Shit. I could've been amassing huge pageview numbers all this time if only I'd been posting about my training.
Shit. Posting anything would have been a solid step toward increasing pageviews.
Too late now...I'm just cringing over this lost opportunity.
Anyhooooooo....
If you've never walked a marathon, you might not know that you actually do need to train for it. I was in denial about this for the first 8 weeks of my training program. In fact, I completely ignored those first 8 weeks. Ignored. They didn't exist. They never even happened.
My #marathontraining began on January 19th. Because I have GOALS, I jumped right in with 13 hilly miles. Two weeks later I did another 13. From there, I tried exponentially increasing my long walk mileage every two weeks for ....ummm... two weeks. And then BOOM! I was staring down the barrel of my first 20 miler. My training plan gave me time allotments instead of miles to hit. If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen the pictures and read the whining about HOW FUCKING LONG 5 AND A HALF HOURS IS. Walking fast up and down hilly trails for over five hours is something I don't care to repeat until the Apocalypse is upon us and I need to walk to fucking Walnut Creek to obtain life-saving medical supplies or some such shit.
Mind.
Numbing.
Luckily (I guess?), we are in the middle of a drought and I've had amazing training weather all spring.
Okay, I've done three walks of 20 or more miles which got progressively less enjoyable. About two-thirds of the way through the last one, all I could think about was how totally not fun it was...how boring it was...how I really didn't care to ever walk that long again. I wanted a ride home but was in the middle of a regional park/cow pasture place with NO ROADS so that was not even an option. So I ate my last BBQ ribs (yes, I bring real food on my hikes) and said, shut up, bitch, to myself. You are so fucking lucky to GET to do this. You could be limping with a motherfucking CANE. Finish the damn piece. I was so right.
I finished. Slowly, but to the bitterly smiling end.
In addition to these few really long walks, I also do shorter walks. My weekly schedule has consisted of two 3-mile walks usually around my neighborhood, one speed session on a treadmill to monitor and standardize a speed faster than my goal pace, and a "hills" workout. At first I did real hills, but then the down part was not feeling good on my hips and also seemed to take forEVER, so I switched to long intervals on the StairMaster...3 or 4x15 min HR@AT with 3-5 min rest between.
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Walking can be dangerous. Trying to text and hike was stupid. |
Now for my GOALS:
Primary: Don't get kicked off the course. The first cut-off is 3.5 hours at the half. Then the course opens to traffic at 7 hours.
Secondary: Average pace of 14:30/mile, which works out to finishing in around 6:20.
Tertiary: Break 6 hours, which would be averaging 13:45/mile.
The first goal is definitely achievable. The second is only slightly faster than my first hilly 20-mile hike...and the course isn't particularly hilly so quite possible. The third is a stretch...especially since I did a timed 10 miles and averaged 13:2something on very flat terrain. Of course, I was wearing new shoes which SUCKED.
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Hoka Stinson ATR. Very soft and bouncy and unlike the Stinson Tarmac. I HATE THEM. |
Do you find the end of a training cycle to be a grind? Or do you get super excited as you get closer to your event?
Do you like your shoes soft and squishy or more on the firm side?
What do you think would be the hardest part of walking a marathon?