ashleyd /

Running A Marathon with Little Motivation

Today’s Marathons+Moderation guest post comes from the lovely Mary from Food & Fun on the Run! Mary and I met during Healthy Living Summit as she has become one of Meghann’s triathlon buddies in Tampa and is all around amazing! A Lululemon Ambassador, Mary is about to become a 7 time marathoner! While she ran track and cross country in college, her love for running has only evolved from there. I hope you all enjoy this post as much as I do and hop over to her blog to give her a big hello and good luck in Chicago!

IMG_4096

Hey guys! I am someone that thrives off of having a plan in place – whether it comes to my job, vacations, and of course running! Signing up for a marathon, and knowing exactly what I will be doing to workout for the next 18 weeks is very exhilarating. I plan my weekends around the long runs, and if a vacation or out of town trip presents itself, I am immediately looking at a MapMyRun route to see where I can tackle the miles in a new city.

But what happens when you get into the core of marathon training and your plan has a bit of a snag in it? I am little bit more than a week away from running the Chicago Marathon. Normally, my training plan is littered with tempo runs, track workouts, and pace runs, but it you look at my Workout Log, my completed workouts do not reflect that – at all. I have had no speed training for more than about 10 weeks due to a hamstring injury. Don’t worry, I’m not being a dummy and running through an injury that is going to sideline me for months and months. My injury is getting no worse at its current state. With increased stretching, icing, and massage, it is actually improving, just not enough for speedy improvements. What does this mean for me? I will not be reaching my 3:30 goal for Chicago – I will be running it to take it all in – my 3rd race in my quest to complete all 5 World Marathon Majors!

Without a time goal, my usual super pumped marathon training attitude has been a bit more lack-luster this time around. Here are 5 tips when your training motivation just isn’t there, whether it is due to a nagging injury, summer training (hello Florida runners!), or even scheduling too many back to back races.

1. Be Flexible

The thing that helped me the most was just letting go of the goal I had set, and truly coming to terms with it. I am very determined to run a 3:30 marathon. I know I can do it. October just will not be the time that I achieve it. At first, I was not ok with that. I tried to suck it up and just run through the pain. That thought ended quickly, and I realized that it is just one race – big deal that I will not PR. There will be plenty more down the road for another attempt, and I am going to do something pretty awesome on October 7th – run the Chicago Marathon –> for fun!

2. Skip a Workout

Yep, you read that right. Sleep in if you need to. Grab drinks with friends after work instead of hammering out that hour run. It is ok if you do not do 100% of every workout in your training plan. I am going to say that the majority of people that have run marathons (even the pros) have skipped a workout from time to time. Sometimes your body just needs to physical and mental break. Just pick up where you left off the following day. One piece of advice – don’t try to make up your skipped workout on another day. It will hurt other workouts you have planned for the rest of the week, and will actually hurt you more than help you.

Skip a workout

3. Connect with Others for Motivation

I have a group of friends here in town that I can always count on to run a few miles with me, no matter what the circumstance. If it is crazy hot, or beyond early in the morning, they are there to help me complete my runs. I was lucky to have them accompany me on one of my 20 mile long runs, and I would not have finished it without them. Their support is invaluable when the motivation to run is just not there. The camaraderie of these women is a direct reflection of me making it to the start line in Chicago. Find someone to run (or even bike ride) next to you when you need it most!

Connect with Others

4. Do Your Long Runs!

No matter what your goal is for a marathon, it is incredibly important that you do the long runs on your training schedule. Even if you do not have a time goal in sight, completing those 18-20 mile runs will make the actual race significantly more fun (and hurt a heck of a lot less).

5. Ditch the Garmin

I have a problem with focusing on pace way too much when I run. I will look down, see a less than favorable split, and then it throws off my whole run. If you can, map out your run before leaving on line so that you know how far the completed mileage is, and then just go run it. Bring your watch if you want, or have the freedom to leave it at home. I think you will be surprised how amazing it is to run with the pressure of time!

Ditch the Garmin

Just to note: I was cleared by a doctor to run the race. If you have an injury or think you are incapable of finishing a long race like a marathon, please check with your doctor first! Running a race is not worth a permanent injury!

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

NYCM Training Week 12: The Peak Weeks

It’s finally here. Peak marathon training is here.

After weeks of building my mileage, especially my week day runs, have given me the confidence to get excited about the next three weeks instead of fearful. Even better, I have a partner in the excitement. Bo has been asking me more questions over the past few days than ever before. I think he finally feels that the marathon is actually going to happen for him this year after being sidelined with injuries the past two years.

So, how do I plan on embracing the next three weeks of training and stay excited about the 40-45 miles I’ll be running each week versus dreading it.

