We are two weeks out from marathon and travel week, and the taper has begun.
Attempts to stave off injury during this training block have been a little like the City of Portland’s attempts to keep graffiti off every surface imaginable. Every surface imaginable, what feels like every muscle and joint imaginable, has flared up and complained at some point during this process. Chris and I have a joke about pain transfer. If one of us feels good on any given day, it means we have simply transferred the pain to the other person, whose injuries have predictably flared up again.
I gave up my hopes of hitting high mileage early in this process. I switched to Plan B, or “Plan Bike to Marathon” over a month ago, knowing I would need to rely on cross training to help build my aerobic capacity, while keeping on my feet for the quality work like hard workouts and long runs. There have been a lot of mental low points in this cycle. I’d hoped to hit 40 miles a week and I capped out at 30. I’d hoped to do an 18 mile long run and I capped out at 16. If I’d pushed beyond these barriers, I would have risked not even making it this far into the cycle. It’s difficult to remind yourself that you’re a strong and capable runner when your body is protesting against your every choice.
A high point in the training so far was the 16-miler I did last weekend. Chris did 18 the same day, while practicing his vlogging skills, and we chose a route that would closely mimic the topography we’ll have at Athens. The Banks-Vernonia Trail is a paved 20-mile route connecting two rural towns outside of Portland. Lots of forest and farmland and bikers sharing the path as well. The best thing about using this trail was that we got to simulate the Athens route almost perfectly by climbing steadily for a stretch of mileage, then descending a steady downhill for the last part of our runs. I was surprised at how good I felt, given that other runs nearing this length have all felt terrible. My knees behaved for the most part, with the help of my good friend Biofreeze. Fueling was spot on every 30 minutes and no GI issues. At one point, I looked at my watch and couldn’t believe I was already at 11 miles, a number that usually feels much more daunting. I came away from that run feeling tired (obviously) but almost high on the idea that I ran 16 miles without dying. For the first time, it didn’t feel like a stretch of the imagination to finish this marathon.
And then….
I woke up the next day with a new issue. Pain in the lower left hamstring. After all of the other flare-ups, the constant battle with the knees, sore arches, tight hips, and all of the extra strength work trying to correct these things, THIS was the one that mentally broke me down a little bit. I let myself go to a pretty dark place for a couple of days. I am fully letting myself stew in the sad juice. Because, after a certain point, it doesn’t quite feel fair.
Pity party aside, one thing is certain. In two weeks we are getting on a plane to Greece. The food will be delicious, the views will be immaculate, and whatever happens in the marathon will become part of its own ancient history.
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