A Marathon Training Cycle Like No Other

My training cycle for the Chisholm Trail Marathon has been synonymous with Midwest winter weather - up and down and unpredictable!  I am now 2 weeks out from race day, although it doesn't really feel like it.  My body actually feels amazing (not fatigued at all like I usually am at this point in a marathon cycle) - I credit the short cycle with practically no fast running for this.  I am also just starting to taper; I usually do a 3 week taper, and while I did do my longest long run 3 weeks out, I kept the week of March 4-10 high volume because my training was so abbreviated and because Grandma's Marathon in June is a bigger goal.

In December, I decided to run the inaugural Chisholm Trail Marathon for fun.  After not running for 8 weeks in October and November due to an injury, I was able to ramp up my mileage quickly.  My first outside run was 3 miles on November 23, and then the week of November 26 I mixed in a little more outside running with AlterG treadmill miles.  I gradually increased my outside runs while decreasing my runs on the AlterG.  The first week I felt like I could really run again was the week of December 3, then my mileage looked like this:

Dec. 3 - 64.8
Dec. 10 - 72.8
Dec. 17 - 75.7
Dec. 24 - 80.1
Dec. 31 - 73.7 (Dec. 31 was my last run on the AlterG)
Jan. 7 - 76.5
Jan. 14 - 75.1
Jan. 21 - 45.7
Jan. 28- 3
Feb. 4 - 30.4
Feb. 11 - 73.4
Feb. 18 - 85.6
Feb. 25 - 90.3
March 4 - 86.2

While that is 11 weeks of solid mileage, it was nearly all easy running, and the big differences between this cycle and my previous focused marathon builds are:

• I started the build out of shape, whereas I have been already in pretty good shape going into every other recent marathon build.  My endurance came right back post-injury, but my speed still hasn't.
• I didn't have solid consistent running before those 11 weeks; I had 8 weeks of cross-training, which I am just not convinced was very helpful.
• I usually do more like a 20 week build, but in the 22 weeks leading up to this marathon, I'll have 12 weeks of running and 10 weeks off running.
• I did very few workouts; most weeks were all easy running.
• I only had two long long runs, a 20 and a 23.  Usually I do 4-5 runs of 20+.
• I had two weeks of very little running (the second half of the Jan. 21 week through the first half of the Feb. 4 week), during which time I also decided to not run the marathon at all.

But here we are - things turned around and I AM running the marathon!  I am feeling so blessed and thankful for the opportunity to run it.  I'm thankful that God has brought me (almost) to the starting line healthy.  I know that I'm nowhere near PR fitness, but I've been improving and have some really solid mileage behind me - if I take only the 11 solid weeks into account I averaged 77.6 mpw, and I ran over 90 miles in a week for the first time ever.  I have truly let go of any time goals; when I first slated this race as "for fun" I secretly didn't want to run it if I didn't think I could break 3:00, but I've been able to move to the point of "Who cares?!" on that.  I'm running another marathon because I love to run marathons!

As always, I learned.  I learned that winter training can be very hard on my body (take away: next winter I will use the treadmill or take a day off if it's below zero or 33 degrees and pouring).  I learned that I feel fantastic running a lot of miles if they are all easy (take away: skip workouts or replace a real workout with strides if I'm feeling run down).  I yet again learned to keep persisting through rough patches, because my running will come back around, even when it feels like it won't (take away:  keep showing up!).  I was also yet again reminded of how amazing my running buddies all are; their support is unwavering no matter what paces I am running.  I am continuously reminded how much I love to run, also no matter what my paces are.  Of course getting faster and PRing are sure nice, and I hope to get back there, but I've made peace with the possibility that I won't and am super thankful to have running in my life either way!

While I'm cramming a couple more workouts in - mostly to gauge what I should aim for pace-wise on race day - this will be a fun experiment to see how I perform on mileage and very little fast running.  I seem to tolerate mileage really well, but once I throw workouts into the mix I am more apt to get injured.  I had a solid long run workout this morning, and I am pretty excited just to go out there and do my best!  My primary goals are to pace intelligently and by effort, and to finish with a smile on my face - and that would be a win no matter what my time or place!