Photo Credit: The Carlsbad Marathon
I’m flying out to California today for the Carlsbad Marathon. I can tell my training went well because I haven’t had time to write a blog post since training started. 18 weeks of training has totaled 634.81 miles and 5,075 minutes of cross training and strength training (thanks for the data, Strava!) In 18 weeks I’ve had 18 rest days. I know most of you reading this also work full time while putting the training hours in – I see you. It’s hard, time consuming, and tiresome. It’s running after work at 7PM only to get back up the next day at 3AM to get more miles in – because sometimes that’s the only way it will work.
When I first signed up for the Carlsbad Marathon, I was excited that most of my training would be in the fall. The early fall running weather was amazing. However, winter arrived very abruptly here in Northern Michigan. I love winter running. However, snow covered roads can make it difficult to hit tempo runs and speed workouts due to uneven footing. Some days I use the treadmill, some days I run outside. I used to really hate the treadmill, but now I’m grateful for it. My 24-hour gym compliments my irregular work hours and it truly allows for a “no excuses” attitude.
Most of my runs have been alone (lots of “me time!”) I never listen to music when I am running outside – I like to be fully aware of my surroundings. Plus, in cold temperatures my phone dies in about 10 minutes, so attempting to listen to music is useless. This will be my eighth marathon and I’m shocked and proud to say I hit 100% of my training runs. I was on-pace and did not miss a single mile. My superstitious side has me wondering if the race will go poorly; as in, a bad dress rehearsal is a good omen for a successful opening night. Ah well.
At the time of this blog post, I have raised $525 for Still I Run. Thank you so much to all of you who have contributed. I truly appreciate your support. I am so excited to have completed this training cycle with such a great organization to inspire me. I cannot wait to run the full 26.2 miles in honor of Still I Run.
It’s been a good round of training. I’m looking forward to getting to California and running this race. I’m also significantly looking forward to the beach time before and after the marathon. I’ll try to have a race recap up shortly after the event! I’ll leave you with my all-time favorite running quote:
“Running isn’t a sport for the pretty boys…It’s about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. It’s the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It’s about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It’s about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It’s about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there’s not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you’ve finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that’s all you can ask for.” – Paul Maurer
