Gettysburg Marathon Training : Halfway!

Hi everyone!  I can't believe it, but I'm already half way done with marathon training.  I mentioned before that I was planning on doing a 20 week training program, and I just finished week 10.  Today I'll be talking about how training is going, what's worked and what hasn't, and what will change going forward.

A Look Back

I started training by following Kara Goucher's Half Marathon Plan, which I really liked.  After a few weeks, I switched over to a marathon training plan that's focused on breaking four hours.  The only thing that I've modified is switching up the speed work.  I'll incorporate some of the speed work in Kara's plan with the speed work in this plan and it's working out really well.

I like how in the marathon training plan, there are a lot of workouts done at marathon race pace.  I'm starting to get really comfortable running a lot of miles at this pace, and I know it'll help my confidence on race day.





What's Working

I've been keeping things similar from my quarter point check-in since things are working so well.  Here's what's been working for me (and what I switched up from last post)
  • Morning runs.  I'm still loving morning runs.  I'm in the habit of doing them now, so it's getting easier and easier to wake up early!  It feels great to get my workout over with before I even get to work.
  • Evening speed work.  Even though I usually run in the mornings, I decided to switch my speed work to the evening.  I wasn't hitting my paces in the morning, so I made the switch to doing those workouts after work.  It's worked out great and I realized that it's ok to change things up!
  • Yoga.  I finished up my Yoga Revolution series, and I'm still doing yoga about 4 times a week.  I want to get back to doing this daily again, because I realized that it's easier for me to do something daily rather than saying I'll do it a few times a week.  I'm one of those "all or nothing" people, so I'm going to try to fit it in every day again.
  • Protein powder!  I have a post coming up with different kinds of vegan protein powders that I've tried, but I've honestly noticed a huge change in my appetite and strength since adding a daily protein shake to my meals.  

What's Not Working

I'm still pretty happy overall with my training.  I'm glad that I'm still looking forward to each workout and not going through that dreaded phase of running where I feel sluggish and don't want to work out.  I'm hoping it keeps up, and in order to do that I have a few things that I want to work on in the next few weeks:
  • Group runs. I went to one group run this month and really enjoyed it.  It helped me stay motivated during my long run and I promised myself I would be back for more.  Unfortunately life got in the way the past few weeks so I couldn't make it, but I want to start going more often and making it a priority.
  • Slower easy runs.  I'm still struggling with slowing my pace on easy runs.  This might seem like a good thing, but I know that a lot of injuries are caused by people refusing to slow down and take easy days really easy.  
  • Cross training.  So far I've been doing great with adding yoga to my routine, but I still want to get more strength in!  I do a core video occasionally, but I want to focus on doing that more consistently. 
  • Comparison.  I talked about that in this post, and it's still something I'm working on.  I'm starting to do more runs without my watch so I don't have to worry about competing with myself or with others, but I also think I need to take a step back from social media.


  

What's Next

Next week I'll be running the Spring Thaw.  For this race, I can run 10, 15 or 20 miles.  I have a massage/floating session schedule in the afternoon, so right now my plan is to run a 5 mile warmup, then do 15 miles in the race for my first 20 mile run.  I'm hoping to do the 15 miles at marathon race pace, and this will be a great confidence builder!  We'll see how race day goes, because I've never run 20 miles before.


As you can tell, I'm feeling great about training.  I'm still hitting all of my miles and feeling great!  I'm hoping to stay injury free during this training cycle and get to the starting line healthy.  Now that I'm halfway through training, it's starting to feel real!



What races do you have coming up?
Have you made any big changes in your training lately?
Do you use protein powder?
linking up with Annmarie, Nicole, Michelle, and Jen for Wild Workout Wednesday.

Comments

  1. Group runs are awesome, but they can indeed be hard to schedule. Maybe look at them more like "treats." Great job so far!

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  2. Great job!! And hope to see you at more group runs.

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  3. I can understand how it can be tough to fit in the group runs. For me that's what gets me out there and wanting to push myself. Looks like your training is going really well. Happy running!

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  4. I struggle real hard with slowing my runs down. I KNOW I have to but it's harder to go slow than it is to speed up!

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  5. I struggle with comparison all the time. Social media definitely makes it a trap. But focus on you and your goals. You're doing amazing.

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  6. I used to use protein powder 5-ish days a week, usually in my weekday breakfast. I bought one I hated so I kind of phased it out, but thinking it should make an appearance again, I was definitely doing that when I hit my last HM PR.

    As far as that 20 miler goes, you got it! My only tip would be to make sure you don't end up alone in the last 5 miles if you can help it. Have you ever ended up in a race but are somehow totally alone? It's a weird feeling. For me, 20 miles was such a mental barrier, but I KNOW you can do it. Being on your last lap of the loop is such a good feeling too!

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    1. I was so surprised to find a vegan powder that I actually like. It's made such a huge difference!

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  7. You're doing so well! The race pace miles are golden. Those are the ticket. I can't do speed work in the mornings, either. Like, at all, ever. Never never never.

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    1. It's so hard! My body is not awake yet, but then again races are always in the morning so I need to push through.

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  8. I'm debating signing up for the Spring Thaw last minute (I'll be in Pittsburgh for the Winter Classic)... I'm waiting to see the weather though ;)

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    1. YES you should!! It's supposed to be beautiful out.

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  9. You're doing awesome! I find that group runs are awesome as long as your not too picky about hitting a specific pace.

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    1. Yes..that's definitely a downfall. Luckily the group I run with is pretty large so we end up breaking up into a few different pace groups!

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  10. I totally hear ya on the running slow. I'm not especially fast,but I have a tough time running "slower" than what feels normal.

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  11. Awesome job so far! I am so happy you liked Kara's training plan. I love it and am going to use it again for training for my spring half marathon next week :)

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    1. That's great! Can't wait to see how it goes in round 2

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  12. I think slowing down is reaaaaaaaaaallly hard - and people often think it would be the easier thing to do. When you get yourself into a rhythm, it's really hard to break that rhythm as your body just tends to go with what you always do. I actually find myself more sore and more tired when I've intentionally slowed down a run (or even a walk) vs my normal pace!

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    1. Yes..I just want to keep going! Running without a watch is helping because I don't feel like it's a competition (with myself).

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  13. I once was a solo runner all the time. Now there's some weeks where I don't run alone at all. Who knew I was a social runner? ;)

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    1. Haha that's great you found what works best for you!

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