Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Uncharted Territory

Last weekend I ran 16 miles.  Thats the farthest I have ever run.

I ran at a comfortable pace, so I can't say it was a difficult run.  I will say that around mile 11, it became a boring run.  And once I hit mile 13, I REALLY WANTED TO STOP.  The conversation I had with myself for the next 3 miles was, in hindsight, slightly hilarious but mostly pathetic.  Essentially I just begged myself to keep going.  There was nothing motivational or inspirational going through my head, just pure desperation:  Please, please just keep running!  Please!

I've found that in all my runs of 13+ miles, my body just wants to quit at mile 13.  I don't know why.  Maybe its because I've run 13 miles enough to know I can do it.  But anything beyond that is just scary.

13 miles doesn't seem that far to me.  14 miles seems like an eternity.  16 miles makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry.

So I'm a little nervous for the remainder of my marathon training.  All of my weekend miles increase ever so slightly until I begin to taper for the race.  In other words, my long runs add another mile per weekend from now until mid-October.  *GULP*

I'm not sure if this is mental hurdle or a physical hurdle.  How do I get over this fear?  Anyone else ever felt this way?


RAR!

6 comments:

  1. I'm in the same boat, Amalia. I did 16 for the first time last weekend as well, and I know what you mean about having to go a little further each week. But I look at it this way - you now know you can do 16, so 17 is just another mile, another 10 minutes. And then after that, 18 is just another mile, etc. Don't look at it as 17 miles, look at it as "only one mile further than my previous best". Makes it seem less daunting.

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    1. Congrats on your 16! And thanks for the perspective. Just one mile more. We can always run just one mile more, right? :) What race are you training for?

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  2. Also in the same boat! Kind of daunting, but so can be done. We've gotten this far right? I have enjoyed reading your blog so far--looking forward to more!

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    1. Thanks for the comment! And yes, you're right! We have gotten this far, and we can keep going! Thanks for the perspective and good luck in your training. What race are you training for?

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  3. Very exciting that you are entering uncharted waters with mileage! When I was doing marathon training it was always exciting to hit a new mileage number. Don't worry, as you progress 16 miles will still feel like a long way, but it will gradually feel less far. Now 26.2 will still feel really far lol

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    1. Yes, 26.2 still seems VERY far. But you're right, it is getting easier. Thanks for the encouragement!

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