New Video Friday

Happy Friday, my friends.
I present to you:

Thanks!

Thanks for the guesses and encouragement! I'm hoping that sleep the night before a marathon is overrated, because not much of it happened last night for this marathon rookie. Got out of bed at 4:00 for a light breakfast and coffee. Looks like a beautiful, if not a bit too warm, day ahead. I'm a little nervous but also very excited. Even though there are MANY more races to come, it feels like the last few months of training are being boiled down to this one day (thus the nerves, I guess). I know that the earth won't leave its axis if I have an off day. Still, like all of us, I want the race to go according to plan and to be able to report a good result. But good or bad, it'll be here for the reading!

Again, thanks for joining me on this journey so far.

MARATHON TAPER DIET, Mid-Morning Snack Edition

Mmmm.....bacon!

Today's Run, and my Fragile Psyche

After two days of "post-disaster" rest, I was ready to get back out there today.

6.2 miles, 52:10 (8:25 avg/mile) 131 avg HR, 160 peak HR

Before I get into the run, I'll share something that made my jaw drop this morning. I only weigh myself once a week (it'll soon be more often). Today the scale showed me nearly three pounds lighter than last week! I don't know how much of that was due to dehydration from Monday, but I'm quite a bit lighter than I'd like to be now (nearing Ryan Hall territory…sans the speed). I still feel a little weak today but, again, that could be due to the Monday debacle, or the recent high mileage.

Because of my plummeting weight, I ate a large breakfast this morning (why not overcompensate immediately, right?). This delayed today's run, as I felt a little queasy and weak. Still, I made my way out and ran the first four miles at exactly 9:00 pace. This is my easy "recovery" pace, but it didn't feel good. I felt pretty sluggish and was breathing too hard. I then decided that, when I hit the start of mile 5, I was going to bump it up a notch, just to blow out the pipes a little. I kicked it into a gear that felt like about a 7:00-7:10 pace. When I looked at my Garmin at the end of the mile, it read 6:43! Okay, good. I can't say it felt easy, but I was very much in control and could have pushed even more. I backed off the last mile (7:46) and felt pretty good when I finished.

I didn't need to bust out a quick mile for training purposes. That 6:43 was quite a bit faster than my planned marathon race pace, but my psyche needed it badly. I needed reassurance that my wheels could still turn when I wanted them to. I hate to admit it, but Monday's blow-up really shook my confidence. I know it shouldn't have, but my fickle brain has me questioning a lot of things about my training. My wife reassures me that I'll be strong and ready come marathon morning, and I know she's right. But while I felt very confident about this marathon over a week ago, I'm now filled with a combination of confidence, respect and a dash of fear. Still, I'm very much looking forward to it.