Marathon Training Fatigue
Last week has been absolutely blah with regards to training. Even more so than the previous weeks.
I didn’t feel any inclination to run at all, and even through I have done my track workout this week I still feel blah about waking up early and getting a run in. And the worst .- I didn’t care!
Part of it is because school started and after school activities started last week. I’ve been occupied trying to arrange everything and realizing that in spite of pulling out of a few activities, both my kids are scheduled with something or the other every.single.day of the week!! And both need a music class to be scheduled still. How does that even happen??
I have often felt marathon training fatigue in the past and trying to remember if I felt it this accurately. I do remember conversations with Mike, my coach to Dopey & Augusta 70.3 and Coach G for Marine Corps Marathon where they had to talk me off the ledge and to keep going (Can’t remember how Tokyo Marathon training was even though it was the most recent one and trained under pressure).
Both those instances, I was in the best fitness shape and giving up 4-6 weeks before training would have meant a serious setback in my goals, with Augusta 70.3 and Tokyo it would’ve been a DNF.
This time around, I am stagnant in my progress and just not getting better. I am running slower for 10 miles than I did for 26.2 of Tokyo just 6 months ago. The heat and humidity is sucking the soul out of running. I’m tired of burning the candle at both ends – waking up early for a run and staying up late if a kid wants homework/study help. To go from running a slow 13:30 pace to struggling at an even slower 14:30+ is very very sobering and not encouraging at all. Believe me, no matter how many times I’m told that “its’s so inspiring that I’m out there doing it”, there is nothing, NOTHING inspiring about spending 3hours to struggle to barely run 10-11 miles on FLAT roads.
Yes, I have talked to my coach about it. But there are only so many times that I can keep complaining. It makes me feel very negative about myself to keep going on and on about how the summer heat and humidity is sucky. I cannot truly keep moaning about training when I truly have the PRIVILEGE to train for a marathon.
I sometimes wonder if I’ve lost respect for the distance and I’m being complacent. But I don’t think so. I KNOW that 26.2 miles/6+ hrs is an awfully long distance and it will be even more insufferable if I don’t train to make it bearable. And I put in my work week after week, inspite of the blahness at times.
Even Mr. FauxRunner has noticed my mental shift. And he always accuses me of being obsessed with the perfect training cycle with all green training peak boxes.
All I need to do is hang in there and talk myself into completing the runs – come race day it will be worth it. I might not be able to run a strong marathon or a PR, but darned if I’m going to get myself to a miserable one!
