Sunday, August 23, 2009

2 long runs to go.. need advice

I have a 18 and 20 miler left in my long run training plan.. my second attempt at my first marathon is a month and 3 days away.

I was to run my 18 miler this past Saturday but had a conflict so i tried to run it on thursday (two days early) and i just couldnt make it. (new shoes for one thing and I had NO energy.. just couldnt find it)..
so
Here I am wondering... do I give the 18 miles another try tomorrow or tuesday OR do i skip it altogether and wait for the 20 miler that is 2 weeks away?

I am having a hard time trying to figure out, also, what time of day to run. It gets HOT here by 8 or 830 am... if I run in the evenings its HOT and you can feel the heat coming up from the ground its so hot... Do any of you get up and start runs like at 4 or 430? would that just be nuts?

OK.. oh masters of marathon knowledge.. impart your wonderful womanly wunning wisdom to me :) tehehe :)

thanks in advance :)
yall rock!
Ruthie

11 comments:

Roblynn said...

I have always heard that you never skip a long run. The 18 and 20 milers are both very important to your training your body to be running that long. If you did the 18 tomorrow you could still do the 20 next week and have three weeks for a very hefty taper. We are doing our 20 tomorrow and have two and a half weeks until our marathon. Seems like you would have plenty of time to recover. Good luck and have fun. Pura Vida.

amydear said...

For me, if I had trained really, really well and felt good about the race, I might skip the 18-miler. Especially if you made it past 15 miles on your first attempt. BUT you don't want to peak too early, so it might be worth giving it another go. BUT if you feel over-trained, take a little break and shoot for a good 20-miler. I've woken up very early to run with great success, especially if you're having to wake up early on race day. Good luck!

Latter-day Runner said...

I ***LOVE*** running early in the morning when there is enough light. I started my last 20 mile run at 4 in the morning, and I can't think of a better time to start a long run. But I live in the Pacific Northwest, and the run was in June. There was plenty of light to see well just a few minutes after I started my run. I still wore Brooks NightLife running clothes though to help the sleepy early morning drivers (very few of them) see me.

Tall Girl Running said...

I'd be very hesitant to skip your 18-miler before the 20. For one thing, it may be too much of a jump in mileage and cause an injury and for another, each long run builds upon the next and is essential to your success in the marathon. Simply put, the more times you've run long, the more likely you are to finish a marathon still standing.

It'd be okay to run your 18 and 20-milers in consecutive weeks if you make sure you do them at the right pace and get plenty of rest and good nutrition in between. As long as you leave two weeks (but preferably three, since this is your first marathon) to taper and recover before the race, you should be good to go.

Finally... I've learned for me, training for a fall marathon requires getting up at insanely early hours of the morning. I usually wait until the sun is rising, but if you have to start earlier, buy a headlamp and run in a neighborhood you feel safe. There is something very relaxing and exhilarating at the same time about doing a long training run in the wee hours of the morning when the rest of the world is silent.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I have a 2 month old and his early morning feeding is at 4:30, so I just stay up and run at five. It's usually close to ninety by mid-morning and is so humid that it's difficult to run efficiently.

I wouldn't skip the 18-miler. It's an essential run. If you're going to run that early, I would eat a boiled egg just before bed. That way you'll have the energy to get up and run.

btw- am training for the Walt Disney World Marathon in January. can't wait to hear your results!

Alicia said...

I injured my knee on my 18 miler so I skipped the 20. It might not be the best thing to do but I wouldn't worry about missing a long run if there is nothing else you can do. I still ran my marathon without having run anything longer than 15 miles! I was extremely nervous about it but I still completed the marathon and felt great the whole way.

We ran our long runs starting at 4am. It was hard to get up that early but better to lose some sleep than fight the heat.

Good luck with the training and marathon!

Ruthie said...

thanks for your advice :)
I am resting up today and will give it another try tomorrow morning.

part of me is thinking... WHAT WAS I THINKING when i decided to run a marathon! but the other part of me. is thinking.. i am so close. sooo close.. i cant stop now

Kelly(M&M) said...

You are so close, Ruthie!! You can do it. I feel like I always have one "bad" run where I am just not myself. It is much better to get it out of the way on a long run, and not in the marathon. What is your longest mileage this time around? If you haven't hit 18 yet, then I think it is a good idea to try again tomorrow morning. You will be well rested by your 20 miler next week and you will have confidence going into that one. Good luck and let us know how it goes!!

ihaverun said...

What marathon are you running? I am running my first about the same time and am jumping from 17 miles to a 20 mile run so that I have three weeks to taper. I think making sure you give yourself enough time to taper is really important!

Ruthie said...

thanks so much for the encouragement,
I am still nervous about tomorrow morning.. I plan on getting up at 415 and out the door by 445.. its all so new to me it seems crazy to be up and out that early,, but i know its not.. its just my brain getting in the way of my goals. :)

Candice, I am not running my marathon in an organized race. I am running it on my own. I have found I love running for the solitude it gives me. I wrote about it on my blog "its not about the shirt" :)


http://mybodmod.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-not-about-shirt-and-more.html


:) thanks again everyone.. i will be thinking of you tomorrow as I give it a second go! :)

ruthie

Unknown said...

Just a quick side note. . .I recently read in Runner's World. . .I think it was the May or possibly the April issue. Anyway, it was their introduction to the RW marathon challenge. The Professional trainer (Yasso) who was discussing the training schedule for individuals who were injury prone (I know this is not you but his thoughts were interesting) He said that a long run was fine every other week but no longer than that. I believe I am remembering it correctly. It may be worth looking up on their website if you are interested.
Also, I really enjoy very early morning runs. I have been doing the majority of my long runs by myself and have been starting at about 4:15-4:30. It has been dark when I started so I used a head lamp and stuck to doing the first part of my run in town and finished up after it was light in the country. Good Luck! I hope it is successful. We all know how frustrating it is when you attempt a run and your body doesn't cooperate.