Looking Back

Since I’ve been “clean”, obviously running has become a huge part of my life. I wish I could run more quite honestly, but I’ve realized now that I need to listen to my body and try not to go too overboard on the mileage. I plan on continuing to build up after the marathon is over.

Since I’ve finally made it through my training and I’m now tapering for the race, I’m able to reflect back on a few things that have helped me over the last few months. I’ve pinned it down to a few things that I did right and a few things I did wrong.

So let’s start with what I did wrong...

I’ve repeatedly mentioned it throughout my posts, but the biggest mistake I’ve made is increasing my mileage too quickly. This is not some esoteric finding either. Every piece of advice out there lets you in on this secret. Apparently I’m an exception to this rule, though, or so I thought! Turns out trying to follow an advanced training plan when you’re a mere beginner spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e. Start increasing mileage by more than 10% over multiple weeks and it’s a recipe for disaster. “Hey, I could do it as a kid though” was not being very realistic with myself, as much as I wanted to believe it.

The second mistake I made was regarding speed work. I do understand that it’s not a vital part of training for the beginning runner. However, I had very little of it in my training from the get go, which has made it that much harder to incorporate it now that I’m in the final minutes of the game. My short, fast runs of late have been very beneficial to say the least. They’ve sure taught me a lot about pushing hard.

The third mistake I made was not listening to my body. I recall on numerous occasions going out the day after a tough run because the schedule told me to. My body was nowhere near recovered, yet I thought I had to follow the schedule to reach my full potential. Come to find out that it did much more harm than good for me.

Of course there were some positives though…

First and foremost, my goal was to find a positive addiction. Everyone around me will agree that this addiction is much better than my last. End of story.

Second, I’m in great shape! I wouldn’t have dreamt I’d be in this position six months ago. I can run around for hours and not get tired. I can spend an entire weekend working on projects rather than sitting on the couch (although I still enjoy relaxing when needed). I sleep better, I work harder, my mind is more focused and I’m more positive. All good things, right?

Third, I’m a goal seeker. I’m not quite where I’d like to be, but if I didn’t have goals there’s no need to keep pushing, right? So I’ve set some lofty goals for myself over the course of the next year, hoping that continually having something to strive for will push me to new heights!

Since I figured there should be one more positive than negative, the final positive is that I’m content. Of course I’ve still got those goals pushing me, but I no longer sit around and think about what I could be doing. I’m going out there and doing it, every single day. That, in and of itself, is reason enough to continue doing what I’m doing and make this a lifelong pursuit.

Lack of Motivation = Lack of Skills

Lately I’ve been struggling with some motivation. Throughout my training, motivation hasn’t really been a problem. It felt like a routine for awhile, actually. I had a busy summer too... Took trips to Bear Lake, Tahoe, St.George, a few camping trips, and two hunting trips. Throughout all that time though, I never experienced problems with getting up and getting out there, even if it meant finding a random road or trail to run on (except when I was hunting; I was doing enough miles hiking). The past few weeks however, have not been so good to me. Somewhere along the way, I lost that motivation and got out of the routine. I believe it has something to do with the fact that now I’m on the downside of my training schedule. The Taper! I realized that the lack of motivation started the week after my longest training week. Coincidence? Doubtful. Since that time I’ve been lucky to get out 3 or 4 times a week, where as at my peak I was doing 5 or 6 days a week, no problem.

Luckily, I don’t feel like I’ve lost much in the endurance category. I’m just running a bit sloppier now. It’s like I just jumped off the teacups at Disneyland; arms flailing, hunched over and wobbly on my legs (so I’m a little dramatic). I’ve also put on a couple pounds since I’m not running as much, which definitely doesn’t help my cause. My leg turnover isn’t as fast and I’m disgusted just about every minute I run. Throw in some heat and you’ll catch me cursing under my breath, wondering why I would choose to torture myself in such ways.

I still desire to continue running, though. I read about running and I think about it all day. Those are positives to come away with, for sure. My guess is once the marathon is over (15 days, but who’s counting?), I’ll get my motivation back. I’ll have another goal to shoot for and a new training schedule to begin. Being on the down-slope isn’t much fun, but eventually I gotta learn how to get over this ‘dark side depression’. Hopefully the skills will then follow suit.