Ummm....how in the world has time flown by so quickly? Wow. That's life for you.
Training has been awesome. As good as - or really better than - I could have expected and I am just feeling SO thankful for that. But honestly, I am not thankful because of the results it might produce. I'm grateful because I am feeling so good and for the simple fact that I am running, doing what I love. I'm grateful for the journey.
There really is a lot to be said for taking things one day, one moment, one step at a time.
Being in the moment, yet also working towards something bigger than yourself ... this is how I want to be with all areas of my life. It really, truly is.
It's tricky though.
When you are "in the moment" that would mean you aren't thinking about the future, right? However if you have dreams you want to do things in the moment that will help lead you the direction of those dreams. Kinda tricky if you ask me. But maybe it is actually very simple and I over-complicate things with my tendency to over-think? This is probably the case actually.
I like having a plan because it helps me see the big picture and hold myself accountable. At the same time, I change it almost on a daily basis depending on how I am feeling or what is going on in my world. Gotta roll with it.
planning the work to work the plan
I completely altered my training over the last couple of weeks and did a little less running so I would feel fresher since I decided to RACE my 10 miler last weekend and not just use it as a training run. With so much time left to train I knew I would have the wiggle room to do that and still have one more build before I have to taper for my marathon. I had to trust in that gut feeling. I am really glad that I made that change because it felt so good to race! Right now I am fiddling with what I will do over these next several weeks. My main goal is to arrive at the start line for Richmond feeling happy and excited and strong and healthy. Ready to pour it all on and run my heart out on race day. To get there feeling that way I know I will need to take it one step at a time and adjust everything according to how I am feeling each day. I'm not totally sure what the mileage will look like or what all the workouts will look like when all is said and done. I haven't even decided if I'm going to go with my usual 3 week taper, or if I will make it a 2 week taper instead like I did for Boston. I just have to see how things go.Yesterday I went out for a 20 mile long run. I did 16 two weekends before and only 14 last weekend because of my race. I was aiming for 18-20 yesterday and thought I would just see how I felt. If it was a tough run and my pace was hard to keep, I would stop at 18 or maybe even cut it down to 16. If I was feeling strong I would do 20. With the warmer weather (hello August in October!?!) I had my doubts. But thankfully as I got moving I knew that I felt strong. I held a very steady pace and decided to go all 20 miles.
strong run!
When I look too much at what I have planned ahead I sometimes get really nervous. If I stick to the plan I have laid out, I will peak at 96 miles before tapering. I've never run that many miles in one week before (the most I have done is 92, and I felt awesome when I did that, but still those 4 miles make a difference to this girl!). The thing is though I also know that I won't do what's planned unless it feels right at the time. So I have to trust in myself and in my ability to listen to my body and to always keep the big picture in mind. There is no point in running a ton of miles if it runs your body into the ground, after all. High mileage is relative, and different for each one of us, and it does not necessarily mean you are in the best shape of your life just because you run a lot of miles ... it could mean you are on the couch with an injury because you over did it. I saw a quote today - somewhere I so wish I could remember! - but it said something like "there is a very fine line between being a badass and being a dumbass, so tread carefully." I love that. I am trying to keep it in mind these next few weeks before I taper. I really don't care how many miles I actually run as long as I am feeling good and able to run!So here's to the next several weeks. Staying in the moment and honoring how I am feeling and what my body and heart are telling me each day. And moving forward towards that start line in Richmond. Ready to rock it and do what I love!