with the variation of intervals, tempo, long runs and trails and I am disciplined to do my stretches. Sounds easy, right?

I have been training in my comfort zone and luckily not been travelling too much lately. But the last week was different and a two day travel, leaving home at 4 am and returning next day at midnight, demonstrated me how easily my training balance can be disturbed. I went for morning run in beautiful Vannes and enjoyed the change of scenery, kept my runs constant three but it took me one full day to recover and ended up skipping the cross-training the day after. It is a good reminder for me that I need to plan my trainings properly if something breaks the daily routine, but I am glad I got that reminder now and not one of those days when I have a hard training ahead.

By building my training routine during the last few weeks I have learned my weaknesses. And I got a reminder that I hate strength training. This hit me really hard as I know it is really important with the kilometers I plan to run to stay healthy, but I just hate it. I have never ever liked strength training and for that reason I have always avoided it. And now I volunteerly plan to torture myself with that horror weekly. Therefore to force myself a bit, every time I skip the strength part of my weekly training, I donate additional 15€ for my charity project.

So the plan is ready, tomorrow morning I start my day with the first training of my official training plan. I have about 650 km ahead during 16 weeks, feels like a lots of fun & pain. May the force be with me.

The joy of business travelling is to see the sunrise in new cities, this time in Vannes in France.