There’s something so hopeful and exciting about a new training cycle. The experience of training for and running twelve marathons gives me confidence. But I’m also still experimenting and learning new things all the time. Balancing confidence and a beginner’s mind is one thing I particularly love about this sport. Running can feel like an old friend one moment, and something entirely new the next.
Planning for this new cycle, I know I need to push myself more than ever before. Missoula Marathon on June 30, 2019 will be my first official attempt at a Boston qualifying time. I didn’t think I’d go for a BQ until I hit the 45 age group, but with my Louisiana Marathon time of 3:48:27, I’m just over eight minutes away.
Here are some of the tweaks and additions to my training I’m hoping will help me reach that goal:
Foam roll like my life depends on it. I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve been a reluctant foam roller. Why is it the hardest part of any run? I seriously think I’d rather run a 20-miler than foam roll for ten minutes. With the BQ attempt, I’m pushing my pace beyond what I’ve ever done before, I’m training for my third marathon in a row with just 1 week of light recovery between each. I need to do all I can to keep imbalances and tightness at bay. I’ve committed to foam rolling every day of this training cycle, even on cross or rest days.
Foot strengthening exercises. After realizing my feet were my weak link in Atlanta, I’m also doing daily foot massage, stretches, and exercises. It only take a few minutes to work through a decent routine of toe curls, stretches with resistance bands, and one of my favorites—”drawing” the alphabet with my toes.
Ramping it up. This cycle, I’m layering additional mileage and cross training. I used to always take Monday and Friday as rest days, but I’m allowing myself to run one or both of those days if I feel up to it. I’m adding more speed work, mixing it up between intervals, progression, and tempo runs. I’m really enjoying the challenge of these, and find that these keep me much more mentally engaged in my runs. And I’m adding additional biking and 1-2 yoga classes per week to my cross training. The yoga seems to be really helping my feet and tight calves with all those balance moves and downward dogs.
It isn’t all new of course! Some of my favorite rituals that I’m keeping:
Benchmark half marathons. I discovered a few cycles ago that I am highly motivated by the half distance. It’s a great benchmark for what I can do. It’s long enough to be an indicator of how I can do in the full, but short enough that I can push myself on pace. I generally do my first and last long run as a half, then add 2-3 more for down weeks during the cycle.
A good read. I really enjoy kicking off a new training cycle by reading a book about running. I started this habit after my second or third marathon as a way to pump myself up. This time I went for Peter Sagal’s Incomplete Book of Running.
A weekly date with hills. I incorporated weekly hill training for the Atlanta Marathon because the course demanded that (and then some!). When I’ve trained for hillier courses in the past, I realized I actually enjoy the challenge of a good hill and the variety of mixing up the terrain. While I’ll probably always keep a weekly hill run, it’s especially important for Missoula since I’ll be racing at a few thousand feet higher than my Hoosier state. The hills will help me prepare for that elevation jump.
Core Mondays. My husband and I committed to a weekly core strength workout when I kicked off training for Baltimore. I’ve missed one week since June 2018. It has made a huge difference for me. I’d credit this one thing as the most impactful in getting two back-to-back marathon PRs at Baltimore and Louisiana because it helped me push pace and stay healthy.
Tuesdays with Barnaby. I have a hard time sometimes letting myself run easy. One of the best ways to do so has been committing to a weekly short and easy run with my dog. It’s good for both of us!