I haven’t written a blog about my running for four weeks. The last one was talking about Week 4 and now we’re nearing the end of Week 8, so for me, who can normally natter on, that’s a while. In past marathon iterations I’ve managed to get something out more frequently, but not this time.
There are a few reasons for this. The biggest one is that I’m struggling to do all the runs on my training plan (which I make up week by week). Not because my legs are tired, although they are starting to get tired, but because I’ve felt a bit mentally flat with the whole marathon training thing in the last couple of weeks. I know I’m now at the bit where the long runs are supposed to feel hard but it feels like every time I try this distance I’m getting worse at it.
The flatness possibly stems from a real desire to make this marathon build up feel different by: religiously doing my weights twice a week; getting one speed work out in; and having a consistently higher weekly mileage. Yet these long runs are still incredibly hard and slow work, and I’m absolutely nowhere near the pace I’d like to be on marathon day.
For a person who can currently average 8:50 minute miles on a 5K, and 9:30 minute miles on a 10K, 10:25 minute miles on a half marathon, I should be able to reach for an average of 11:30 minutes per mile on a marathon. But my long run this week of about seventeen and a half miles, averaged closer to 13-minute miles, and the second half felt soul destroying even with my bribe to myself of an ice cream midway. A friend said that they wouldn’t be able to run after the ice cream, but I was going so slowly that it didn’t even register in my stomach. I wouldn’t mind the speed if I could keep chugging away, but I was still stopping to walk every now and then in the second half.
My big five-hour challenge for the marathon may be out of my reach, but I can’t back out of the marathon. My accommodation is booked and I’ve paid for the privilege of dragging my feet along the side of Loch Ness. I know I have eight weeks left, which really translates to five weeks if I take off the three-week taper. These are the weeks that are going to be the hardest, so I just have to put my big girl pants on and keep at it.
I have also decided to drop the weights to once a week for this chunk. My routine of weighted lunges, squats, deadlifts, heel lifts and banded crab walks alongside my various upper body exercises is getting boring now and I need something to lift myself up out of my mental morass. I do probably need to join a gym to be able to use different equipment, but I’ll leave that joy for the winter.
I don’t think I’ll be in this slump for long. Already, in the writing about it, I feel better, so I may have another ice cream to keep the momentum going.
theleadlesspencil 
Hi Rita, I’m sure the hot weather has been playing a part recently in slowing you down. Your body must be working extra hard. It’s been difficult enough, even doing simple tasks, let alone going for runs and having motivation for it! I see this less hot spell we’re having now as a chance for a bit of recovery and resetting for our bodies. So hopefully that will work for you. I saw you walking along Church Rd yesterday, (sorry I couldn’t stop), so I was wondering about how you’re doing. You’ll get back on track I’m sure!
Oh yes Heather, the heat has definitely been tough. And as we were in London last week, we got some extra sunshine compared to the Wirral! I will come out of my slump as my body gets used (as much as it can) to these longer distances. Hopefully, the weather stays a tad cooler over the next few weeks.