Happy Happy Friday!
I welcomed today with open arms and I can’t wait to run and relax this weekend.
Speaking of running, I know that was a horrible intro, but as you all know and as I have mentioned several times this has been a pretty difficult training season so far. I’ve been feeling pretty exhausted and have had some really difficult workouts. Last week especially was extremely frustrating.
Looking back on it, I don’t really know what I expected. The heat and humidity has been horrible overall but last week was extremely awful. I don’t know which is worse a fall marathon with summer training or a spring marathon with winter training. Right now, I’d have to say I’d choose winter.
Saturday afternoon after Wes and I had finished running I sat down and felt destroyed. I hated feeling that way, I hated dreading my runs and I hated the fun being taken out of it.
Wes tried to reassure me that with the heat and humidity we’ve been having its really hard to tell just where you stand, but I knew something needed to change.
We talked and decided to adjust my marathon pace a bit. I still don’t know if it’s the right choice so we just altered it by 10 seconds. Instead of running my marathon pace at 7:26 I will now try to hit a 7:35. We will see how that goes for a few weeks and then re-discuss after that.
There comes a point where you have to put your well-being both physically and mentally first. I’m still determined to give it my all but I’m not willing to tear myself apart in the process.
On top of adjusting my marathon pace a bit, I have also made a few adjustments with workouts along the way as I feel I need it.
Last Saturday I tried to attempt a tempo run again, which didn’t go as planned due to the heat. I still got a great moderately-hard effort middle 7 miles in 11 that I ran and averaged somewhere in the upper 7:30’s.
Tuesday morning rolled around and I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to try another one so close. Instead, I opted to do tempo intervals. 3 miles x 2 miles x 2 miles with 4 minutes rest between each. It was much easier for me to break it up in my mind.
I won’t do this every week of course, but on Tuesday it was the best thing for me.
My last training cycle wasn’t perfect, but I stuck to the schedule 99.5% of the time. It’s been hard for me and my “type A” personality to let it go. I’m trying to trust that I know my body and know what is best for it. I’ve still stayed really close but have made the necessary adjustments when necessary.
I’ve had to learn to let go. In fact, if I can title my training so far that’s what would sum it up pretty well. No matter our intentions life happens. I’m letting go of my preconceived notions of what I have to do and doing what my body is capable of.
Not any huge changes as you can see, but small adjustments and a new mindset can go a long way! I’m still coming for you Chicago!
Do you have trouble “letting go” sometimes with training?
Do you make adjustments?
Have you thought about maybe taking a full week off from running? I know for me that really helps and I come back rested and not dreading runs, which is the worst. But summer running is tough! I tend to adjust my expectations for even easy runs.
Yes adjusting expectations is a MUCH for sure! I have considered taking time off if it doesn’t get better; however, so far this week has been a lot better than the past couple. I even hit my workout on Thursday without feeling bad, so we will take it a day at a time and see how it goes 🙂
I can identify with so much of this, Sara! I’m not training for a marathon (yet!), but for some reason this summer has been more of a challenge than I anticipated. I don’t remember having this much trouble last year with the heat and humidity!
I would definitely rather train for a marathon through the winter — but I’m sure I’ll be saying the opposite when January rolls around. 🙂
Sometimes we have to make adjustments that are frustrating, but I hope you find yourself pleasantly surprised with your progress when the cooler weather rolls in!
Thank you Natalie! I know so many people are struggling this summer, so I know I am not alone! Good luck in your training 🙂
Slower paces in the high heat and humidity are to be expected. I can’t hit my tempo paces right now, but compensate for the extremes of July in Texas.
I am not sure if you saw this blog post this week. I saw it on facebook somewhere. Gives you an idea of how much you should expect to slow down with the temperature + dew point. Good one to bookmark.
http://maximumperformancerunning.blogspot.com/2013/07/temperature-dew-point.html
~ Run with joy!
I can tell you this much from my own experience:
-Training in the summer for a fall marathon is 3000 times harder than training in the winter for a spring marathon for me. I don’t mind the winter – I put more layers on and I go. In the summer, however, there is nothing I can do – I hydrate like crazy etc yet, when it’s hot and humid (basically every day here in NYC), I cannot breath properly, my HR is out of control, and I feel extremely dizzy more often than not…
-…BUT here’s the excellent news! While I like training in the winter, I remember suffering a lot towards the end of my spring marathon… It was only in the upper 50s, yet I had been running in the 20’s-40’s for 4 months straight, so my body was not used to the sudden temperature change. During a fall marathon, it’s the opposite! You suffer so much because of the heat during your summer training and then… boom! The fall comes and you are suddenly flying. Chicago will be my 3rd fall marathon, so believe me on this 😉
-This goes hand in hand with my second point: the 7:35 you see now it’s really a 7:25, if not faster. When they say: “adjust your paces in the heat” it is for this very reason. A 7:35 pace when is in the 80s and very humid will translate in a much faster pace when it is in the 50s and the humidity is low (Chicago!).
-Please be careful in this heat… I suffered a heat stroke at the end of June during a speed workout and it wasn’t fun. From that day, I *really* adjusted my expectations and decided that my health comes before anything else. Feeling more tired in the summer is normal, but feeling exhausted means you need to start being extra careful…
Have a great weekend!!!