The main lesson I can take away from my marathon training season is:
"The Enemy of Good is Better"
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| Lake trail this a.m. |
Allow me to explain. A couple of months ago, I got to a point where I felt my marathon fitness was starting to get good. Not being satisfied with that, I wanted my fitness to get even better. I ratcheted up my weekly mileage and speed training, and pounded the crap out of my legs day after day without a break. My regimen became a classic case of overtraining.
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| City light in the snow |
I had written a blog entry last year about how three out of the six U.S. Olympic marathoners did not even make it to the finish line in London due to overtraining, yet somehow, I thought that such principles did not apply to me!
Predictably, I got injured trying to get better too quickly.
So now that my injury has healed (for the most part), I have adjusted my mileage and have started running slowly with plenty of walk breaks. I am going to try and just get my fitness back to "good", so I can at very least participate in the marathon. However, the temptation to run a little faster or cram in a few more miles keeps rearing its head. But, if I want to be healthy next month, I need to fight such urges. My marathon training is now an experiment in self-control.
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| Belmont Harbor this morning |
So, that's what I want for my marathon next month: To just be "good", and I'll fight to keep its enemy "better" locked away!
Is staying at "good" difficult for you too?
I've had this happen, though not necessarily because I'm trying to get from "good" (or "mediocre" for me, I guess?) to "better," but because I feel so good running that I get excited about it and want to do it all the time, and totally overdo it. I've ended up with really bad shin splints from overuse like that a couple times, and then it is really hard to wait that out.
ReplyDeleteI like your pictures while it was still a little dark out this morning!
Thanks, it is weird how dark it was at 6:30 this morning, but kinda cool too. Shin splints are also one of my overuse injuries. Anyway, I can totally relate to feeling good while running and throwing in an extra mile or four to a run that is going well instead of quitting while ahead. It's like if two scoops of ice cream makes me feel good, why don't I have four and feel even better? Then the tummy ache starts. :-(
DeleteMaybe we should just eat ice cream instead? I'll run to Margie's and call it a day :) Out of curiosity, what do you do for your shin splints, both for recovery and prevention? I just got compression socks, which are helping fend them off, but anything else? Aside from not tacking on all the miles, of course.
DeleteI love Margie's ice cream, hence I haven't been there in awhile! The main thing I did to minimize my shin splints was to go to Fleet Feet and test drive about four pairs of shoes on their treadmill focusing entirely on how they made my shins feel. Since buying the pair that felt the best on my shins, I have only had minor shin splints. For home remedies I use "the Stick" on my shins, and I roll a tennis ball under my feet as everything below my knees seems to be connected and relieving arch pain, helps my shins. I think my shins hurt when I jump too fast into speed training, so be careful when turning up the speed. Hope that helps.
DeleteI used to aim for "better" myself, but I too have suffered from injury. I suppose now I have just gotten to a point where I am just so content to be running again that I try not to focus on times, etc. But yes - it's definitely tough sometimes!
ReplyDeleteYes, I can totally relate! It is great to be running again. Going forward, I need to find a maximum "safe" mileage and try to be happy with that for awhile.
Deletehi Pete.
ReplyDeleteare you still doing the half lucky 7 this weekend? i'm tempted to run it but, a friend of mine told me that the trail is too narrow for the amount of people, have you hear something about it?i'm going to boston in bad shape too, so maybe we can share some experiences.i don't have my bib number yet. but, i'm hoping to do it this afternoon.
Sorry to hear you are not in the best of shape for Boston, but at least it sounds like we'll both be able to make it to the finish line and collect our medals. Yes, I'm doing the Get Lucky Half this weekend. I understand that it is run on the Lakefront Trail, which is not usually a good venue for a race (narrow and not a closed course), but it's the only half marathon this weekend that had open spots, since the March Madness sold out in a few minutes on New Years Eve. Maybe the crowds will force me to take it easy and not try to "race" it too hard. Good luck.
DeleteSo sorry that ankle injury is still plaguing you. I went to both of my Bostons all K-taped up and hoping for nothing more than an upright finish so yes, I too tend to push a little too hard sometimes. All you can do is your best right? Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement. Sorry to hear you were all K-taped up for both of your Bostons, but I'm sure you had a blast regardless. As long as my ankle allows me to get to the finish line, I'll be happy. Then I'll take a break to get it 10%0 healed up!
DeleteI did that last year trying to add in a good amount of strength and speed. Then I discovered triathlons and that has kept the injury bug away for me. Not too much of anything but keeps overall fitness up!
ReplyDeleteFunny you mention triathlons, because I am seriously considering doing one this summer. I just need a wet-suit and a proper bike! Seems like more of a commitment than running, but if I can keep the injury bug away and still get in some good workouts, I will be happy.
DeleteI struggle with this, but not just for running, for life. I always want to "do all the things" and do them the best i can, and it leads to frequent meltdowns. More is not always better!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I will take it as a warning not to push it. I am feeling so good I want to keep doing more, but I know I need to hone back. I'm happy to hear you are getting some runs in! :)
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has struggled her entire running career with overuse injuries and training too aggressively, I COMPLETELY relate to the difficulty of staying at "good." It is so easy and so tempting to just keep pushing a little more here, a little more there, until BAM. So now I fight myself really hard to train well, but not to the point where I am utterly exhausted. It's really hard to draw that line, though. =(
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate. I find that when I stop improving at something, or learning new things about it, I get bored. In high school, I got to a point where I wasn't learning anything new about volleyball, and I was bored, so I quit the team. Right now I like running because I'm still improving and learning new things. But I wonder, if I start to plateau, will I get bored with it? Or, will I get injured before I get to that point?
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