This coming weekend, I will be running my third marathon. This is the first time I am running a marathon other than Twin Cities (although I will also be running that again, later this year!) and my first time traveling to a marathon.
It’s also the first time I’m running a spring marathon.* This, along with being on sabbatical for the entire training cycle, made this marathon training experience much different from my two previous training cycles.
Training through winter and spring and into unofficial summer meant temperature and weather extremes. The week before I started training, in mid-February, I ran in wind chills of -15. During my last 15 miler, 2 weeks ago, temperatures soared into the 80s. Lashsicles and heat exhaustion in the same training cycle! I’ve run through snow, gale force winds, driving rains, fog so thick I could not see my hand in front of my face**, black ice, and blazing sun. But, luckily since I HATE the treadmill, the weather only forced me indoors a couple of times.
From negative temps to heat advisories…
Spring is notoriously windy around here, and that I found was the most challenging part of this cycle. The worst run was a 14 miler with hills, where the 2nd half was pretty much all uphill but the first part of the run was into 20mph headwinds. I have never been so tired after a run in my life! I usually tried to plan runs so that I’d have the wind at my back at the end of the run, but this was not always possible. Grandma’s is a point-to-point course, though, so at least this was good training for potential unfavorable winds on race day.
When I train through the summer, I plan long run routes so that I hit water fountains at key points to refill my water bottles. Up until the end of April, though, the water fountains around here are turned off. This made planning long runs logistically interesting. Instead of doing big loops or long out-and-backs, I planned shorter loops so that I could circle back to my car or house and refill my bottles. (Bonus: I could also shed layers if I was too warm or add layers if I was too cold.) I enjoyed these more than I thought I would — in fact, my favorite long run was the first (of 3!) 20 milers, which I did as 2 hilly 10 mile loops around my town.
When planning running routes in the winter, I also had to be cognizant of which paths were plowed, which streets were likely too icy, etc, and be ready to reroute on the fly if I guessed incorrectly. Which I often did.
Being on sabbatical meant that I had more freedom in terms of scheduling my runs, which meant that I ran later in the morning than I usually do (usually after getting the kids on the bus). This also meant that I had time to go explore new-to-me running routes, and I found a few nearby that I hope to keep in the rotation as I train for marathon #4 this summer and fall.
Adventure is calling!
I ran more in Minneapolis too, doing 2 runs (20 and 21 miles, respectively) around the Chain of Lakes/Lake Nokomis, and several runs in the Minnehaha Falls area (discovering a new-to-me path in the process!). Minneapolis runs will be tougher to work into my schedule this summer and fall, but hopefully I can make it up there once or twice this summer.
I decided to use a more aggressive training plan this time around.*** I ended up doing 504 miles (not counting the week leading up to the marathon) total. The training plan was tough but manageable, and other than a bout of bronchitis that sidelined me for a week, I got through it injury-free!
Graph of miles I’ve run this past year, by week. Can you tell which 2 weeks I took off from running post-marathon #2 and which week I had bronchitis?
The plan called for some strength training exercises, which I was mostly good about doing. I also found that doing taekwondo 2-3 times a week really helped my running — it improved my core strength and balance, as well as my overall strength and mental toughness, and likely kept me injury-free. Plus there is nothing more therapeutic than taking out your aggressions on a punching bag!
I felt like I ran slower this cycle, but looking back on my long runs, they were on par pace-wise with those in my last training cycle. I did do my easier runs at a much easier pace than I normally do, which was probably the right decision, since I tend to go out too fast and too hard on easy runs.
Finally, this was my second time training with a virtual group, and I have to say that this was the best part of my experience. I’ve made some friends through these groups, and am hoping to meet up with a few fellow group members this coming weekend! It’s inspiring to read others’ race reports, and helpful to commiserate with others who are slogging through the same training runs while juggling work, family, kids, and the rest of the shenanigans life throws at you. I’m so very grateful for this online community. And I’m so very grateful for my family, who have always supported my crazy training cycles and who encouraged me to try 2 marathons this year when I was debating doing so.
I have no idea what this weekend will bring. I deliberately did not train with a time goal in mind knowing that the weather in June in Duluth can be quite variable. But I know that I’m ready, I’m well-trained, and I can’t wait to see what marathon #3 has in store for me!
* Technically it’s still spring!
** I wisely aborted that run 2 miles in. Too dangerous!
*** The plan called for 5 days/week of running. I dropped 1 day per week (the easiest run/shortest mileage) because I didn’t want to risk injury or burnout.
This is what a computer scientist looks like 