Week 3 Marathon Training Thoughts

Week 3!

Week 3 done and dusted! And this one featured an event! I took part in the Run North West Wilmslow Festive 10km for I think the 4th year in a row and as always it was great! It was actually the fastest Wilmslow 10km I have done because normally at this time of year I’m not doing much running because I am not a winter runner unless I have a goal like I do now! So it was nice to feel good in it for once, thanks to the training I have been doing so far.

As it’s a festive 10km, I have this incredible star outfit my amazing friend Beth made for the first one we did 4 years ago and me and Em have done it every year, Beth twice and our other friends Jenna and Liz have been stars too. This event is always loads of fun and a good atmosphere with lots of lovely supporters and volunteers and it was a great way to get a 10km run into my training! Plus it was great to run with Em again for the second week in a row!

Ready to run!

So my thoughts based on this weeks training…

Strength work helps!

I have had a bad back for the past couple of years. I have 3 bulged discs and I have been struggling to train properly as a result. I have managed to tick over and have had great physio and rehab support from my amazing physio MoveWell Physio and Pilates but unfortunately squatting and deadlifting (well, basically picking anything up off the floor) amongst other things caused a lot of pain. So as a result, I have lost some strength in my legs. Recently I have been experiencing less pain and I have been able to incorporate more of my usual leg strength work again and I have noticed a big difference in my running! I feel stronger with each step, my form deteriorates less quickly, and I am less sore afterwards! I already knew that strength work helps with running, and I always advise runners to include strength work in their training if they don’t already, but it feels good to have evidence in my own body backing up the theory!

So if you don’t already, maybe include some strength work once or twice a week. If you’re not sure what to do, I can help with that as I offer running strength training programmes, just drop me a message and we can have a chat.

Process goals versus Outcome goals

A mistake people can often make when training for something is having too much of a focus on the outcome, i.e. the end goal, whether that’s a marathon time, winning a gold medal in your sport, or earning X amount of money in your career. By only focusing on the outcome, it can make the journey of getting there less enjoyable, with increased pressure, stress and expectation. In addition, if in the unfortunate circumstance the outcome goal is not achieved, it can lead to major disappointment, feelings of failure and sometimes even mental health difficulties such as depression. This is why it’s important to have process goals. A process goal is a mini goal of focus that is part of the journey of working towards your end goal. For example, the 10km I did on Sunday was a process goal. It was a mini aim for me to get to this 10km feeling fit enough to complete it, to run it feeling strong and to enjoy it. And I did. It helped me to have a short-term focus, so that rather than always thinking about the marathon on every single training run, I have spent the last couple of weeks thinking about this 10km. I have other process goals to work towards along the way of my marathon plan, such as working up to 10 miles, and then a half marathon, etc and I am going to enter some other events to help with this. Other process goals may be to work on technique and try to make it feel easier or smoother, or to work on what nutrition works best for you or have some strength-based goals, which will help your running but also give you something to focus on and fulfil strength wise. The point of all this is that, regardless of what happens with the outcome goal, you have found the process of working towards it rewarding and meaningful with lots of little wins along the way.

Happy with our medals!

Using life stressors can help to push you through the hard bits of a run… if you choose to let them…

On Friday I had a bit of a rubbish day. I won’t go into detail but I was feeling pretty sad and emotional about something going on in my personal life and I was very wobbly. I knew I had a run planned but in the midst of a cry it was the last thing I wanted to do. However, my rational brain knew that getting out for a run would give me some endorphins and possibly help. I managed to pull myself together after work and got my running gear on and I got outside. I had no idea whether it was going to go well or end in tears but I figured either way I was out there giving it a go. Halfway through the run there was a hill, and I knew it was coming, and the anticipation of having to run up it was making me feel a sense of dread. My emotional brain was saying “You don’t need to run up it today. It’s been a tough day. Just walk and be kind to yourself”. My competitive and determined brain was saying “Come on… it’s just a little hill, you’ve done it before, and you can do it today, just keep putting one foot in front of each other and take it one step at a time, but KEEP RUNNING”. And then I reminded myself… “If I can get through hard things in life, I can run up this bloody hill”. And THAT was what got me through. I’ve been through much tougher things than running up a hill, and so it was reminding myself of that that helped to push me to the top.

I finished the run feeling proud of myself for getting through it despite having been in tears an hour before leaving. And despite life being hard. And despite wanting to stop and walk the hill, I didn’t.

So if I had listened to my emotional brain, I might have felt a little disappointed in myself. But I turned a life stressor into fuel to help get me through it, and it worked.

I’m not saying that would work every single time without fail. But it’s worth a try. If you’ve got something going on in life that is causing you stress or emotion, see if you can use it to help you get through your next hard run. Remind yourself you are strong and you can do it because of everything you have already coped with in life!

Hope you’ve had a good week of training! And make sure you’re being careful on these roads… it’s pretty icy out there at the minute! Oh and here’s a close up of the amazing bauble medals we got!