I found my new love

I have been writing about my training from different perspectives, complained about the boredom with the long runs, joyed the success of strength and flexibility training etc. However one thing I paid very little attention are my tempo runs. I first introduced them to my training plan when I started following the training program for the half marathon in Hannover. And it was not a big success, I was really suffering every time I had one in front of me and I was far of the speed I was expected to do them.

The program I am following recommends to do those runs relatively high speed, in my case the speed completely out of my comfort zone. And it is one thing to go for an interval which takes 6-8 minutes than to run 13k on a speed which really does not feel comfortable. But with the time, I also saw the benefit of them, every time the tempo run got easier and easier and finally I was able to keep the recommended speed, even go comfortably under it. Today it is my favourite run of the week and I am actually looking forward to Thursday mornings, when I can after few minutes warm up build some speed and just go.

So what did I learn? One very basic thing every athlete knows and which I also knew but just ignored. Training is all about getting out of your comfort zone. If you want to increase speed, you need to run faster. Sounds kind of obvious, but when you are there in practice and it just does not feel good, it is easy to excuse and tell yourself you are "going too fast". But it is not just running faster, it is more about increasing the speed in such a way you even after 10k feel like you can keep going for another while. That you can still build another couple of kilometres and you still feel ok. And that is such a great feeling, when you feel you run fast but you can still keep going. All those kilometres you conquer in such a short time, or a clearly shorter than you used to. And I am sure those trainings are not only fun and satisfying but will certainly pay back during the marathon.

This weeks trainings scenery was in Gothenburg and it felt like home to run along the lake in the sunrise.

Strength and flexibility

Another week training behind and one week less to go to the marathon. Last week I was not on the top of my mind, every part of me was tired and aching and I had a sort of half way training boredom. Few days with just get over with it and keep training -attitude has helped and I am motivated and inspired to keep training. Surely it helps my foot is not hurting and thanks to the physio, I have no problems with walking anymore.

When I started training for the marathon and knew my weekly running kilometers increase significantly, I promised myself to do regular strength training as well as stretch properly. I know I am prone to running injuries, whenever I previously have run more, I tend to get injured (especially on chinsplins). And I know how important strength training and stretching is to avoid that, though neither of those is my strength and something I like to do.

I am still not a big fan of strength training; I keep doing it as I know it is good for me and helps me to stay healthy with running. I have always been stiff as an iron bar, but during the last ten weeks I am surprised by my flexibility. I am still far away to qualify the Olympics in gymnastics but I have reached a mobility in my body I did not know to be possible. Thanks to Tony Horton and P90X Yoga and Dynamics I discovered completely different side of me with more core strength and flexibility and most importantly, I realised I actually enjoy doing the trainings. And most importantly, I feel my running is more focused and stabile, my body feels lighter and happier :)

 Family training session for stronger core.

Pain and all that comes with it

I passed the half point of my marathon training, this week was the ninth week out of my 16 week training plan. So far I have run 382 km and I have spent about 35 hours on the road since I started this project. I still enjoy the most of my intervals and tempo runs, but surely there are mornings when I would prefer to just stay in bed and sleep another hour before going to the office. The biggest challenge I have with the long runs, knowing myself it was anticipated that those will be the hardest part of the project and I am still not complaining about it. I know I just have to get my head over it and I will get there.

But what I was not prepared of was the pain I have for whole Sunday after spending three hours on the road. Or the pain I have in my feet after the long runs for couple of days (until the next long run is scheduled) or the pain of walking the stairs down in the mornings. Or the pain of falling toe nails and the fact that wearing sandals does not feel like a natural choice when the temperature outside is over 30 °C. Still so far I consider myself lucky as I have no issues with blisters or any kind of chafe, falling toe nails came from my own thoughtlessness and will slowly heal, and I found a physiotherapist who seems to be good (I only met him once so far). The cause for the pain in my feet (especially the right one) seems to come from a nerve which is pressed by a tight muscle and with his miraculous hands it seems to get much better. I am so glad that probably for the first time in my life I realised to look for help before it was too late and it seems I can continue training as planned as I have no pain during the running and as I have at least one rest day between runs, I normally have no issues with the recovery. 

So once the cure for the pain after the runs is there, I only have Sunday afternoons to suffer and hopefully those get also a bit easier when the heat is less.I have another 7 weeks to go with the training and if I keep myself together for the next five long runs (as I trust I do), I am going to be very fine for the marathon :)

My thoughts about Long Runs

It has been a while I have updated my training blog and shared how it is going with my marathon training. I continued the training as planned; I have done my three runs per week, cross-trained, played some tennis in between and not forgotten to stretch. But somehow the coming home from holidays and return to the office, reworking the daily routine again has taken more effort than I expected and I have felt really tired the last couple of weeks. So tired that I just did not have the energy to update my blog.

I have lengthened my long runs now up to 27 km and when I really was suffering after 17k in my first long runs, I can now comfortably do the whole training as planned. I am surprised how easy it feels physically and by now I am convinced that anything after 30k at the marathon is mental. I am convinced on that as I realise it on my own training, when I leave the house mentally strong (compared to the days when I felt lazy/tired/not motivated), I finish the training also as planned if not faster or easier. I realise it during the runs when I remind myself to stay strong instead of feeling sorry for myself, I do stay strong and feel comfortable to continue. 

Still I have not concluded if I in general like the long runs. I don't hate them, which is good. I don't love them either which is not surprising. I surely tolerate them to the level I feel comfortable leaving the house with the running belt full of liquids and energy gels. There are moments when I really enjoy the tiredness in the muscles after 20k and I am proud my legs are still carrying me on, but on the other side I am sometimes so bored to go for another 15k or just can't find one good reason why I should spend whole Sunday morning on the road. So meanwhile I figure out what to think of those long runs, I am really glad and proud of the charity funding which keeps me going on those moments of doubt and that I have so many dear people around me supporting my project!

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.