What no one tells you about marathon training :

It all comes down to trust.

You spend 16 weeks preparing for your goal race. Hundreds of miles spent running. Countless hours spent strength training, meal prepping, and preventing injuries.

For 14 weeks you Go, Go, GO! Increasing distance, increasing pace, increasing mileage.

When you reach the 15th week you begin to taper… physically, you are nearly spent. Mentally, ready to quit. You wonder if it’s really even worth it? WHY do we do this to ourselves???

But then you feel the healing affects of the taper as it begins to work it’s magic, repairing your body from the past few months of grinding.

By the 16th week there’s nothing left to do but wait. A few more easy runs just to stay loose but other than that, just…wait.

I have not RACED a Marathon since Peak To Creek, October 2018 (the one year anniversary of my parents deaths). After experiencing the exquisite pain from that particular course (20 of the 26.2 miles run on a wet, winding, washed out or flooded, heavily graded, unpaved gravel road) I, honestly, wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to walk normally, let alone race another marathon again. And I just didn’t want to.

So as 2019 began, I simply ran “for the love of the run”. No pace, time, or distance expectations. No specific training plan on my calendar. I ran for fun…and to help whoever I could along the way, be it at an organized race or simply a long training run with a friend who was fighting her own personal battles, as well.

But then I started to notice improvement. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Slight, at first, but most certainly there. I began to toy with the idea of getting back out there again. Running for myself. Just to see if I could possibly give just a little bit more?

I was making advancements with my personal and professional life…why not keep striving for more athletically as well?

I gave myself a goal, a deadline with which to restore myself as a runner.

I signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon set to take place on Sunday, November 24th 2019.

No pressure. Just run.

And so began my summer of training.

Since then, I have run and/or raced many smaller events, leading up to Philly, as a part of my training. Looking back now, I realize that I have medaled and/or PR’d at EVERY SINGLE EVENT AND DISTANCE THIS YEAR.

1 mile – 7:02

5K – 23:56

5 mile – 41:16

10K – 54:32

10 mile – 1:28:20

Half Marathon – 1:49:32

These are the race times I have been chasing for years! These are the paces that, with a little more training and alot of determination, have the potential to make me a legitimate contender for a Boston Qualifier!

The only thing left now is the full marathon.

My final race for 2019.

THE PHILADELPHIA MARATHON ;

…just one week from today.

My mind begins to race. To doubt. I know I can do this. I’ve done it before. But can I do it BETTER this time? I don’t know. I hope so, but…

🤫 Sssshhhhh….

The work is done. I’ve done my best. Now is the time to rest.

Rest my body, but train my mind.

The body can withstand most anything you put it through…the challenge is to silence the mind. It is your mind you must convince to never, ever quit.

Trust the training.

Trust the taper.

TRUST YOURSELF ; the rest is yet unwritten…

(Click on the video above to see my 2019 race recap.😊)

#ChasingBoston #ForTheLoveOfTheRun