It's been a while...see, 2019 was a quiet year of running for me. I did races, and averaged about one per month, with taking the entire summer off. But I lost my competitive streak. In hindsight, 2018 was a big year - lots of miles - I fell 100 or so miles off of achieving my run-the-year goal, but it was my biggest annual mileage yet. I also completed my first 50-Miler and first marathon (and did a second marathon about 5 weeks after the first). Then...my hip started hurting.
I dialed back runs and took more days off (which, as those of you who know me), I really did not like. I missed the feeling of running, and with each inactive day I was concerned about the sharp decline in my fitness. Biking, weight-lifting, swimming, hiking, all those are great substitutes to maintain fitness during a running injury or niggle but I had a hard time being consistent with those activities. However, I did win my age group on a December trail half marathon, so that was encouraging, then after that - I vowed to look into my problem.
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| Humbled by my surprise AG win for the trail half marathon |
To sum it up, it's been a test of patience. But lots of hope and learning. The neat thing about running is that one can always shift their focus and goals. Aim for a 5K PR? Run for an hour non-stop? PR a marathon? Complete another ultra? Don't DFL another ultra? (Hehe, that was me on my first 50K - and I still would very much like to improve that!) Another fun side fact - I once DNS a race - and it was a 5K! Yep! Missed my 3am alarm to Hollywood. Which was a bummer because I also drove up the day before and pick up my shirt and bib and was pretty pumped about the run!
But there is the marathon that eludes me. I opened with a 4:28 at the LA Marathon - a carefully chosen one, after much research and thought. My aunt is a legacy runner for the marathon, and LA is a revered race and destination, and a not-so-hilly course. Those were the factors in my decision. My goal was to just finish the race. But I also have tiered goals - where I aim for one thing, and if I find that slips, go for the 2nd goal, and then, if all else goes, settle for the last.
My tiers for my first marathon were to go sub 4:10, go sub 4:30, and then to just finish the race. I was on pace for the first half to go sub 4:10, but around mile 15 in Beverly Hills of all places, my knee and hip started hurting on the downhill. It was all literally downhill from there! I spent the next 11 miles trying to hang on, and eventually the 4:20 pacer passed me. I really struggled, and with the last 5K to go, I said make this one the best. I did not want the 4:30 pacer to pass me. That became my goal from then on. I tried to surge (which probably, to the many bystanders, looked like a haphazard shuffle at this point), and the 4:30 pacer did pass me once, and by sheer mental will power I hung on. And that is what got me my (rather painful) 4:28!
The finish line was emotional for me, but half of my heart knew I could do so much better. Because I was a first time marathoner, I was queued in the back of the pack. I knew if I returned next year, my finishing time would allow me to be corralled into runners of similar finishing times, so I'd avoid the hectic weaving in the first two miles of the race. Ok, 2019 it was.
Cue 2019. As I mentioned earlier...I was coming from a niggle, so my training was way off. On the positive side, I felt freer to enjoy the course - ate all the pretzels, had several gels (not that i needed them, but I felt it was also a good chance to test my stomach - and usually I am a fasted runner). Yes fasted, not faster haha. It was a difficult race to say the least, because I had more time on feet. Finished in 5:15. Oooyyy.
So - I still have the marathon to tackle. I don't consider myself a gifted runner; nothing in running comes easy to me and I have to work hard to get under 10:00 min/mile any day. But - I find so much joy in the process and in racing. I've been thinking a lot lately about the marathon mindset. What keeps me coming back? What keeps us as runners, coming back? Most of us don't run a sub 2:30 marathon, but why do we do it? We're not going to get that grand prize, much less get paid to do this. Why do we sacrifice our social life, our nights out late, passing up on those cakes and fries? And then get up at dark o'clock to pin on a bib, hopefully we've hydrated correctly and our legs are feeling fresh, we've prepaid parking or arranged transportation to and from the race...then deal with marathon recovery...why?
For me, I find the mindset of marathon running is about the art of tackling challenge. There are so many things to figure out and manage - because of what could potentially derail. First is the distance - 26.2 miles is far. What if your knee starts acting up? What if your stomach rumbles? Then add pace into the equation. How do you maintain 9:09 min/mile to go sub 4? What if the speed work you do in training causes another niggle? So you do strength training to counter that...how long is too long to hold a plank? It takes a while to work up to a 2 minute hold...sure, I'd love to do a 5-minute wall sit, but even sheer mental work won't get me there because my quad will fire off. (btw folks, I'm currently at 2 minutes; I can assure you I won't get to 3 tomorrow...because change. Is. Gradual.
Marathon mindset requires artful planning and patience. To change one thing is to be smart about it, and gradual. I should know, as a trained musician since elementary school. I can't learn a sonata overnight. I may be able to roughly read through it, but to get it to competition or recording quality will take months or years even. And the time factor should not be so important as to cause pressure, though we should be working diligently to get to our goal without wasting time.
So the steady state runs, interval training, long runs, all contribute to marathon success (shorter distances too, but that's another story for later), just as scales, arpeggios, metronome work on piano equate to smoother, artistic performances.
In a nutshell - nothing comes overnight; plan accordingly and be patient, plan for improvement by increments; and any fast improvement should be seen as encouragement, but not the real thing.
Goals for January are to build good base mileage. Not doing the LA marathon this year; it's too soon. Do things when you're ready.
