Nope, this is not that post.

Blogging is great, you know? It brings together people with common goals and common problems. It allows us a roaring crowd for our triumphs and shoulders to lean on in our failures. It provides us with unending inspiration, motivation, advice, and new ideas.

But, if you’re not careful, the world of blogs can rub salt in our wounds with boundless frustration, jealousy, and resentment.

It’s been a rough couple of months. Nothing really major has happened, but I’ve been in a funk – I’ve felt listless, unmotivated, uninspired, just over the whole marathon training thing. It felt a lot like trying to shove a round peg in a square hole.

So, naturally – I turned to blogs, my usual source of inspiration. But, this is where I went wrong.

It’s not the blogs, it’s me.

I’ve spent too much time lately focusing more on how much farther I have to go to reach my goals than how far I’ve come. I’ve been beating myself up for workouts missed or shortened and junk food consumed.

I’ve been comparing my life and my journey to everyone else’s.

If someone else has time to spend 2 hours every day in the gym, I should too. If someone else has time to train for multiple marathons, so should I, right? If someone else can lift 7 days a week, and run 90 miles a week, and cook every single meal from scratch, I can too. And if I can’t, then clearly I’m a failure.

Um, I don’t know about YOUR reality, but, none of those are my reality. I have a good wonderful life. But, as great as it is, I do not have endless time. I do not always have the energy and motivation to run 10 miles after working 10+ hours. I don’t always get a weekend like everyone else does, so I don’t always feel like spending one of my few days off running for hours upon hours in the freezing cold, only to have zero energy left for anything else fun. It was starting to feel a little like I could either go run or workout, or blog about running and working out – but I certainly didn’t have the time or energy for both.

So, I got out for my own sanity. And the Huz’s sanity, too.

I put marathon training on hold, and I took a step back from the blogging world. I haven’t stopped working out – far from it. I’ve just taken the last month to workout how I choose, when I choose. I figure that absence makes the heart grow fonder – time off from those 15+ mile runs could make me crave longer runs.

If it did, there was my answer.

If it didn’t, there was my answer.

Happily, I got my answer.

I’ve spent the last two years pushing. Pushing for time, pushing for distance, pushing for strength. AS we all know, there is a time to push, and there is a time to back off and let yourself recover. Instead of getting back in the pushing game, I’m moving on to the recovery game for a little while. How long? Who knows. While it’s still one of my long-term goals to run a marathon in under 4 hours, now is not the time to pursue it. Maybe the right time will come in the fall, maybe not until next year. Who knows?

For the time being, you can find me recapturing the joy in this crazy life of mine – and of course, running some miles, (sometimes a lot, sometimes a little), and lifting heavy things (sometimes a lot, and sometimes a little).

It feels good to be back, folks… it feels really good!

• Monday: 60 minutes Strength
• Tuesday: 2 miles
• Wednesday: Rest!
• Thursday: 5 miles (speedwork), 45 minutes PT
• Friday: 30 minutes strength
• Saturday: 4 miles (9:11 pace)
• Sunday: 8 miles (9:47 pace)

8 weeks in, and I’ve hit another recovery week. For the most part, I did take it easy, which was definitely overdue after my 15 on the treadmill last week. My legs felt very tired and sore, but I couldn’t resist a trip to the gym on Monday, since I had the day off work. Other than my Monday trip and Thursday personal training, I did a good job of taking it easy.

Speaking of which, my personal training session this week was AWESOME. For the first time in a year, we did treadmill work. Trainer’s reasoning? No one wants to do sprints on their own.

Touche, Trainer. Touche.

So, I did 30 seconds all-out sprints, 1.5 minute walk for 10 minutes, then 5 rounds of:

• 10 reps of squat press
• 10 push ups
• 1 minute of bear crawls
• .25 mile sprint

Whew!

I have to say, I had struggled my way through 3 miles just before training, and just wanted to get my hour in and go home. I really questioned whether I’d be able to hang, but I pulled it out of somewhere and rocked the shit out of this workout. Ultimately, it proved that my struggles lately are almost entirely mental… physically, I have it in me. I just need to focus – easier said than done.

