Although I did not run a PR or a 2:45, I really felt like I ran the best marathon I could have on that course that day. I had 8 weeks of terrible-ness at the beginning of this training cycle, before gradually coming back to good. By the time I really hit my stride around the time of the Bill Snyder Half, I was only 4 weeks out from Grandma's and didn't have enough time to make the gains I needed to improve as much as I needed to in order to hit those times. But after all, if I accomplish all of my goals today, whatever would I do tomorrow?
Some of my satisfaction about this marathon was because I chose thankfulness, but it was also related to my expectations for the race. I really didn't expect to get the standard, and I was stuck on 2:48 as an ideal day time. I told Jon about 50 times that I thought I'd run 2:48. I think I was right on with that expectation, because I probably lost 30 seconds during my 2 miles of cramping, so on an ideal day I would have run a 2:48. I'm pretty good at predicting what I can do - I was also stuck on 2:46-2:48 prior to running 2:47 at CIM! I guess this means that if I ever actually think I can run the 2:45, I will probably be right...but that doesn't mean I won't try again even when I feel like I'm not quite there. One thing is for sure, I'll never get it if I don't try.
This training cycle and race taught me not to take improvement, gains, or my health for granted. I was blessed with a really nice progression without any injuries from the first time I broke 3 hours in October 2016 until CIM. With my injury history, it's truly a miracle that I haven't had any issues since February 2016. I didn't have any injuries this cycle, but I had a health issue (and all kinds of wonky blood work values) that really affected my training and daily quality of life for about 8 weeks. After I started feeling better, I really realized how terrible I'd felt. I'm proud of myself for persisting through that, although everyone I train with or interact with on a frequent basis heard me say multiple times that I might not even run Grandma's (sorry for all of that whining). I had several weeks where I couldn't hit 6:27 pace (my average pace at Grandma's) for even 1-3 minute durations during fartleks!
Although I admit I'm impatient about improvements, which is exacerbated by the fact that I can't run quality marathons back to back to back (Houston was a harsh reminder that although I've done two close together successfully, trying that is not guaranteed to work out) -- when I take a step back I am extremely thankful that in the span of 20 months, I have run 6 sub-3:00 marathons and 3 in the 2:40s. I'll keep plugging away, and trust that God's plans are better than my dreams...but also always aim to remember how many of my running dreams have already come true! After all, I used to think 2:59:59 was my max.
This article about Kellyn Taylor's break-through performance at Grandma's really spoke to me. She noted that it wasn't just the training block before Grandma's that set her up for a 4 minute PR; it was the 3 years of training leading up to it. This illustrates the importance of continuing to show up and having faith that eventually it will all come together!
I've noted before that I will keep trying for that 2:45 until I get it or until the qualifying window closes in January 2020, and I still feel that way. However, I have learned that I will never make running a 2:45 my singular marathon goal. I plan to go back to CIM in December 2018 to chase the joy of the marathon!
It’s like that article was written for you to read. So perfect!
ReplyDeleteI've since listened to a couple of podcasts with her, and it was really encouraging to hear how she worked and worked while running about the same marathon times, and then suddenly she dropped a huge PR (a 4 minute PR at her speed is MAJOR!). All of that work was there waiting to come out!
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