Frightful Fourteen
| July 15, 2011 | Posted by Katy under Inspiration, Long runs, Marathon Training |
“Relish the bad training runs. Without them it’s difficult to recognize, much less appreciate, the good ones.” -Pat Teske
I think it is safe to say that the ‘honeymoon’ phase of my marathon training is over. Gone are the days where I throughly enjoy every run. Gone are the days where I dream of running and I am excited to get out of bed to run. I no longer view this training through ‘rose colored glasses.’
I came to the conclusion that I have vastly underestimated how much marathon training takes out of you. Of course I knew that it was not going to be sunshine and rainbows, but I don’t think I realized how physically and mentally exhausting it would be.
I honestly don’t know where to begin with recapping this morning’s run. It’s safe to say that I’m pretty disappointed in it. I came off a cutback week feeling strong. I had two very good runs so far this week (5 miles on Monday and a 6 mile tempo run on Wednesday) and I felt pretty confident about tackling a new Personal Distance Record (PDR).
Let’s just say that this run started off bad and continued to get worse and worse. My troubles with the run started last night. I went to bed at a decent hour and set my alarm for 4:30am. When I went to bed, I was not feeling too great. My stomach was a bit off, but I figured that it was just nerves for the run. I tossed and turned for awhile, but eventually fell asleep and got up right at 4:30.
When I got up, I felt better and went through my usual pre-run ritual of a small breakfast, foam rolling, checking Twitter, and getting out the door. I made pretty good time because I was in my car and at my running location, ready to run by 5:20am.
It was very dark out (the sun didn’t come up for another hour), but it was already 85 degrees with 90% humidity! (Yay for Florida 
) As the sun came up, I didn’t notice too much of a difference in the temperature, so for once heat was NOT an issue!
My issues were more physical as in my stomach decided to rebel against me, for the entire duration of the run. The pain and cramping started not even two miles into the run, but wasn’t too bad, so I figured that it would pass. WRONG!
At the halfway point, I had already made two bathroom stops and one water break. My confidence and moral were plummeting rapidly and I was struggling, not to mention that my pace was completely off. By mile 10, I had made two more bathroom stops (4 total!) and had some breathing problems.
With 4 miles to go, I was completely a wreck. Mentally I was done and physically I was hurting. My pace plummeted due to the increasing frequency of my walk breaks. Never in my LIFE have I wanted a run to end so much. Thank goodness for numerous supportive tweets that I received during and after the run. They really helped my morale.
Needless to say, this run was a MESS! I know that there isn’t much I could do to help my stomach issues during the run. It happens and I just have to pray that these issues eventually get under control.
I can’t help but to feel very disappointed. Yes it was a PDR and I know that every long run will not be my best, but I have had so many long runs recently that have been downright awful. My confidence has seriously taken a blow and I am in dire need of a redeeming long run. I need something to get me excited again, because right now, I’m beginning to resent long runs.
I need to find my happy place again. How I am going to do that- I don’t know. Maybe I will stop posting my run times on the blog for the time being to take off a bit of unnecessary stress of pacing. Maybe I need a running buddy for some of these runs.
I don’t know, but I’m going to figure it out. As much as I want to throw in the towel sometimes and quit this training, I know that I am stronger than I give myself credit for. I also know that I am too stubborn to let these setbacks get the best of me.
I didn’t mean for this post to sound whiny and depressing. I just didn’t want to sugarcoat anything. Training for a marathon is difficult and I am really at the beginning of the hard work. I want to be real and I want anyone who may come across this post to know the reality of marathon training. It is ugly, it is painful, and it is exhausting. However, I know that it will be worth it.
Hard work always pays off in the end. 
How do you work through setbacks or a low point in your training or workout routine? How do you get your ‘mojo’ back?
P.S- I’ll be at the Central Florida Blogger Conference tomorrow! Make sure to follow the #CFLBlogCon hashtag on Twitter for up to date tweets throughout the day!
My name is Katy and I am a 23-year-old living, running, and cycling in and around the Washington, DC metro area. This blog chronicles my life, inner musings, and fitness adventures as I try to navigate this crazy thing called life!
I have never trained for a marathon but for my half marathon trainings I so understand. I have trained for weeks w seamless runs than hit with two or three runs that were so horrible back to back that it I’d thinkmthat the only thing to do was quit. I found to get my mojo back i just have to keep on keeping on cause there will be that day when the long run is so sweet I’ll be smiling for days! Good luck! And here’s to some great runs!
Thank you!
hey katie,
the rough long runs are the WORST but I know you’ll pull through it. I had a few really awful ones during my marathon training and actually cried in the middle of them because i was so frustrated. I think some of the suggestions you made will help you out (not pressuring yourself to pace a certain way, running with a friend). remember that the ultimate goal for the marathon, no matter WHAT is to finish in one piece.
also, i know you’ve been mentioning stomach issues a lot lately and if it doesn’t appear to be anything specifically medical, do you think it could be anxiety or stress-related? i’m a super nervous and worrying girl and my stomach gets all kinds of messed up. coupled with the pressure to pace properly, maybe you’re subconsciously working your stomach up. just a thought.
anyway, keep your chin up, you’re doing awesome and you WILL kick chicago’s butt!
Thank you for the encouragement! I really appreciate it!
I’m not ruling out that the stomach issues are somewhat stress related (because let’s face it, I get stressed easily
). However, I think yesterday’s problems were definitely non stress related. I just…um know I guess? 
Firstly, the fact that you managed to get up and ready to start by 5:20am is amazing – for my long runs on Sundays, I let myself sleep in as much as possible to make sure my body has the amount of rest it needs. I am sooo not a morning runner though – I’ve tried to run before work and it just doesn’t happen. You’re obviously in a different situation with the crazy heat over there though – thankfully (?!) that’s not something I ever have to worry about!
One think I try to remember when my runs turn rubbish, is that you’re training for a race – the training runs you do are not supposed to be exactly the same as the race itself and it’s OK to take a little walk or stop to use the bathroom. Everything you before race day is fuel in the marathon tank. Even though you weren’t running for all 14 miles, it was still a huge amount of time on your feet which will have pushed your endurance further than ever before. Your mental strength was also clearly tested as well and since you got through it, when things start to go less than perfect in the future then you’ll know you’re capable of pushing through. Completing the marathon isn’t just about the physical endurance…as we’re both finding out
True that! I thought that this marathon was going to be all about physical endurance. I barely had ANY mental problems when I was training for my first half. Now it’s more of a mental test! However, we will both survive and cross the finish line with a smile!
Ah hun, I’m sorry the run didn’t go as planned. but I hope that you see the passion and determination that goes into every one that you do, because believe me, it doesn’t come as hard and well as it does for you. Remember that it’s just one run…yes I know things have been hard lately, but it happens to everyone. we all get injured. we all get sick. this kind of stuff just happens.
so don’t worry about your pace; you ran 14 MILES!!! idk if that’s a pr but that is a sure accomplishment!!!
Thank you! It amazes me how much this training is affecting me! It’s crazy!!!
Jacksonville runner/blogger here, let me know if you ever want to meet for a run (or part of a run) I always love running with new people because the time flies!
Sorry you had another rough run, marathon training is an interesting beast and it can’t be perfected in Just 1 or 2 runs. You will find what works for you over the next couple weeks and it will get better!
Definitely may take you up on that offer! This week I am going to try to rebuild my confidence and mental stamina a bit, especially during my long run. However, I would definitely love to run in a few weeks!