Somehow, after 16 weeks of training, it is already race week! I’m drafting this before my race and will just try to pop in Saturday afternoon to add some last minute updates. Hopefully by the time this goes live the race will successfully by completed! Let’s take a look at training week 16: race week!
Monday: 5 Miles with 6 x 2 minutes at MP
The weather had finally cooled off and my legs wanted to run. Marathon pace felt good, but of course it will in 2 minute increments! Later that day I was itching to run more. I never really get like that during the taper so this was weird for me! I think it was partly because my legs were finally feeling more rested and partly because of the nicer weather.
Tuesday: 4 Miles Easy
This was a nice easy run, but I did include some hills. I didn’t have quite as much energy as the day before. I started out slow and got slightly faster as the run went on.
Wednesday: Rest Day
A bonus rest day this week! I slept until almost 5, did some foam rolling, and got a few things done during the time I would normally be running.
Thursday: 3.1 Miles Easy with Strides
Last run of the training cycle! I felt like I was flying during the first mile but I wasn’t at all, lol. I did some strides at the end to remind my legs how to run fast. And that’s a wrap on training!
Friday: Rest Day
Oh man, this was such a day. I was SOO anxious. Work was pretty quiet so I didn’t have as much as usual to take my mind off of the race. My entire body felt weird and I was just a ball of nerves. I seriously questioned why I do this to myself. I love the process of training but racing makes me so nervous! Especially when I haven’t raced in two years.
Saturday: Race Day!
If you saw my post on Instagram, you know that my race didn’t go as planned. However, I’m really glad I didn’t give up. There were so many times I wanted to walk. It was so frustrating to have no idea what my pace was because my watch was all over the place (it counted 26.82 miles). I have much more to say about the race, but I’m just glad it’s done!
Sunday: Rest Day
Unfortunately for my family there won’t be our usual run today! (Unless they go without me). Maybe we will get out for a walk. Hopefully there will still be pancakes though. If only I wasn’t the one who had to make them….
You can find my other weeks of training here:
A Week of Ups and Downs (Training Week 15)
The Return of the Heat (Training Week 14)
Surviving the Peak Week (Training Week 13)
Welcoming September (Training Week 12)
Embracing the Treadmill (Training Week 11)
Trying to Outrun the Rain (Training Week 10)
Back to Reality (Training Week 9)
Staycation 2021 (Training Week 8)
Closing Out July (Training Week 7)
Lower Mileage and Lower Temps (Training Week 6)
Runstock 2021 (Training Week 5)
Focus on Effort (Training Week 4)
Making Adjustments for Heat (Training Week 3)
Training for a Fall Race: Start Where You Are (Training Weeks 1 and 2)
Do you get nervous before a race?
How do you handle the taper?
I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down!
Sorry the race was so hard — if it was on the towpath that surface is different from pavement and you can’t really train for it unless you trained on it.
I hope you are proud of your great training cycle and giving it your best.
Yep, it was on the towpath. I thought it would be more like the NCR up here in Baltimore, but this was much softer and rockier. I guess there’s nothing I could have done because its not like I was going to make that commute regularly to run on there!
That’s a bummer on the race. As I mentioned on Insta, I’ve had a few recent marathons that didn’t play out as I’d hoped. I’d had great training cycles, too, but race day always throws a few curveballs and we just have to make the best of it. Fortunately we’re not getting paid for it LOL That said, congrats on another 26.2 finish line!
Thanks! Yep, I’m really happy with how this training cycle went and as I’ve reflected on the race I really know I gave it everything I had. There were just factors out of my control.
Oh Lisa, I’m so sorry you didn’t get the race you hoped for — but you finished, and that IS awesome. You are awesome, never doubt it! Can’t your husband make you some pancakes? You deserve it!
Normally I don’t get very nervous before a rest. Excited, not so much nervous (unless something is wrong). But like you I haven’t raced in 2+ years so I imagine that might just change!
Can’t wait to hear all about it.
I do think the nerves had something to do with not racing in so long. I think I was also just anxious about driving there in the morning and not getting lost, finding parking, etc.
Oh just popped to your Insta and what a shame, that sounds really tough and I’m imagining you weren’t able to check what the path was like to train on similar (which would also have been pretty horrible). I’m like you: I really like training but don’t like races, hence not doing many! Well done for getting it done!
