Last year was my second year of training. It really was just a hodge podge of mileage and a paper napkin training plan. I would run hurt, thinking foolishy that I could just run through the pain and a lot would argue over 'junk miles' and how they could be beneficial, but I found that even though I was running for the sake of running, I don't really think I was improving.
I put in a lot of mileage in preparation for a big fall marathon in Minneapolis, MN called the Twin Cities Marathon in 2013 . I trained with my training partner Osty, running many miles in the summer months leading up to the marathon, but I wasn't focused and feeling it. And it showed in the race.
I was disappointed in my time and more importantly in myself because I really lost a lot of focus on the days leading up to the race and during the race, having to deal with a lot of personal issues. After the race I took a couple of days to feel sorry for myself privately, then dealt with my personal issues and then just stopped running.
I let myself just rest physically and mentally. All the aches and pains of running healed and before I tackled any running, I decided to start a calisthenics program so I can strengthen my body. I would put in a couple of short 5k's here and there, but I never ran to the point where it started to hurt. And I used those miles during recovery and healing to heal my mental state, as I found running to be a great panacea to a lot of the mental noise that was running through my mind.
In November, I started picking up the pace and mileage and went back to the run club at City Park Runners doing their Thursday evening tempo runs and Saturday LSD's. Getting back into a social group with like minded people helped with keeping me going, but it was the get together's, the post run brunches after the LSD's which were really fun and something to look forward too. I rested up some more in December, practically taking that whole month off, but kept up with my calisthenics program to help build the much needed strength in my core, hips, and upper body. I also signed up for a marathon clinic with City Park Runners so I can tackle the new year with a new focus.
I'll update on how that all goes. I'm going to make the New Year going forward to new horizons.
