It isn't a secret that the last three marathons were hard. After getting my speed honed for Santa Rosa in August I fully expected the most recent marathons to finish up in the 4:30 time zone. Instead my times drifted into the 4:40+ and I suffered a bit of marathon burnout at the time.
Recovery after Humboldt was slow and tedious. I took an entire week off, a second week of easy short runs, a third week of marathon training plan mileage with no intensity, and then the fourth week tried to follow the program. My legs have been trying to keep up but have been slow to come around.
Just last week I was getting sort of down about how my paces have been lately. But I stopped and realized that in the last month from that day I had run two marathons. Of course my legs were going to be a little off. I keep trying to preach patience to myself but have been getting a little down. This has definitely been the most difficult recovery period of the year. Perhaps a sign of the accumulated fatigue over the last 12 months.
There is still a bit of time before the Texas Marathon on Jan 1, but I am not feeling as PR-chasing as I thought I might at this point. My paces for all types of runs are 10-20 seconds slower than they were when I was Santa Rosa training.
While I'd love to be in shape for a good effort in January I am not opposed to taking the fun approach, either. I'm going to keep on training over here, though. Every week I get a little more zip back and we'll see how this shapes up.
5 comments:
My prescription for the marathon training funk? Take a week or so and just go out and run short distances really fast. Even find a track and do it that way where you can go REALLY fast for 1/4 or 1/2, then recovery for 1/4 then repeat. That track speed work is a lot of fun. You are never far from your car!!! Pretty soon those long slower runs will look pretty good!!!
don't get too down on yourself. i actually think that more progress is made during those slower "slumps" than we actually realize. of course i'm in the process of trying to talk myself into believing that as well. tonight i ran the slowest pace solo miles i've done in a long long time. but the truth is, its ok to run slow. i've really started to buy into the importance of varying the purpose, intensity and therefore the pace of the different types of runs that i do each week. it keeps things way more interesting especially when i know this is my "only" speed day, or my only recovery run. i go into it with a completely different mind set.
hold that head up and celebrate your victories. including your AWESOME PR when you weren't even expecting it!!!!!
You can't be in hardcore training mode all the time. I've also decided my next race is for fun, I see no harm in it :)
Enjoy the training, get a few massages, and see what happens. No point arguing with your body, since it'll have the last word every time.
I have rested the entire month of November & it has been the best decision EVER! I cant wait to start exercising again! :)
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