The struggle goes beyond just getting in 40+ miles of running a week (though that has its own challenges too). Here's a bit of the extra stuff involved in training for a marathon:
All the Hurts
- frequent arch/heel soreness after runs
- occasional hobbling/crawling around my house
- occasional sore lower back
- occasional hip tendon trouble
- tight shoulders/neck
- tight calves (even with stretching)
I've been doing just fine managing all of these things... until yesterday. At T-6 weeks (anyone know if that's the correct usage?), I hit my first bump in the road. While out on my run, my tight calves had a little twinge in them. I'd recently started managing them with compression sleeves in-run as well as post-run, but, this twinge was new. A little skiddish due to some previous calf strains (one that crippled my first marathon training and involved a boot), I made some time to go see my sports massage guy.
I could tell they were bad when, for the first time I can remember, the massage actually hurt a little bit. He even had to get out this little metal tool that we haven't used since my strain two years ago to dig at a knot. Eek. I haven't been doing any rolling (though I have been diligent about stretching), and, combined with a really hilly run on Saturday, which ended in shuffling through two miles due to Run Lead obligations, I definitely haven't been treating my calves very nicely.
The night of my massage, everything was really tender/sore, and I started wondering whether I should run #10MileTuesday in the morning. Fortunately, I woke up with my legs pretty much recovered, and was able to cover the distance. I've had my sleeves on since then, but can already tell a HUGE improvement in muscle tension from yesterday.
All the Chafing
This is the first time I've run this long (duration and miles) in this humidity, and it is not working out too well for my upper body. No matter which sports bra I wear on my long run (and I've tried everything from my Nike Xback, seamless Lululemon, and a few different MovingComfort varieties), I wind up with awful chafing near the neckline and along the straps in the back (literally, it looks like I was whipped; I have raised welts along the X-back from last weekend). I'll be trying some Body Bag this weekend, since my normal BodyGlide isn't cutting it. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll go get fit at a sports bra shop. Maybe my bras are too big?
All the Foods
I've also had to make a lot of modifications to my diet. I'm learning how to make healthier foods with less effort, and have easy, healthy snacks on-hand.
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| every lunch now includes a fruit-- mini orange or apple |
I've gotten much better about meal planning, both for baby's sake and my own nutrition. Now I'm a lot more diligent about ensuring each meal is balanced. It's nowhere near perfect, but it's a decided improvement over what we had before. Another thing I've started doing to help us is making my work from home Tuesday/Thursdays "crock pot days". It's really easy for me to throw some raw meat, veggies, and a carb in in the morning, and then Jerry can come home to a warm, cooked dinner that all three of us can eat. Holden's enjoyed garlic chicken/potatoes/green beans and a thyme-infused carrot/potato/chicken dish so far.
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| This is not a crock pot meal, but it was delicious. (cooked) frozen peas on spaghetti dinner before LSD Saturdays |
I've also started trying to plan out my post-run/morning meals and snacks. I'm eating LOTS of eggs (omelets with spinach, cheese, and ham = T/Th breakfast), oatmeal, and, to make sure I get enough salt in these hot/humid temps, CHEX MIX.
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| ALL THE CHEX MIX (batches 3 and 4 of this marathon training cycle) |
All the Sleep
On T/Th, when I work from home, I'm usually fed and showered post-run by 6:55am. Instead of using the 7-8am hour to blog, clean house, etc., I've started using it to nap.
I also find myself resentful of any activity that infringes on my desired 8pm bedtime. I'm going to a conference in a few weeks, and lament that all fun activities begin around 7:30pm. How am I supposed to get up and get my 8mi of speedwork in on Thursday when there's a welcome reception with "endless food, bottomless champagne, open bar and unforgettable entertainment" Wednesday night?
All the Sickness
This probably goes hand-in-hand with the sleep issue, but I've been sick more this fall than ever before. Certainly this is due to the combination of: 1) having an infant who goes to daycare in the house and 2) low sleep + high activity.
Pretty sure I'm getting sick again... Had sneezing and itchy throat today at the office. Joy.
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| six more weeks |
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