Thank you! While I’m not that far from where the race took place, its a really rough drive to get there, so I hadn’t checked it out beforehand. I did see pictures and thought it would be fine. Even if I knew it would be so much different I don’t think there’s anything I could have done, because its not like I would have driven an hour each way to train on there!
No, indeed. When I did my ultra, my friend and I did drive an hour or so each way to practise on the surface, but that was because it was totally unlike anything we have at home and we needed to know what it was like – and it was worth it. But we only got one run in on rutted chalk!
I’m so sorry the race didn’t go as you’d hoped, but yes pushing through is not easy and you FINISHED, which is always a win in my book. Be kind to yourself and enjoy the down shift in gears that recovery brings. xo
I’ve been nervous before big goal races, like Boston or when I was gunning for a BQ but otherwise no. I just remind myself I love to run and go for it.
I think the nerves were related to not racing in so long and the logistics of race day morning. Once I was there and lined up I felt pretty good!
So proud of you for pushing through the race even when your body wanted you to stop. I know exactly how that feels and it’s so brutal mentally. I hope that you’re taking today to relax and recover.
It was a long time to feel so bad, lol! Definitely taking lots of down time this week. My body needs it!
I’m sorry Lisa that you didn’t have the race you trained for. That’s really tough, I’ve been there many times. But its very commendable that you stuck with it and finished, even when it was tempting to quit. You should be proud of yourself! Please take some rest and recovery and eat ALL the pancakes 🙂
Thank you! I’m definitely going to enjoy some recovery time this week. Its frustrating that it didnt go as planned but I learned that I can keep running for a really long time even when it feels awful. I guess all my easy runs paid off because just when I thought I couldn’t run anymore I just dropped down to a super easy pace to keep going!
I don’t always get nervous before a race, but when I do…it’s a marathon! No matter how my training has gone, there is something about that distance. It’s been so long since you’ve raced at all, so no doubt you were nervous. I’m sorry it didn’t go as well as you hoped but you finished and that is a win in my book! Congrats, Lisa!
Thank you! The marathon distance really can be intimidating especially when you don’t do them very often. I think I was also nervous about race morning logistics. Driving an hour and 20 minutes to the race that morning really isn’t ideal!
I know the race didn’t go as you wanted, but I hope you still feel a huge sense of accomplishment. You put in a solid training cycle in really difficult conditions (pandemic, toddler, work, people getting sick…) and that’s something to be super proud of! And just think… your next road marathon will feel so easy.
Hope you got to enjoy some pancakes today!
Thanks! It really was a challenging training cycle but overall I enjoyed it and feel like it went well. Part of me was thinking about dropping out and running a different marathon this fall. I’m kind of glad I didn’t decide to do that because I have no idea what other marathon I’d try to do!
Congrats on toughing out your marathon, and I’m sorry it didn’t turn out like you’d hoped. I ran that race in 2004 when it was on our side of the river. It was an out-and-back and ran from Belle Haven Park in Alexandria along the Mount Vernon Trail next to the Potomac. I think it moved to the C&O Canal Towpath in Maryland in 2010.
Interesting! I think this would be a fun half-marathon (if you’re used to running on dirt trails). But 2 out and backs was hard to endure mentally, especially when my legs were struggling so much from the terrain.
I always get nervous before races and even long runs sometimes. I am sorry that your race did not go as planned. Way to push through a tough race day.Look forward to reading about it
I got nervous about some of my long runs during this training cycle too. I think when I don’t do a certain distance for a long time I start to overthink it. This week the race morning logistics made me anxious because I always have bad experiences driving to DC!
My 52nd half. Yes still nervous.
As they say. Celebrate finish lines not finish times.
Congrats that you did it. It’s an accomplishment to be proud of.
Thanks! You are so right that we need to celebrate finish lines and not necessarily times.
I’m really sorry the race didn’t go as planned. You had a really good training cycle and pushed through on a tough day – a lot to be proud of for sure!
Thank you! I learned alot from this training cycle and race!
I am sorry that things didn’t go as planned. It’s hard when you spend so much time training, and preparing, and then it’s not what you hoped. You should still be super proud of yourself anyway. A marathon is such an achievement <3
Thank you! While it is frustrating, I think I got so much out of the training. And I learned many lessons from the actual race.