A delayed long run. Pushed back recovery run to this morning. Need a two-a-day to stay on schedule. Busy weekend might force Saturday's run to Friday. Eighteen miles on Sunday.
That's how my week is shaping up.
Unless you're Ryan Hall or Kara Goucher or some other fancypants fulltime runner, we all face time constraints as we train for our respective races. Work deadlines, home life, staying on the periphery of planning a wedding, learning the banjo, dog training, and maintaining a healthy alcohol tolerance -- all these things conflict with my marathon training.
There is only so much time.
Finding the right balance can be difficult. I try to be as flexible as possible with my runs. I try to make time for the important things, but I know I'm letting other things slide. This morning I noticed how bad I'd gotten with the dishes. I tried to scrub a few bowls and plates before I left for work so the Enthusiast won't feel like she has to do everything around the apartment.
This is the third marathon training season for which the Enthusiast has been by my side. She has always been supportive of my running. I don't think I've thanked her enough for that.
Thank you, my dear. I love you.
How do you manage your time during marathon training? Have you thanked your loved ones enough for their support?
My barefoot recovery run this morning proved much more successful than last week's shodless effort. I spent the whole 40 minutes focusing on my form and maintaining a cadence of three steps per second (180/minute). My feet were much happier. Which reminds me ...
An Hourlong Groan on Running
If you've ever listened to the inimitable Diane Rehm, then you know what I'm talking about. Her voice is grating, but her show is usually so damned good that you can't not listen. It's like learning to love Tom Waits. But I digress ...
Monday's Diane Rehm show was "Running in America," with guests Amby Burfoot, Runners' World editor at large and 1968 Boston Marathon winner; Chris McDougall, author of Born to Run; and Dr. Stephen Pribut, a podiatric specialist. The guests talked about the benefits of running and debated the merits of shoes.
Here's the gist:
- McDougall: "Shoes are a bad fad."
- Burfoot: "We're all different."
- Pribut: "Moving is good."
Give it a listen.
[Drunkard's note: Thanks to Rick for the link, which I swiped from his comment over at Barefoot Josh's blog.]
3 comments:
Time management = early morning runs. And once marathon training starts, alcohol only on the weekends after the long run. Yeah, not good for tolerance levels.
People were just not allowed in our house while we were training for our half marathon. Cleaning was a non-issue because neither of us did it.
Time management = multi-tasking. I see no reason why you can't combine learning to play the banjo and running. You might even get in the Guinness book of world records for longest distance run while banjo-ing. You might even be able to combine the whole alcohol tolerance thing too. You may not run in a straight line, but you'll get two things done at once.
Good luck with both yours and the Enthusiast's training.
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