Grinding Out Marathon Training With Accountability
As the first two months of 2016 march swiftly on, I've started to feel nagging anxiety about my goal to complete a marathon this year.
I had grand delusions that I would take two weeks off after the half I ran this past Thanksgiving and then dive headfirst into the 18 week Hal Higdon plan for a marathon. Somewhere in the first week of training, after more than the planned time off and amidst the holiday season, I got knocked off course. And around two months later, I'm only working into the third week of the plan.
Week four!
Realistically, I know that there is plenty of time to get through the whole regimen and have time to get into a race, potentially even two if I need to. Even still, the less time I have, the more it gets to me. I set my bar high having knocked my half marathon goal out in early April last year and my initial intention was to do the same with this year's marathon goal. The best laid plans of mice and men and all that.
Having this looming anxiety - even though calling it looming anxiety is a bit melodramatic - is a good thing for my training, overall.
Had I not decided over a year ago to run a marathon in 2016, I would be tempted to screw around and not get it done. I'd cite all the snow and traveling and other lame excuses as to why I couldn't keep my training up and then my running motivation may have withered a bit. Fortunately, even when I don't feel like layering up to run in the cold or when I feel too busy, I know that I have to do this.
Not only would I be majorly upset with myself if I copped out of this goal, but I've also broadcast publicly that this is what I'm setting out to do so I've got everyone who's read this blog holding me accountable.
I might be waiting around for the warmest time of day, waiting for the rain to stop, or repeating training weeks when I miss too many workouts, but I'm grinding it out and I will get a marathon in this year.