As the date for the big “Long Run” is drawing near, my body feels that it is at a state of total exhaustion. The funny part is, my legs don’t ache any longer, but instead I have an entire body soreness. There is this feeling that I am on the verge of getting sick, and just one mistake could hinder me sick in bed. I almost feel like I should be sitting at home every night and watching a movie with hot tea as I nurse a cold, and really I am sure this probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. Yet, I have to remind myself that I have felt this way in the past at the end of long marathon training periods. This is all a part of the process. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and know that after this coming week, I can taper, and regain my strength.
This past week’s long run was a complete disaster in my sight. As stated previously, this week has definitely proven to be a difficult one for me. While trying to recover from the Staten Island Half Marathon, I have also dealt with shoe issues (my current racing shoes are now discontinued) and reoccuring stomach cramps. I decided to run my long run with a girl from the Harriers, and as I crashed and burned at mile 15 of what was suppose to be my final 22 mile long run, Vicki stood by and talked me through my walking breaks as I held my stomach in pain along the west side highway. Completely humiliated, I left her at Central Park at mile 18, where she finished the last 4 miles solo, while I hung my head and hopped on a train to recuperate at home. As I fell asleep in an epson salt bath later at home, I had to admit to myself that I had pushed myself a little too hard this past week.
When running the half marathon just a week ago, I looked over (or failed to realize) that I would be entering such a state of exhaustion immediately after. Although I got an immediate high and confidence booster from completing the race fast, this week has humbled me, forced me to take a step back and rest a little. As I start a new week in my training (and my last hard week before taper) I can only hope to start on better grounds and regain my strength as I enter the final stage of marathon training.
