theSmudge.com

So I’m running the Eugene Marathon in less than six weeks. And another one seven weeks later. Do you think I should have a training plan?

Actually, I do have one, and the slogan is, “I think I’ll run some miles, go to the gym and enjoy myself.” Rather than poring over previous running schedules and spending hours online researching various experts’ training plans as I have in the past, this time I’m mostly flying free.

I don’t have a spreadsheet printed out with 16+ weeks of running planned out. If I oversleep and miss a run, I’m not busily rearranging the spreadsheet in order to get the right number of miles for the week. I’m not driving myself nuts looking at paces and distances I should be doing for speedwork, like all the “real” runners seem to do. I’m just relieved to be able to run, after waiting months for my most recent injury to heal.

And you know what? So far this non-plan is working out just fine.  Unlike the past, my body isn’t grumbling when I surpass 30 miles in a week. When I looked back at last year’s training log, I discovered that I’m back to running as fast as I have before. I haven’t tested a 5K, so I don’t know if I’m at my fastest ever, but I suspect I am.

I haven’t really analyzed it in great depth, but this is all tied to the revamp of my life. Last summer I closed the doors on most of the biggest parts of my life. Now I’m wandering down a new corridor, pondering various other doors (a couple of which scare the heck out of me). If that’s how my life is going, why should running — which is often my outlet and escape mechanism — be any different?

However, I might rename my marathon training slogan to, “I think I’ll run some miles, go to the gym and do nothing in moderation.” Here are some examples:

1. This morning I figured I’d go run 5 miles if I woke up in time. Instead, I ran 8 miles of hills (in the dark), including some spur-of-the-moment ones at the end because I am apparently a glutton for punishment.
2. Today I had consumed 24 ounces of water and 28 ounces of (decaf) coffee by 9 a.m. I also ate way too much trail mix because I didn’t want to eat the lunch I’d brought.
3. I didn’t actually decide to run the Eugene Marathon until last week, also known as seven weeks before the race. I knew I was going to Eugene, but I was secretly thinking of only running the half-marathon.
4. Last weekend I said I’d run “15ish” miles in Lodi with my former running club. 15 miles ended up being 16, but that was nothing compared to the way I prepped for the run: The night before, I was at a dinner party and had 2.5 glasses of wine, several shots, and my second night of five or less hours of sleep. That morning I didn’t eat breakfast or drink anything until a little water at mile 6. Then I had a little more water at mile 12 and took one 150-calorie gel. But I made it through the 16 miles with no problem and the last two miles were the fastest of the day — actually too fast but I didn’t notice at the time.
5. I am experimenting with intervals on the stationary bike at the gym. That setting is extreme all on its own.
6. I’ve been having runs where I plan on going for a mellow 9:30 pace, but then it ends up at 8:50 overall pace. Oops.
7. There was the matter of my nice little PR (personal record) at the Shamrock’n half-marathon, which I’d planned to just run to see where I was on the injury recovery road.
8. Sleep is another matter of not following recommended training: I now find myself waking up at some point most nights, though I’m getting better at being able to go back to sleep, and it’s not happening every night anymore. The other night, though, I awoke at 12:30, 3:36 and 4:40. Not cool.

In the interest of full disclosure, I still log all my miles to the nearest hundredth in multiple programs, but I only do that because it’s fun and because I am a nutcase. I did look at a calendar and at my previous running schedules just long enough to loosely plan some longer runs so I don’t die in Eugene. I’m leaving those plans at “20ish” and “20 or 22 if I feel like it,” and I don’t care which weekend day the runs happen.

Oh, and that marathon seven weeks after Eugene? Yeah, I have NO training plan for it yet.