Underneath my keyboard at home, I keep two important things. A well-worn printout of Hal Higdon’s “Novice 2” 18 week marathon training schedule and an equally worn Runner’s World “SmartCoach” marathon training schedule. From these two sources, I have created my own customized marathon training program.
If I were sticking strictly to the professional training programs, I’d be a week ahead of schedule. They both have long run mileage peaking at that magic 20 miler NEXT week. I like to do things MY way and now I can say I’ve been there and done that. I’ll probably not do another 20+ miler until the marathon on October 15. I’m not quite ready to taper yet so I think I’ll just keep my next few long runs comfortably under 16.
Thanks to the law student that ran along with me somewhere around miles 15-17. It was nice to talk with you and a welcome break from the solitude of the previous few hours. Good luck with the adventure races.
Also thanks for the encouragement from random bicycle guy who obviously noticed how incredibly hardcore I am. Actually, he probably noticed how incredibly pitiful I am (or was at the time). As he rolled up beside me, our conversation began something like this:

“Hey, what are you training for?”
“Oh, I’m doing my first marathon next month.”
“You’ve been out here a long time. I saw you a few hours ago in Madison.”
“Yeah, its been about three hours now.”
“I thought you might be training for the Badwater Ultra-Marathon…”

Don’t worry, Robin. This doesn’t make me want to actually race 135 miles across Death Valley in mid-July. But I’m ok with getting mistaken for someone that hardcore. Truth is, I might as well have been in the middle of the world’s toughest footrace. I was about to push farther than I had ever gone before, and win.
Twenty miles is a long way to run. I haven’t even ridden my bike that far yet. (I know, I need to ride more.) Needless to say, I’m very proud of this accomplishment and I’m really looking forward to my chance to join the ranks of the marathoners in just a few weeks.

Full marathon in less than two months.

My first full marathon is now only seven weeks away. Training consistently has been difficult in this brutally hot summer. At this point, I know I’m half-marathon fit, but I’m worried that I’m not marathon fit. After today’s long run, I’m pretty sure a DNF is not in my future but the last ten miles are going to be an awful struggle.

Today, I hit mile 16 at the base of a long demoralizing hill. I had already taken my last gel one mile back and it was doing nothing for me. So I walked, and walked, and walked. I couldn’t even motivate myself to pick up the pace (and pretend like I’d been running all along) when I saw cyclists heading my way. I don’t know if I ever really “broke through” the wall. I was able to get myself running again but it seemed like the walls were lined up every quarter mile or so. I should add that the temperature was around 97 and shade was non-existent.

Salt crust was thick on my clothes and skin so there’s a good chance my electrolytes were low. I like my current fueling strategy of drinking only water and getting electrolytes and carbs from PowerGel but I may need more than just the gel – at least in the summer heat. I think I’ll check some ultra-running blogs for advice on getting additional electrolytes. Hopefully, that will be just what I need to get me through the wall. Suggestions, anyone?