Marathon Pace

"Motivation remains key to the marathon: the motivation to begin; the motivation to continue; the motivation never to quit." Hal Higdon

So today was a tough workout. Probably the toughest so far: 4 miles at marathon pace (MP from here on out). 

Traveling to Asheville, NC last weekend definitely threw off our training. Hammer missed one workout on Saturday (6 mile MP) and I had to amend mine because the trail I chose was actually a 6% grade which made it next to impossible to hit my target. Lesson learned.

For our 12 miler scheduled for Sunday, we didn't actually get to run until returning home at 8pm. Which meant our morning runs now had us doing 4 workouts in 60 hours. Not ideal.

This morning, the plan called for a 3 mile MP; but I amended it to 4 to make up for lost effort from Saturday. The workout was 1 mile warm-up + 4 miles at MP (7:00 - 7:04 for me, 8:10 - 8:14 for Hammer) + 2 mile cool down.

Marquette's marathon course comprises of 18 miles on packed gravel trails. Honestly, I'm not 100% certain what this means - but I've seen no complaints of the course conditions from all of the race reports I've read, so I will attempt to limit my concerns.

What I am cognizant about is replicating course conditions during training at marathon pace to the extent that I'm able to. Fortunately, we have a packed trail-like surface on the National Mall between 4th and 7th St NW. This enclosed-like "track" is .485 miles per lap - so about a half mile.

After the one mile warm-up, I accelerated to MP, getting in the first mile by the time I hit the Mall. My plan was to do 1 mile on sidewalk leading to the Mall and then 3 on the track. Miles 1 and 2 were done at a reasonable effort, though I came in a bit fast at 6:59 and 6:56. Maintaining MP at the track didn't feel any more strenuous than paved surface - which was reassuring.

Towards the end of mile 3, I began feeling fatigued, though I was still maintaining pace. I came through the third mile in 6:58.

Soon after, the run seemingly became more of a mental exercise than physical. I'm not sure where I currently sit in terms of fitness, or really how long I am able to sustain MP, but I know I'm capable of doing 4+.

The mental game has always intrigued me. Why have I been able to push it aside and run a PB one day, but succumb to the dark side and not give a maximum effort the next?  What changes? These are challenges that need to be addressed through reflection over the next 10 weeks.

During a 5K; if my potential on a game day is 18:30, but I don't give a full on maximum effort; I'll likely still be sub 19:00, which isn't a huge difference. Extrapolate that to 26.2 though in a 3 hour + effort, and the chances of failure in missing a BQ are immense.

So how am I going to get from today to race day? It's being accountable to every single workout. Each one. They are all puzzle pieces, really. Lose one piece; and the image won't be complete. Success will only come one day, one run at a time. This is something I can't lose sight of.

Back to today. I pushed myself during the last MP mile more than I have in awhile. It hurt. I wanted to slow down. But I refused to give in. Seeing 6:57 tick off felt amazing. And amazing feels a whole lot better than quitting on yourself and letting your partner down too.

Speaking of, Christine nailed her 4 at MP; all between 8:05 and 8:14.

Weekend training plan:

Friday: OFF
Saturday: 7 Steady
Sunday: 14 (including last ~3.5 at MP)

- J