I finished my 18 weeks of training this morning for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon feeling very strong and ready for the race. With the exception of missing two weekend long runs due to being sick twice (what's up with that?!), I had a fantastic training cycle. I'll get out Friday morning for probably two or three miles just to keep the legs and mind happy, but other than that, I am done with my training. Training for my second marathon has been night and day from training for my first marathon last summer/fall. I had no injuries this time around which obviously helps a LOT! Part of my good training I know comes from this being my second time. I think another part was my higher mileage training plan, plus the fact that I had such a good base built up before I even started training. Train smart has been my motto, and I feel that I succeeded. I listened to my body instead of just my training schedule. Some of these things come from experience.
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| Look at all those crossed off days! |
After spending the last three days completely freaked out about the weather forecast for Sunday, I have finally calmed down. It is what it is. I can't change the weather, so I decided to stop wasting a lot of energy worrying about it. I am drinking more water this week and will make sure to hydrate smartly during the race. When I registered for this race MANY many months ago, I knew that May weather in Ohio is completely unpredictable. It could be 40 degrees and it could be 90. As a lifelong Ohio resident, I know that we can't count on anything weather wise! For now, it looks like it will be high 50s to low 60s for the start (so happy for a 7am start!) and by the time I finish many hours later, it will be mid 70s. I can handle that! It's funny to me, before my first marathon, I was totally freaked out about the race itself. This time, I know I have put in the training and I just have to trust it. So, I've been worried about everything else; my race outfit, the weather, my family's plans, etc. Taper time gives my brain too much extra time; but I figure if I'm stressing about clothes and weather, it's better than being worried about the run. I'm TRUSTING my TRAINING! (yes, that definitely needed to be repeated. It's very important!)
Yesterday I received an email from the Cleveland Marathon with my Bib Number (#658 incase anyone really wants to track me during the race) and I got so excited. And emotional! I was very emotional in the week leading up to USAF in September and figured since this isn't my first time, that I wouldn't be as emotional. Wrong! My mom texted me yesterday that she was thinking of making shirts for my boys and that made me tear up. Looks like I'll be crying a lot again for the next 4 days....
For any first time marathoners, just remember, nothing you do this week running wise will have any impact on your run this weekend. Trust your training. Enjoy (as if!) your taper. Rest, relax, eat properly, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Sunday is the celebration of all of your hard work and dedication for the past several months. Get there early on Sunday to enjoy race morning, take it all in. Enjoy the experience of the race and most of all, celebrate your finish!
Total for 18 weeks of training: 597.19 miles (ok, looks like my Friday run will be at least 2.9 miles to make it at least 600 miles for training)
Total number of runs: 91
Total time spent training for Cleveland Marathon: 99:41:56 h:m:s
I'm looking forward to meeting many of you this weekend. Good luck to everyone racing! We will be at the 5K on Saturday, the kids' race, then the Marathon. HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEKEND!!
You are going to rock that course!! How do I get updates?
ReplyDeleteYou are SO ready! I can't wait to hear how you did when I (eventually) get to the finish. :)
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