Believe and the legs will follow

Today was a 20 miler. It was not like the one two weeks ago which I cranked out. This was hotter and hillier. Mind was playing some games with me throughout the run. Instead of letting my mind consume me, I had to turn to something else. Last year, I would've thought of Latin declensions, this summer, it was comps, but there wasn't a class to be thinking about. I knew I would probably end up writing about this run, so started to focus on that. Also started to suspect that a poem would come out of this, so worked on that in my head, too.

Covered in sweat, caked in salt

The legs start to fatigue

All hills seem to lead upward

The mind wanders

Doubts can settle in and get comfortable

A little voice whispers over one shoulder,

"Pull over, stop, no one will notice,"

Fighting hard to ignore the taunting tone

Another resounds louder,

"Rest if you must, but don't you quit"

Struggling to listen to the right voice

Make the right choice.

You've got to believe in your capacity

The body's ability to triumph

When you start to believe

The legs will follow

Up and down

Will find the pace

Hang on until the end

When victory finally settles in.

There was an end, and I was definitely holding on tight. This had been a hard week...

Tuesday, August 10: 2.5 mile warm-up; 2 mile cut-down on track, start at 7:25 pace and cut down 2-3 seconds per lap; 2 lap jog. 1x1200, (1 lap jog) 2x800, (1 lap jog between), 4x400 (200 meters jog between). Aim to hit 5:15, 3:30, 3:25, start at 1:40 pace for the 400s. 2.5 mile cool-down. Total mileage—11.75 miles

Wednesday, August 11: 5 miles easy

Thursday, August 12: 3.5 miles easy

Friday, August 13: Tempo Run; Run first 2 miles at very comfortable easy run pace; 13 mile tempo run; start at 8:10 pace then try to work down the last few miles to about 7:50 pace. Run 2 miles easy for cool-down. This should be more like a half-marathon “race.” Still treat it like a tempo, but if you are feeling good, push it a bit more towards the end. Total Mileage: 17 miles - Ran it in 8:00 pace

Saturday, August 14: Off - move to new apartment

Sunday, August 15: 20 miles easy

Monday, August 16: 3 miles easy

Total Mileage: 60 miles

It's getting through high mileage weeks like this (3rd time I've hit 60 mpw while training for this marathon) that gives me some confidence that that I am prepared. It's scary to have doubt settled in like that, but I just have to remind myself that I have put my body through a lot and it's learning how to adapt to that. I have to remember that I choose my attitude - not just for each day, but for each run. So today, I chose to believe and my legs followed.