Lessons learned in Marathon training

Running our long run with Melanie in the middle of summer, Superior Township, MI 

Marathon training is a lonely road. It is filled with hundreds of hours and miles that are spent inside your own head. These hours and miles succumb us to the crunch beneath our feet and to the drone of repetitive breaths. I’ve always found this form of “nakedness” as a form of meditation. Having relationship problems? Go for a run. Have a big work interview? Go for a run. Need a steady hand and a clear heart? Go for a run. That might be a blog for another day.

I have a great group of running friends that I met through the Ann Arbor Track Club.  They support my constantly fluctuating training schedule, fit their running template into mine, and are always willing to jump into portions of my workout.

I am always grateful for their assistance on a last, hard repetition or companionship during long, time-consuming runs. And yet, despite this, no one else is experiencing the perpetual and algorithmic exhaustion and fatigue with every workout and long run that is being driven into my muscle and bone. 

Although I am still early in my training segment, I’m already noticing changes that come with marathon training. The exhaustion is rearing its teeth; I find myself requiring more than my usual 6-7 hours of sleep. My weekends can be spent sleeping up to 10-11 hours and I’ll occasionally take a nap which is unlike me. 

My day-to-day schedule is monopolized by my next snack or meal. My body is craving calories more frequently and despite wanting to eat all the office cookies, I remind myself that I need to properly fuel. This fuel is perpetually preparing me for the next workout, or long run, or stride out. Although I feel it is important to mention that marathon training is very forgiving on that extra cookie or evening beer.

I’m not sure how to explain the emotional component of marathon training. It requires the science of repetitive injury to create a stronger bone, a stronger mind, a stronger me. For example, a few weeks ago on tempo repeats, my mind went dark and resulted in prematurely stopping, sitting on a bench, and having a pity party for one. A month later, and I’m doing mile repeats in the middle of an 18 mile long run without the same emotional reaction. Marathon training is simply taxing physically, mentally and emotionally; and that requires training of the mind and spirit just as much as the legs and lungs. 

But, it can be done. A large time commitment requires better organization, planning and prioritizing. I have been prioritizing less hangouts throughout the week and more on the weekends. I set myself up for success by telling my friends of my curfew so that I can sleep and prepare for my Sunday long run. I have stopped wasting time on social media to focus on weight lifting and meal prepping. This also means more time to pack my running clothes to bring into work the next morning. Lastly, I have found that I should never leave my run for the end of the day. Running right after work avoids the mental excuses or unknowns that come with life. It is all a journey that I am excited to enter again.