This Runner's Trials
17Sep/1022

One month mark

My marathon is one month from today. Gulp.

The race feels really close, but still so far.

I got my marathon shoes yesterday. Not going to lie. I started getting all emotional when I opened the shoes. I told them I’d really appreciate it if they could carry me to a BQ. Don't act like you don't talk to your shoes. ;)

This is close to my 30th pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS’s. I heart these shoes so much.

I feel such a strange mix of emotions at this point in my training:

On one hand, I feel confident. I trust my training and am so eager to line up at the start. During training runs, I imagine how I’ll feel running the marathon and I get so excited for race day. I’m ready to run this race. And I want to run it now.

But the other part of me feels achy, fatigued and paranoid that my small injury may escalate. My body felt less tired and my runs were going better a few weeks ago. Did I peak too soon? Am I getting slower? I shudder to think how I will feel in one more month.

I’m a walking dichotomy. I know this. But I don’t know how I can feel two completely different ways. Why am I doubting my training plan?

As usual, I turned to the experts for some answers.

It turns out, I’m not alone. Check out this tip from the article The Monster Month (which is a fantabulous article by the way, read it):

“Some runners become so fatigued during their Monster Month that they begin to doubt their chances of going 26.2. They fear that they're getting more tired instead of stronger. What if the program backfires? "There's no guarantee of success," says Smith, "but it's certain that you won't have a payoff without the hard work. Training is essential not only for the obvious physiological reasons, but also to build confidence--and your hardest training will give you the most confidence." So, even when you're the most tired, remember that you're still on target, and you will start feeling better when you reach your marathon taper.”

Ah-ha!

My taper officially starts off next Sunday with a bang. It’s the day after my half marathon + 7 miles (to make it my final 20 mile run). So hopefully I start feeling better after that!

I’m going to do my best to enjoy my last “hard” week of training. After all, hopefully I won’t be training for another marathon for awhile so I may as well soak up the feeling :)

Do you ever feel burnt out during training? Or start to doubt your ability to perform well? How do you remedy it?

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Comments (22) Trackbacks (1)
  1. tricia
    September 17th, 2010 - 10:08

    Time to believe in the power of positive thinking. You can do this!

    (and yes, we all talk to our shoes)

    ( REPLY )
  2. Lizzy
    September 17th, 2010 - 10:13

    I have a similar post in my head right now. Hopefully I can write it later. But yes, I know your feeling. The 20 milers are the most important- if you feel off or are hurting I’ve learned its okay to take off those middle runs- they aren’t helping your training nearly as much as those looong runs. You are going to kick ASF@#$@#!!! And then we can hang out during Boston!

    ( REPLY )
  3. Tami
    September 17th, 2010 - 10:49

    my second marathon is in 2 weeks, I hate how I am doubting myself but I know I can reach my goal. Best of luck for the next few weeks!

    ( REPLY )
  4. Corey - The Runner's Cookie
    September 17th, 2010 - 13:54

    I also tend to oscillate between confidence/excitement and anxiety/doubt right before a race. Usually what spins me into anxiety is thinking about a number – the pace I want to hit, the time I want to get, the number of miles (gah, 26!) I’m about to run. What brings me back to my confidence is looking at my training plan – all the miles/workouts on paper reminds me of the time and hard work I put in.
    I also remind myself that even if I don’t get the time I want, there are always other races, other chances. And no matter what happens, all the training was valuable mentally and physically, so good or bad race, it will be a valuable experience.
    For the last minute anxiety, I reframe my thoughts and remind myself race day is my day to shine :)

    ( REPLY )
  5. pen
    September 17th, 2010 - 15:12

    I know that it seems counter-intuitive, but, you WANT to be exhausted right now. And that’s what the taper is for, to patch yourself all together so you can smash out a lovely BQ 26.2!

    ( REPLY )
  6. Jen
    September 17th, 2010 - 16:37

    I LOVE Brooks Adrenaline too. I tried to switch last year but went straight back to my old favorite.

    One month – such a big milestone. You are going to be amazing! You have put so much hard work into preparing for this marathon. Stick with it – you’re almost there!

    ( REPLY )
  7. María
    September 18th, 2010 - 11:35

    I ran my first half on 9/12. Three weeks prior to that, I got into quite a bit of negative thinking. In my head, there was no way I could finish the race, not to mention finish strong.
    Finishing strong is a big deal for me, I set myself goals, which isn’t in itself a bad habit. But this time what worked for me was accepting that my goal pace would have to be closer to 5:25 min/km than 5:20 (sorry, I’m totally metric, 5:25 is about 8:40 min pero mile).
    Then I relaxed because I knew that 5:25 was totally doable, when 5:20 was kind of a long shot.
    So, goal adjustment worked for me
    (btw, I finished in 1:54:57, just under my own arbitrary and inflexible goal of 1:55! average pace 5:26, boy, I know my limits)

    ( REPLY )
  8. runningwithsass
    September 18th, 2010 - 18:27

    eeekkk! so exciting, you will do great! I can’t WAIT till your race, I know you will BQ!

    ( REPLY )
  9. caronae
    September 18th, 2010 - 22:01

    Don’t doubt yourself — the physical side of things is done with, for you — you have trained hard and you are so strong at this point. now you just have to win the mental battle!! You can do it!!!

    I;m about to start my very own monster month. Oh crap.

    ( REPLY )
  10. Kelly
    September 18th, 2010 - 23:05

    Aw, Jen! I know you’re going to make it! You’re so super fast and such an inspiration to me as a newbie marathoner. You’re in awesome shape and no little injury is going to keep you from qualifying for Boston.

    ( REPLY )
  11. mary & christina (sisters running the kitchen)
    September 20th, 2010 - 09:54

    I love Brooks Adrenalines!!! I have been wearing them for years as well! And of course it’s normal to talk to your shoes. haha. I always smell them when I take them out of the box. Nothing like the smell of new shoes. I saw your AMAZING looking brownies on Caitlin’s blog and thought that you might want to share the recipe for them?? haha they look fantastic.

    ( REPLY )
  12. wnk505
    September 21st, 2010 - 07:48

    I usually end up feeling burnt out in my training. There are days I wish I could just stop running all together. You just have to know how much better it will feel once you put on those shoes and get past the first 5 minutes of tired legs, sore body, and the crankiness from not wanting to run.

    ( REPLY )

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