  • Focus on the prize. My goal is 4:45 and now that I’ve put it out on the blog and shared it with my friends it is becoming very real. I know it’s doable but my mental stability will be more important than even my physical ability. Each run is being treated like it’s during the marathon. That means no photo stops, no stopping my watch, ensuring that I maintain a manageable pace by carrying on conversations during my run, using the fuel I want to use the day of the marathon, and push my body beyond it’s comfort zone.
  • Sleep. It’s really hard for me to make myself go to bed “early enough” on weeknights. Since I’m up around 5:15-6 each morning, in order to get 7 hours of sleep, I should be in bed by 10pm each night. The evening is our only time to hang out during the week so the last thing I want to do is sacrifice that time. I also have a little thing called a blog. So, over the next few weeks you’ll see a few random morning posts as I try to do some posts before work in the morning, after workouts.
  • Food: I’ve said it already bit I have made it halfway through marathon training without gaining a pound which is a nice change to prior years. I attribute this to healthier snacking, protein, and homemade dinners. I’m going to have fun with this month’s Favorite Things post by sharing some of my favorite foods lately that have kept me going and filled with energy these past few months.

So, while I know some people’s peak weeks include mileage totals in the range of 60-70, for me I’m super excited to see how my body reacts to these 3 weeks and how my brain handles the challenge.

So, here’s what the week holds for my legs:

  • 2 easy, shorter runs
  • 1 medium run (7-8 miles)
  • 20 mile long run (Goals include ~ 10:40 pace, fuel every 4-5 miles, include some hills)
  • 1 hill run including my beloved Cat Hill
  • 1 personal training session
  • yoga
  • planks/dips/pushups

Your turn! How do you embrace tough workouts or training weeks?

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

An Uplifting Start to My Sunday

I have at least 2 more Vermont posts coming including a phenomenal restaurant review, but it’s 8:45 and I am quickly fading. Therefore, tonight’s will be a bit shorter and instead be a recap of an awesome workout class I enjoyed today back in the city!

After a wonderful weekend in Vermont, my brother had an early (6:20am!!) flight out of the Albany Airport this morning. Instead of making him figure out a car service, I offered to drive him to the airport on my way back to the city. While I’d normally stay in Manchester until around noon on a Sunday, leaving early actually gave me the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds: a weekend in Vermont but a Sunday in New York City with Bo!

We were up and out the door by 4am in order to ensure he arrived at the airport an hour in advance. By the time he jumped out of the car and I moved into the driver’s seat it was clear that coffee needed to be the next order of business. Luckily, there was a Starbucks on the road where I could get a much needed iced coffee while also snagging a perfect oatmeal for breakfast.

IMG_4898IMG_4899

By 8:30 I was walking back home from the rental car office in the West Village, ready to enjoy a wonderful Sunday in the city.

IMG_4900

Since Bo didn’t get home until the wee hours of the night after a bachelor party, I decided to unpack and organize while he slept and then slip back out of the house for a quality workout. Maybe it was the four hours in the car this morning or the three glasses of wine last night, but I was craving a hard core, sweaty workout. After consulting the Equinox schedule and seeing that there weren’t any classes I really wanted, I decided to take advantage of the Uplift Studios new client special and squeeze a class in between a run.

I enjoyed a 3 mile run around Gramercy and Madison Square Park before hopping into Uplift Studios for their 55 minute 10am Uplifted class. Helena greeted me at the front desk and offered me a bottle of water and cup of coffee, on the house, before suggesting I head into the locker room to change before the class. Their inspiring messages greeted me in the locker room as I wiped the sweat off and dropped off my jacket in exchange for a workout towel.

IMG_4902

Today was my first time taking the 55 minute Uplifting class but based on the class description I figured it’d leave me sweating just as much as the weights and cardio portion of the Fit & Flow class.  Here’s the description from their website:

Uplifting
This total-body class focuses on strength training, using dumbbells, balls, resistance bands and body weight exercises to work all the major muscle groups to a point of fatigue, while incorporating plyometrics and cardio bursts throughout the workout to boost the fat burn.  You’ll leave feeling uplifted in more ways than one.  (Images source and source)

As soon as I entered the studio, Chelsea, the instructor greeted me with a huge smile and told me I’d be in for a treat. Helena was right when she said that Chelsea’s personality and fun was contagious. For the next 55 minutes I did moves that I’ve never done before in any of my workout experiences while jamming to an awesome playlist including some old favorites like Eminem, that helped push me through the last few seconds of each move. The class was killer from minute 0 to 55.

This was one of the more creative classes I’ve taken, using tools such as a dyna band to add resistance and spicing up normal movements like prisoner squats or even jogging in place by adding weights or combination moves. I was drenched just five minutes into class and the mirror in front of the studio kept my focus on form and ensuring that I wasn’t cheating. There is no where to hide in a studio like Uplifts because there are no “columns” or back row spots!

A few things that I find consistent in every Uplift class and love thus far:

  1. Instructors take the class right along with you for at least 1/2 of each set when not correcting the other students. This helps you see perfect form and feel like they too are feeling the burn.
  2. They use the count down method, letting you know how long each set is going to be and also telling you when you’re 1/2 way, 1/4 way, and then finally done. It really helps you know when to give the final push.
  3. Heart rate is kept up the whole time by using intervals. While I hated every second of our burpees with a lateral shuffle, the bursts of cardio helped me break a sweat early and keep my heart rate up every time she added them, every 5 minutes or so.

If you want to read more about Chelsea’s Uplifting class, check out this review on Rate Your Burn which echoes many of the same thoughts!

Rant or Rave? Do you like the countdown method or would you rather not know? Do you like creative moves in a class or more traditional ones?

Share Button
Follow: