Mile Training Wrap-Up

Pre-Race Reflections on the Past Six Weeks of MilerMethod.com training

No matter what happens in tomorrow's race, I think the past six weeks have been my best training ever. I've pushed myself through more workouts (at faster paces) than ever, and feel so much stronger and more confident. Without a doubt, this training is probably the best $72 I've ever spent on running.

Based on results from a short questionnaire, Coaches Nick and Sierra developed a great training program that really fit where I was as a runner. They kept my mileage and days/week relatively consistent, but forced me outside of my comfort zone, introducing workouts 3x week in the form of: hill repeats, tempo + intervals, and pure tempo (which I often did with the potato in the running stroller). They also modified my schedule from the rest of the camp's, delaying the start a week and cutting out a day in order to line up with my goal race-- something I didn't really expect from a bootcamp with set start/end dates, but was really helpful.

Beyond running, the program had three short strength workouts each week (I replaced boot camp with these for the duration). Nick had a great video showing us how to do the exercises, since some of them were new to me. While it seemed silly to spend less than ten minutes on strength, the exercises definitely got my HR up and challenged me each time, strengthening the most critical muscles for my mile. 

Despite being an online-only course, I felt like I had incredible access to all the support I needed. Nick and Sierra didn't just give us a training plan and say "good luck". They  created videos introducing each week's workout, talking about how to prepare for and execute them; I found it incredibly motivating to have that kind of "face time" with my coaches. Any follow-up questions I had about the workout or my performance were quickly addressed whenever I posted anything in our group's FB forum. I still remember the morning after my "failure" of a time trial; before 7am, Nick and I had already had a several-post-long back-and-forth conversation about my performance and how to proceed. So awesome.

Beyond Nick and Sierra, I also got a lot out of the other participants' posts in our FB group. Reading about the other participants' training made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself. I enjoyed hearing about their successes, but especially their challenges. Most of the group was faster than me, and it was encouraging to be reminded that all of us are human and running your best is hard, no matter your pace. I learned a lot from their posts as well as our coaches' responses to them, and think this was one of the best parts of the program.

So, whatever happens tomorrow, I already have a sense of accomplishment. I already have a sense of peace. In truth, I feel a lot like I did before Chicago. The work's been done; the hard part is over. The race is just the victory lap. 

175 miles, 3 hours 46 minutes of running
3 days of yoga, 2 sports massages
only 1 bad workout
a helluva lot of hills
#CTSO