Since I started training for the marathon last May, it’s safe to say that things have gone from bad to worse. My pace has been slower for each run, and even more significantly, I’ve been feeling just terrible. That’s pretty discouraging, considering that I’m supposedly trying to improve my marathon finish time by a whopping 36 minutes.
Then -- lucky me! – I discovered that I have low iron. Why lucky? Because it’s an easy fix. I can take pills to make me faster without having to lie to Congress or anyone else. How cool is that?
And I am, finally, getting faster. It’s been easy to track my improvement over my last three long runs:
Three Sundays ago: I had taken the preceding week off from running because I figured that over-training was my problem. I started out on my 26K run with the very modest ambition of not logging RWOS #4.
Average pace per kilometre: 6:30 minutes (i.e. it took me an average of 6 minutes and 30 seconds to complete each kilometre).
How I felt: Like hell.
Two Sundays ago: I started iron supplements and reduced my mileage, planning a long run of between 12 and 15 kilometres. It felt weird to run so little just when I should be working my way up to the longest runs in my training schedule – but it felt sensible, too. And it worked. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could actually moderate my pace throughout the run. I was even able to speed up a little at the end.
Average pace: 6:15 min/km.
How I felt: Like hell. Again.
Last Sunday: Following coach Barb’s instructions, I headed out for a 20K run, with instructions to shorten it to 18K, if I didn’t feel well. My aim was to see if I could comfortably maintain last week’s 6:15 pace. When I clocked the first three kilometres at around 5:50 min/km, I thought I was going too fast. But I simply couldn’t slow down. I was having an incredible run, and after 15 kilometres, still maintaining that pace with little trouble. I wasn’t just feeling a bit better – I felt fantastic.
Average pace: 5:48 min/km.
How I felt: Heavenly.
I can’t wait until next week. I’m trying to temper my expectations and get ready for some potential set backs as I quickly ramp up my miles. On the other hand, I’m feeling more hopeful about my capabilities than I have in ages.
Here’s the adjusted long run schedule I’m considering, heading in to the last few weeks before the marathon:
August 29: 26K
September 5: 32K
September 12: 26K
September 19: 18 to 20K
September 26: 8k
Race Day: 42.2K (gulp)
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