Training Update

Ed performed some seriously impressive feats of athletic prowess over the weekend, but until I have time to upload the pictures, I thought I'd take a few moments to update interested parties on my own quest for greatness - or at least, for a status slightly above mediocre - as I train for the NYC marathon. I've got about 5 weeks left, and I'm happy to say that I show no signs of sliding back into that nasty slump I struggled with a while ago. I've been pretty diligent about doing every one of the running workouts (3 per week) and almost all of the cross training workouts (2 per week, my choice of 30-minute cardio) mandated by my training plan. I've been timing my runs more regularly, and have been very pleased with the results. Below are my reflections on the process thus far. I'll start with the cons, so I can end on a positive note.

CONS
Blisters: I haven't had problems with blisters in ages, but for some reason lately they've been an huge annoyance. I'm running in the same shoes I've worn for months, so the only explanation I can come up with is that since I'm working harder during training runs, my feet are sweating more (sorry) and damp skin is more susceptible to blistering. Yuck. I have a few small ones on my left big toe, on on the back of my heel, and a giant one on the ball of my left foot. I've ordered some fancy-schmancy socks that are made of moisture-wicking material and are double-layered, meaning that the outer layer will rub against an inner layer of sock instead of my poor epidermis. The brand, WrightSock, has been very highly reviewed. They arrive Friday, and I am counting the days. Knock on wood, but my knees have both been feeling fantastic, however.
Fatigue: I'm tired. When my workouts are short enough, I try to do them in the morning before work to leave my evenings free, and it's hard being out of the house when it's still dark. If I don't get up or my workout is too long, I have to do it in the evening, which is tough to do after a full day of work. I find myself hardly able to keep my eyes open past 10:00 (which sucks because I'm reading a really good book) even on the days I don't get up early. My workouts are taking it out of me, particularly on Saturdays when I do my long runs. My thighs burn after a single flight of stairs. My calves threaten to cramp up if I stand on my tiptoes to reach something on a high shelf. Sitting down feels great.
Scheduling: I can't be as easy-going about my schedule as I used to be. If I'm going out to dinner with friends (8:00 seems to be a common meet-up time), I have to be sure I run that morning and possibly even hit the gym again in the late afternoon because I'll be home late that night and won't want to get up the next morning. If I'm social a few times a week, I have to be very meticulous about planning my training agenda, and I have to stick with it or risk falling behind. An upset stomach last week almost derailed my training for the whole week since I had so many other things going on. I have less time to read, knit, cook, and practice the piano, too. Luckily, this won't last forever and I'll have my life back again soon.

PROS
Audiobooks: I have listened to some outstanding audiobooks while training, and I love plugging in my headphones and losing myself in a good story at the start of each tempo or distance run. (I can't listen to audiobooks during intervals because I get too wrapped up and forget to push my pace.) My books of choice are young adult literature. The storylines are easy to follow even in distracting places like parks and roads, and I like staying up-to-date on what literature is available to young people. I get the CDs for free from the library and load them onto my computer, then my iPod for hours of entertainment.
Physique: My legs are getting more and more muscular, my arms and stomach are defined, and my tendency to eat like a horse hasn't caused any of my clothes to be too tight. I love the feeling of being starving just before mealtime and knowing that I earned it.
Progress: When I started training, I decided to shoot for the paces recommended by my training plan for people who want to run a 3:45 marathon; I figured that I probably wouldn't be able to go that fast on race day, but aiming for a faster time during training certainly couldn't hurt. While my interval times are still just shy of pathetic, not only have I been holding the quick paces recommended for my various tempo and distance runs, lately I've been able to go faster. On Saturday, I ran 15 miles at what I hoped would be an 8:45-minute pace. Instead, I finished the run with an average pace of 8:38-minute miles. Similarly, this morning I ran 5 miles at 7:53 minutes per mile instead of the recommended 7:59. (It damn near killed me, but I did it.) That's only a few seconds faster per mile, but over the course of a 26-mile course, it could really add up. I can hardly wait to see what this means for my time come race day.
Outlook: I am proud of myself for working hard at this. If I was in a black mood when I couldn't drag myself to the gym for a while, I'm walking on air now that I'm surpassing the goals I set for myself. Anything could happen during the marathon itself, but even if my performance is derailed, I hope that I'll be able to remember how good I feel about the effort I'm putting in now. After all, many months of training should mean more to me than four measly hours on the course.