Back to Training: Back to Saturdays

 Improvements Come Slow and Steady: Running for Fitness

I’ve started another cycle of training for a marathon in the fall. I’ll probably sign up for the Route 66 marathon in Tulsa. At least that way I won’t have to travel like I did in April. I’m of two minds on running. With a marathon in the near future, I force myself to commit more to running during the week. I’ve gotten used to the rigors of training. Without the schedule I could commit more to weights and regular gym cardio. Running takes over at a certain point. Once we start to hit the 14 and 16 mile distances on Saturday, it begins to feel different. Your body learns how to suffer more efficiently. 

Running Takes Over

But if I stop doing marathons I could still run, but with an easier schedule during the week. I used to do that every Sunday, before I went back to the running group. It’s tempting because I’d like to spend more time lifting weights again. I still do a little weight training during the week but it’s mostly in service to running. Legs are a must. That takes at least one whole day. The next day it’s a halfhearted work-load for biceps and chest. Mostly I’m too tired to lift anything heavy. I’d have to start eating a lot of protein at breakfast and putting on pounds again. You can’t lift without energy, especially once you pass 40 years old, and I don’t eat as much when I run.

 I was never a true body builder anyway, but I did put a lot of effort into work outs. I wasn’t particularly healthy though. My eating habits were awful and I weighed at least 20 pounds more than I should have. Not that I’ve had a dramatic turnaround but I’m generally in better health. I guess I don’t want to go back.

The Distance Puzzle

I’d like to figure out this enigma that is the marathon. The last one was terrible. I was sick and exhausted way too early in the race and I’m not quite sure why. That’s not different from a Saturday morning run in the spring. On any given day, it might seem like you’re carrying sandbags, or the heat is unbearable after just a few miles and water isn’t cooling you down. I had to pack it in one morning, last year, after a short 3 mile run. My breathing was labored and I couldn’t find my rhythm. You can’t predict when the suck will happen but it typically does at least once per session.

A lot of what’s pushing me is how disastrous the last marathon turned out. I hit the wall at 13 miles and had to jog/walk the rest of the way. I won’t say it’s humiliating but it also doesn’t sit right with me. It might be smarter to just train with the group and skip the events. That would be cheaper at least. Part of me likes telling people that I run marathons. It’s really the mildly impressed look that does it for me. It’s vanity really. I need approval from friends and strangers. Whatever the time, whatever the pace, in the end it’s all about respect.

I’m exaggerating a little.

Consistency Over Wins

 Mostly I like improving and climbing things that used to be obstacles. When I first started jogging I couldn’t go much beyond 6 miles. I was always in decent shape and even ran short distances for exercise. The Army makes runners out of helpless kids, even the chunky ones who swore they’d never be able to run the length of a football field. A woman in my Tulsa group told me she couldn’t run a mile when she first started. This was after she turned 40. She broke down into tears after her first 5K. The sheer pride she felt in completing a race set her on a trajectory towards life-long running. Now she runs a handful of marathons every year. I can’t keep up with her.

 We all start at different levels. I usually take the slow and steady climb to better, while others quickly improve and surpass me. But I stick with it when so many have stopped. I’m slow and careful but I always get there. The goal this year is to be stronger than the last time and improve the time. I’m reluctant to set time goals until I have a few more events under my belt.