Just back from my longest Chicago run this year along the lake. I did Bryn Mawr to Fullerton and back (a little under 10). My thoughts were dominated by this idea of continually establishing 'new normals' as I train for the NYC marathon. Previously, I had normalized Addison (totem pole, a 6 mile loop). Then I stretched it to Belmont, bringing it to about 8. I worried that Fullerton would be too far to feel normal.
What kicked in as I approached that point, though, was memory. My first marathon was in 1995. I lived on the other side of Fullerton then and would start my runs going north instead of south. Navy Pier was more of starting-point touchstone then, but still visually and emotionally important. This morning, I turned a bend and saw Navy Pier (and the signature carousel) ahead in the distance and felt like I was meeting my past.
You can't see that until you get beyond Belmont. It brought me back to training 17 years ago. It was a trip.
So, if Fullerton's the new normal for weekend long runs for awhile, I'm headed back to the future. More fun with physics while I run (time, space, distance).
I feel like it's all about tricking your body and mind (we do this now, m'kay?), but I think they understand what's up. I just hope they're cool with what's about to happen.
(Alternate blog post endings: Where I'm going- I DO need roads. OR "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.")
6-miles p/day should be plenty (with a day off each week), until you get to within 4 weeks of the marathon.
ReplyDeletethen you can add one longer run per week, working up to between 12 and 16 miles as your "long run" for the 4th, 3rd and 2nd weeks before the marathon.
that's my theory.