My mind has been in a million different directions about pulling the trigger on a marathon in September. I’m not totally properly trained to PR for it, but thought if I hit this 20 miler I had today how I wanted, that it would be possible. Not your typical 12-18 week training session for a marathon, but coming of my July 70.3, the endurance is fine, just needed to get the run time in. I know it’s a bit of a rush, but timing wise it’s really the only weekend I have free this fall to do a marathon.Â
The 20 miles were going great. I felt strong, confident and was not worried about keeping pace. My plan was to w/u 1 mile, then run 3 X 5 miles at MP or slightly faster, with a 1 mile recovery mile between sets and 2 miles c/d.Â
I did go out the first set a little fast, but I felt like a million bucks. I felt like a runner who is much tougher than I actually see myself. Then I got to mile 13. That is way to early to bonk on a 20 miler. But it happened. I know it looks like I went out way to hard on my first set and maybe I did a bit, but I really believe on the right day, I would have been able to own the last set of 5 at that pace or faster. I my head, on my second set, I was honestly trying to conserve a bit so that I could dominate the last set. whomp, whomp.
Here are my splits:
Mile 1- 7:47Â (warm up)
Mile 2- 6:57Â
Mile 3- 7:02Â
Mile 4- 7:03Â
Mile 5- 7:02Â
Mile 6- 6:59Â
Mile 7- 7:36 (Recovery Mile)Â
Mile 8- 7:00Â
Mile 9- 7:03Â
Mile 10- 7:05Â
Mile 11- 7:07Â
Mile 12- 7:18Â
Mile 13- 7:48 (recovery mile)Â
Here, I decided, I’d take an extra recovery mile and regroup. The nice things about hitting 86th street heading south on the monon is you are shaded and there starts to be a very slight downhill. You wouldn’t necessarily know it but your pace will prove it to you every time. Unless you have the run I had today…. So I thought I could maybe hold it together, but this is what happened next:
Mile 14-7:37Â
Mile 15- 7:58Â
Mile 16- 8:33
…..
When I hit 16, I stopped for a minute to regroup evaluate what was going on. I NEVER stop to do that. I just slow down if I need to. I hate stopping. But right then, I needed to and I made the decision to call it day. I felt incredibly dehydrated. I’ve had an annoying cold since Wednesday. It felt at it’s worst yesterday and I woke up this morning feeling pretty good. But, when I took gel and had some water around mile 13 I felt heavy in the head and a little dizzy. The cold was like “hey remember me, I’m still invading your body haha, try running 7 more miles, I dare you.” So I tried.Â
Back at mile 13 when I started feeling iffy, I really thought I could muster up around a 7:15 pace for five more miles. I thought perhaps I’d break the set of five into a couple smaller sets to wrap my mind and body around it. But it just wasn’t happening.Â
I asked a nice lady walking her dog if I could use her phone to call Glenn and he and Marshall came and got me. Glenn never gives me a pity party. Like ever. So, that’s fine, but I felt like crying and just wanted to curl up and sulk because I felt so terrible. I just wanted to be a baby ok. Well the only baby in the car was in the back seat and he was crying and Glenn was just like “get over it.” Tough love at it’s finest.Â
I don’t know what the conclusion of this run will be. I’m tapering now for the Indy Women’s half in two weeks and the marathon I was thinking about running is two weeks after that. There really won’t be time to get a solid 20 before. Yes, I could get to 20 the day I run that half- but I plan on running that race so hard that the thought of running cool down miles would make me throw up.Â
The race I’ve really trained to PR at is the half. I can’t help but think it weather is good I could pull off a nice little PR in the marathon two weeks after that. The conditions just straight up sucked at Shamrock in March. I’ve sad it a million times, but I’ve never in my life ran in a headwind like that and without it, at this marathon, I think I’d have a fair shot at 3:10. What sucks is I was using this 20 miler as my real gauge to see what my body would tell me.Â
So there’s that. I think I’ll reevaluate again after the half in two weeks.Â
What I know is- I really hate quitting. I’m really not a big fan of the phrase “listen to your body” because if we did that all the time, we’d quit a lot more. We wouldn’t push nearly as hard as we are capable. I’m not being a grouch by saying that- there are certainly times when you need to. Today was truly a day that I needed to listen to my body. I seriously would have shuffled in at 9 minute miles, feeling dizzy and terrible and what would be the point of that. I honestly can’t remember a time that I’ve ever just quit a long run early. I’ve slowed down and finished in a pace slower than I wanted, but I’ve never just stopped in the long run. I did that today- I walked of shamed it from 75th to Broad Ripple Ave. where Glenn and Marshall came and got me. That’s ok, but yeah I’m a little bummed.Â
Stay tuned about that marathon, I like making last minute decisions sometimes.Â
Have you ever quit a workout? Why?Â
To you- when does the phrase “Listen to your body” really mean you need to stop?Â