It felt so good to crank up that treadmill to 11.5 and let it rip, even just for 30 seconds. Throughout the workout, we made goals for the next sprint, and ended up with a goal for my last quarter mile to come in under 1:30, and whaddaya know?

Nailed it.

Seriously. I’m gonna have to do this more often.

It was exhilarating.

]]> http://onerunatatime.com/2013/02/25/marathon-training-week-8/feed/ 0 http://onerunatatime.com/2013/02/22/things-i-found-this-week-that-i-really-like/ http://onerunatatime.com/2013/02/22/things-i-found-this-week-that-i-really-like/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:00:44 +0000 Janene http://onerunatatime.com/?p=3235 Continue reading →]]>

Okay, so I’m an old fan of Strength Running, but this post, Cute Butts & Tightening the Screws, is still awesome. Also, it led me to this girl…

A Life Less Bullshit. Kills me dead. I’m in love.

Also, this:

“Research has found that when girls view their bodies through a functional lens, they’re more likely to be satisfied with and appreciate their body. They also report feeling more empowered and physically capable.”

That is all. Happy Freakin’ Friday.

It’s easier to keep pushing, pushing, pushing.

After all, that’s what we do best.

But, ironically (or maybe not), success in pushing, pushing, pushing requires a certain amount of temperance.

Hard days tempered by easy days, long runs tempered by easy runs, heavy weeks tempered with rest.

It may be one of the hardest things for an endurance athlete to do, rest. But, without rest, we tread a thin and perilous line.

It’s when we rest, that real change happens. When pushing through life nonstop, we only feel the stress and effort of it all.

But when we rest, we allow ourselves to see the results of our hard work.

To sit back and enjoy the chaos around us, or the fleeting moment of calm.

Tempering our hectic lives with rest, in whatever form it comes, allows us to appreciate it all, to soak it in, and enjoy the product of our hard work.

Without temperance, marathon would be a never-ending quest for the next thing. Admittedly, sometimes it is, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

But temperance is what brings us back to the moment and allows us to grow.

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 3 miles (9:15 pace)
• Wednesday: 60 minutes personal training
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: 45 minutes strength
• Saturday: 6 miles (8:45 pace)
• Sunday: 15 miles (9:45 pace)

Despite some challenges and time crunches, I managed another decent week of marathon training. I had 3 very good runs this week, including a crazy treadmill distance/time PR that I was not expecting, and 2 great strength sessions. I ate well, hydrated, stretched – in my book, that adds up to a quality week of training!

I know that compared to a lot of other runners, this doesn’t seem like much running, especially for a marathon. I’ve been having mixed feelings lately – on the one hand, I love running and want badly to run a marathon in under 4 hours. On the other hand, I love lifting, and I feel best overall when I run less and lift more. I know that I can’t do both at full capacity and be successful – it’s a give-and-take balancing act, one that I’m still figuring out.

In the past, I’ve been really successful with the whole “run less, lift more” philosophy at the half marathon distance. But, I wonder to what extent this will hold true for the marathon – 26.2 is a loooooong way to run, and while too many miles is obviously not good, too few is just as bad.

I admit, the doubts creep in, and I sometimes question whether I’m really getting enough miles in to be successful. Training for a marathon while working full time is no joke, and while I’m fitting in as much as I can, I wonder whether it will be enough come race day.

So, consider this my renewed commitment: an honest effort to get more quality miles in over the next few weeks – but not at the expense of !

• Monday: 3 miles (8:55 pace)
• Tuesday: 60 minutes personal training
• Wednesday: 8 miles (9:25 pace)
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: 60 minutes strength
• Saturday: Rest
• Sunday: 15 miles (long run. 9:55 pace)

I needed a solid training week, and I finally got it!

After being sick all weekend, I was itching to move a little, so despite not being 100%, I hit the treadmill Monday afternoon for a quick run. Thanks to an out of town training, I bumped personal training up to Tuesday and had plenty of time to get a middle distance run in on Wednesday before training started. Friday, I celebrated my birthday the best way I know how – with a great total body weight session, and a night out with some friends. Last but not least, I finally got my 15 milers in on Sunday.

Man, I really, really needed a good week, and now I’m hoping to carry the momentum forward. I foresee it being a challenging week, as I’ll be going to(and presenting at – eek!) a conference in North Carolina Friday to Monday, but I hope to still pack in some quality training time, nonetheless.

I am responsible for my failure.

No one else.

It’s not hard to own up to success… but, when you stare failure in the face? That’s when responsibility gets sneaky.

In those moments, it’s much easier to explain it away – I was busy with work, I didn’t have time, it’s too hot, it’s too cold.

 When running asks the hard questions, there’s no hiding the truth. Race day is the question looming, the judgement day that keeps us all honest.

So, when the alarm goes off at 4:45am, when my muscles burn, when it’s 10 degrees outside, and I face a 3 hour run, I ask myself this -

“Come race day, which would you rather be responsible for – your success, or your own failure?”

And, over time, I’ve learned to ask that question in life, too.

Because, really…

Its only by embracing our failures that we ever truly grow.

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: 2×3 miles (9:00 pace)
• Wednesday: 60 minutes personal training)
• Thursday: 3 miles of speed + 1 mile of hills (avg 9:00 pace)
• Friday: 60 minutes strength
• Saturday: Rest… also, SICK!
• Sunday: 12 miles SICK!

This week started off well! Thank to AMAZING and uncharacteristic Ohio weather, I ran before AND after work on Tuesday, and both were great! I had 2 really great strength sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, and I killed it on the treadmill on Thursday!

Friday I worked overnight and into Saturday afternoon.  Come Saturday morning, I knew I was getting sick, and sure enough… I got sick. And, although I’m coming around, I was sick as a dog all day Sunday, too.

So, alas – I’ve now missed 2 long runs in a row.

I’m not going to lie and say it’s all okay. I’m not one to make excuses or find ways to skip workouts. I truly enjoy running, and I truly enjoy marathon training, but I’ve been skipping a lot of runs lately. It’s starting to feel a little like the universe is conspiring against me, but I also know that this kind of thinking is taking the easy way out and blaming someone or something else for my problems. And I hate being that kind of person.

I need to (wo)man up and get my workouts in, plain and simple. For me, running a sub-4 marathon is a very ambitious goal, and if I’m going to make it happen, I need to get on the ball… like, yesterday.

I am responsible for my successes, and I am responsible for my failures.

I still have 12 weeks to go – come race day, I want to know that I gave it my all, so that’s I will do for the next 12 weeks.

• Monday: 60 minute strength
• Tuesday: 3 miles (tempo, 8:45 pace)
• Wednesday: 3 mile (recovery,   pace), 60 minute strength
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: 3 miles (9:30 pace)
• Saturday: 60 minute strength
• Sunday: 8 miles 2 miles (long run, 10:00 pace)

Don’t get me wrong, I had a great week of workouts in the gym. I got in 3 really solid strength sessions that each left me feeling strong and confident. I’ve almost lost all of my holiday weight, and feel great! But, every time I tried to get a run in, I couldn’t seem to make it happen.

All that advice I gave last week about hydrating and eating well? I did better, but still didn’t really listen to it, at least not when it came time for my runs. It’s so very frustrating to feel like I’m sabotaging myself and have no idea why.

Anyway, week 4 was a recovery week, so I’m going to try not to get too hung up on it. Here’s to putting my best foot forward for week 5.

On a funnier note, I had an awesome moment at the gym on Saturday. I was resting in between cable squat sets when Mr. Muscles saunters over and asks if I’d like him to show me how to use the machine. I’m sure I gave him a ridiculous blank stare before saying “Nope, I’m fine.”

Mr. Muscles glanced down at the pin, which I had set on 220 lbs for that set. He looked back up at me and said, “You know you have to set the weight, right?”

“Yep,” I said. Mr. Muscles walked away, clearly peeved that I didn’t need his help. As he walked away, I busted out 12 reps and watched him glance back at me in shock.

MWUAHAHA!

Yep, it was pretty awesome.