Several days have past and I'm almost over my nightmare of a long run this past Saturday. As I'm sure you recall, because I'm am that exciting and memorable, Saturday was supposed to be my last long run before tapering and it was to be 20 miles. Yup. So. It didn't actually go as planned. I only ran 18.5 miles.
First Excuse: it was 34 degrees and windy. Reason why that excuse blows (no pun intended): I was wearing the perfect amount of layers and really stayed quite warm with the exception of my ears which were not covered but unless I'm mistaking, my ears have absolutely nothing to do with my legs.
Second Excuse: The reason I didn't finish is because of the leg/foot pain. So I told myself (while tears were starting to fall during the walk to my car) that it was because I over did it during the week with attending two spinning classes on top of my regular classes/runs. Reason why that excuse blows: My work level has really not changed all that much since I started this marathon training madness. I don't normally attend spinning twice, usually just one class per week, but I have done it and not failed on Saturday.
So now of course I'm even more terrified of the marathon. 18.6 is no where near 26.2! I can't stop because of aching legs! And I have no idea what is going on with this foot. It's really got me worried but I'm hoping (again) that it was the spinning and have vowed to not return to spinning until after the marathon.
Enough of that.
Did you see Dane from The Biggest Loser on The Today Show this week? He puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the producers saying that when it became apparent that he would not finish the marathon in the 6 hours required before the course closed, they made the decision to drive him to the finish line so they could get their money shot. Okay. I can see reality show producers wanting to do that but why did he agree? Why not say no and why not make a point that it's not always the finish but the effort? This could have been a really good message, one that I'm sure a lot of overweight people that are just starting to exercise would appreciate hearing. Results are not always instantaneous. Running/walking 23 miles is a major achievement for him and that should have been the highlight. Having said that, I still don't understand why no one is addressing the 3:53 time they said he finished with. I find it hard to believe that not only did he not know they were going to make it look like he ran the entire thing but that he also did it with an incredible time!
3 comments:
Don't sweat your 18.6 miles. That is exactly the longest distance I ran (30K) before my first marathon, and it went fine. You're in great shape, and the adrenaline will carry you the rest of the way.
And as for Dane, well you know how I feel about him. Grrrrrrrr
There are many possible reasons why the long run didn't go as expected. Did you take in food during the run? I would normally consume at least two gels on such a long run. Did you hydrate properly? You don't sweat as much in cold weather, but you still need fluids. It's also possible that you just didn't "have it" that day, something that affects all runners. Relax--I'm sure you'll do fine on race day. Your taper will help preserve your energy and maintain your fitness. By race day you'll be ready to go. Although some may disagree, the difference between 18.5 and 20 is not that great.
You'll hear about all kinds of crazy people that only pulled 14 milers before race day and still pulled a 4:30 or better - you're a freaking rockstar... remember that, live it, run it. You're going to be fine Super Mom.
Post a Comment