Today was my midweek 8-miler. I decided to go 4 miles east on the Creek Turnpike Trail today rather then the western 4 mile out-and-back I usually take on Wednesdays. The additional mile was...about the same as the previous three.
I was tired this morning after getting to sleep a little late last night, and then waking up in the 2:00 hour for no apparent reason, and tossing and turning for an hour. I decided that this was actually a good thing though, because lately, I've been contemplating the "mental" side of my marathon training a little more seriously. My recent concern has been that, with running long distances (14+ miles) only once a week, I may not get enough mental "practice" to be really ready for my second marathon. So on mornings like this when I'm starting out a little exhausted already, I try to embrace the final mile or two, which wear on me pretty good, even at shorter distances.
To continue the "mental" practice, I've been contemplating things like running in the middle of the day when it's hotter, but my schedule doesn't really allow for that. Any other suggestions for mental preparation for a marathon?
7-8-09
Distance: 8.02
Time: 1:08:43
Avg. Mile Pace: 8.34
I don't think running when it is hotter will help you mentally unless you are training to run in hot conditions. Running when you are already tired seems like a good idea. I think the best mental preparation will be your long runs. Run them a bit slower than race pace so you don't totally wear yourself out, but finish with the last few miles at race pace. Also, the more total miles you have in training (as long as you don't go overboard and injure yourself or ruin the rest of your life - e.g., marriage, work, family, etc.) the better prepared you will be.
ReplyDelete