Preparing for the Half Moon Bay Inernational Marathon – sliding backwards and moving forward

The dog days of the training cycle are upon me.  Inside of 8 weeks to go and I am toast.  I know these days are coming when I start training, yet, when they arrive, I am surprised, disappointed, and even discouraged. Several consecutive weeks of 30 miles or more along with intense track work once a week has caught up to me.

I went out for a long trail run with my pal, Bryan, yesterday and I could tell my tank was empty.  My legs felt like a couple of lead pipes and I was huffing and puffing on trails I have sailed on during better days.  I wondered aloud if I was going back wards, and maybe Father Time has caught up to me. That I am not in the condition that I thought I was in..blah blah blah, you get the point.  It isn’t pretty.

Here is where training for a marathon, or any other extreme physical event, differs from anything resembling normal. All the things/conditions I am describing are actually good news! I am not going to try to explain the physiology of it all, but the bottom line is this; as September draws near and I begin the tapering process, I will bounce back stronger than ever.  That’s the plan at least. In the meantime, I need to stay the course and continue to push, while not risking injury.  Rest and nutrition become paramount during this phase.

Lastly, my running buddy, Stephanie, has diligently worked her way back after being sidelined for about 3 weeks with an injury.  This is a testament to what this whole thing is about.  And selfishly, I am glad to have my long running buddy back.