We have t-minus four weeks until the Lincoln half and full marathon. As I previously mentioned, I have had to re-figure my training after feeling not-so-hot at State Farm. Since four weeks out is still plenty of time to add fitness, here are a list of things that I am going to try to do so that I can go into Lincoln as strong as possible:
Adequate Sleep I know that this is a tough one for all of us. Think about what time you get up...if you like to get up and do your workouts in the mornings, hitting the 'snooze' button in favor of more sleep is going to cause you to miss your workout. And going to bed earlier might not really be an option either. If you honestly can't go to bed earlier or sleep in a bit, there are still a few things you CAN do. Think about your relationship with your phone. I have mine automatically set to go on silent at 10pm...however, I am going to re-set that to 9pm. Why? I know that the very last thing that Philip and I do before we go to sleep is check our phones...and we do not need to do this. This only serves to stimulate our brains AND waste time time when we could be sleeping...I would be willing to bet that many of you do the same.
I have had many issues with insomnia throughout the years. I would feel tired, but when I'd lay down, my mind would begin to race and I could never seem to get it to stop. I have found that reading a book before bed really helps. It gets me thinking about something else until I'm drowsy enough to fall asleep.
And just to throw this out there since I'm on topic, if you usually don't sleep well the night before a race, it's no big deal. I have had some of my best races on little-to-no sleep. Two nights before, however, IS key. One of my friends once told me that it is actually better to not sleep much the night before...this way your body is totally relaxed before the big event. Not sure if I totally buy that, but whatever.
Speed Work In the past, I have always had intentions of doing speed work but have always found reasons to not do. Why? Because it hurts. It's not fun. You know what's fun? Eating ice cream and watching Game of Thrones (I just HAD to throw that in...who all watched yesterday?!). BUT this isn't gonna help me meet my goals. I have been mostly successful adding one day of speed work per week this spring, anything from 400s to 2 mile repeats. What could this look like? On the treadmill, I like to alternate easy/hard 400s. My 'easy' 400 is set at 8.0 on the 'mill and my 'fast' is 10.5. I also did mile repeats on the treadmill set at 9.7 or 9.8. I would then take about 5 minutes rest in between each one. This week, I am planning on doing a 3 mile, 2 mile, and 1 mile speed workout where each one will get faster. Wish me luck.
Long Runs I have finished quite a few full marathons, and several times, I have run a half marathon as part of my buildup or training. I have found that when I am doing really long runs (15 miles +), my half marathons have not felt that bad. I also tend to have faster times. So for the first time ever, Philip and I added a 15 miler into our training schedule. The hope is that after we have gone over 13.1, we will be able to run it stronger. Our goal was to run 9 minute miles, which would have had us finishing in 2:15, but we we able to speed up our pace a bit at the end and finished with an 8:49 average pace. We are planning to do one or two more long runs, but haven't solidified the distances yet. Maybe a 12 and 10?
Proper Nutrition Nutrition is not my strong suite. I love carbs and sweets. Seriously. A typical day for me would be grape nuts and coffee for breakfast, a bagel with either peanut butter or jelly and yogurt for lunch, and then whatever we have for dinner (steak, casserole, pizza, etc.). You might notice that I didn't really mention a lot about fruit and veggies. I know, I know, I know. These are easy things to add...I DO like fruit and vegetables, so what is my problem? I am going to work on this this month and hopefully it sticks. In addition, remember to drink adequate water each day.
Positive thinking I have NEVER run well at the Lincoln Marathon. Nor am I historically a very strong half or full marathon runner. Is this turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy?! Maybe so. Or maybe it is just that I have never been fully prepared for these events. Knowing this going in, I am trying very hard to work on my mental preparation as well as the physical. I am trying to believe that this time will be different. I have put in the work this time. Still, doubt creeps into my mind. I have been pretty vocal about my goals, and what if I run the same time as when I wasn't (in my mind) as well prepared? Anyway, these are my issues with positive thinking. What can you do to work on this? Try literally picturing yourself coming to the finish and either feeling a certain way or seeing your goal time as you cross the finish line.
I hope these ideas help. Also, if YOU have any tips for me, please pass them along. HAPPY RUNNING!
State Farm is never a race to PR, just isn't set up to make you feel good about your run, not that it isn't a good workout though. Oddly enough the Lincoln Marathon had been one race I've always done better than expected. My only advice, remember to not overtrain and don't run anything longer than 8 miles after the 20th
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt!
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