Let the Games Begin!

The mental games, that is.

Just over three weeks to go until the Shamrock Marathon.  Now, mind you, when I decided to run this marathon, I set out to have fun and accepted the possibility that I might not have time to get back into peak shape.  No pressure.  Just fun.  Time doesn't matter.  Simply enjoy the run.  Yep.  Totally.

Aaaaaaand, I started caring.  Damn it.

In all my training cycles, I can look back and pinpoint a run in which everything just started to click.  Whether it simply be in the way I feel, or in the way I perform, there was always that moment when the weeks of feeling like, uh, shit, became worth it.  I can look back during this training cycle and pinpoint two moments:  a 14-mile run that wasn't even all that spectacular, but felt effortless, and a final 6:03 mile at the end of a seven mile run that had already averaged 7:10 pace for the first six miles.  At that point, I knew I hadn't lost all my speed.  I was relieved; I wasn't sure I would reach those moments this time around.

Since then, I've had some great workouts.  I've even become friends with the track.  We've always had a tumultuous relationship, but it looks like I'm wearing the pants these days*.  I ran 5 x the mile (1600 meters if I want to be totally anal, which, um, I am) at a 6:07 average, completed 16 x 400 with a 1:22.75 (yes, anal) average, and dropped a four-mile tempo at 6:31 pace right in the middle of a 20-mile run.  I also had a fast enough tempo during an 18-miler that brought the entire run's average pace to sub-7.  These workouts left me happy and confident in my belief that the body never forgets all the previous hard work it's done.

*Hopefully after reading this, the track doesn't smack me upside the head on my 800's next week.  Yes, tracks can read.  You didn't know that?  Well, they can.  So there.

Alright, so, just over three weeks to go.  My mind has shifted from wondering if I'd even be in shape to wondering if I'm now in shape too early.  Oh, the mental agony!  I justify my thoughts by simply thinking to the marathon distance itself.  Getting to the start line NOT under-trained, NOT over-trained, and NOT injured is quite an art form.  Sure, if you are a bit out-of-shape or fatigued, running a decent 5K or 10K is still highly possible.  The game changes for 26.2.  Plus, other elements play bigger roles...i.e., the weather, getting your nutrition/hydration/sleep correct, keeping healthy...

Oh, yeah, so, as I write this, I am sick as a dog.  Actually, I retract that statement because why do we assume dogs are always sick??  While laying in bed coughing my lungs up this morning, all Zoe did was snuggle up to my chest trying to make me feel better.  So, yeah, let me rephrase that by saying I am sick as a worm.  Because really, worms are sick (in the nasty-disgusting-slimy sense), little creatures. 

So NOT sick

Despite the often over-thinking, I have stayed true to myself during this training.  And by true to myself, I mean I am still drinking wine like a fish.  Wait, do fish drink wine??  What is with all these false animal references, people!?  And eating like a horse.  Ack!  Horses don't even eat meat!  In which case, I CERTAINLY do NOT eat like a horse.  Anywho, point being, I am not allowing the training to consume me.

So, let's get off topic and talk about meat for a little bit.  By the time I post this, it will be lunchtime, so you will be hungry anyway.  You're welcome.  Mike and I had an AWESOME dinner the night before Valentine's Day (yep, that's how we roll...not normal) at a restaurant in town called Table 16.  If you haven't tried it yet, you are weird should.  We did their "tasting", which means you pay a flat rate, and the chef keeps bringing you surprise mini courses until you tell him you are full.  It was like a dream come true.  Little did the chef know that for small people, we can eat.  A LOT.  Here is what we ate:  duck and crawfish gumbo, salmon with fried cauliflower, arugula with prosciutto and chevre cheese, tuna with bearnaise sauce over polenta, prime rib and okra over something that I can't remember because I was in food heaven, and bison with something that I can't remember because I was in a food coma.  I think there was another course in there too that I can't remember.  We polished it off with bread pudding.  And a bottle and a half of Shiraz.  We finally closed the place down at 11pm.  Mm hmm. 

Okay, so that was fun.  Back on topic.  I am true to myself, which also means I can be a mental case from time-to-time.  I'm not afraid to admit it.  I justify this by telling myself that in order to be a good marathon runner, you have to be Type-A in some regards.  Not all regards (re-read the previous paragraph), but if you are a marathon runner, chances are, you like to accept challenges, and ultimately, succeed.

So, here is where my devil mind has sent me over these past few weeks and my angel mind's rebuttals:

*  Am I peaking too early? 
A month ago, I didn't think I'd be in shape.  Shut up.

*  My recovery days at a slow pace don't always feel as slow as they should or did before. That's not good.

I know better than this.  There is no "should".  Everyday is different, and I tell the runners I coach this all the time.  Plus, the bonus in this is that I've gotten REALLY good at taking these recovery days.  Actually, I AM THE FREAKING BOMB AT THEM!

* Ugh, it takes me longer now than in previous training cycles to warm up into a run.  This must mean I'm fatigued.
Mike tells me it's because we're getting older, HA!  So, I'm sticking with that.

 * My big toe just started hurting.
Your big toe?  Seriously?  Shut up.

So, there we have it.  At the end of the day, I am THRILLED to have reached the fitness I have again.  Hmm, "at the end of the day" ...another dumb reference.  Because really, I am thrilled about it ALL day.  Anywho, this weekend will be my longest run yet, a 22-miler, and then the miles start coming down.  Whereas my mind is trying to wander and hope that being sick won't affect my run this weekend, because having a bad run for my longest run would be a very bad thing, I am getting much better at beating these mental demons and always remembering why I do this...because I love to run.  Running fast is just icing on the cake.

Did someone say cake?