Did I simply forget how tiring it is to train for a full marathon? Or could it be the extra weekly run and two extra boot camp sessions per week that have me begging for mercy?
Take a little from column A, a lot from column B and you have the reason I wake up in an exhausted fog some mornings. This training schedule is like a second job. For instance, here’s this week’s schedule:
- Monday: morning tempo run 10-11k; evening “recovery” run with the Running for the Truly Terrified group I started.
- Tuesday: morning spin class at the YMCA where I’m a volunteer; evening boot camp.
- Wednesday: evening speed workout with Frontrunners marathon clinic.
- Thursday: evening boot camp.
- Friday: one-hour hot yoga at noon because lord knows I need to stretch!
- Saturday: 19k run (long slow distance: pace 6:50/k, a little over 2 hours)
- Sunday: hike Witty’s lagoon! (I’m really looking forward to that one!)
As luck would have it, my real job is busy but not crazy-busy, and during the summer I haven’t (yet) needed to put in any overtime hours or travel too much. If that were the case though I’d have to give up something – probably a boot camp session.
As a matter of fact, come August (when my mileage starts climbing again) I will drop one of the boot camps per week, and during taper I won’t weight train at all.
The perennial question for runners is: what are you running from?
Good question. The harder answer (given the fact that marathon training is actually hard on the body) is I have no idea. I can’t think of what I’m avoiding in life by working out so much, I can’t think of anything “chasing” me that would cause me to run away.
The easy answer is: I simply love this, I love running, working out, getting strong, staying youthful, staying healthy; and I love doing it with other people, helping them achieve their fitness goals at the same time I’m achieving mine.
What other possible answer could there be?
Photo: Tori running the Royal Victoria Marathon October 2009 by Bill Broughton
