Houston Marathon Training Update!

I know this is long overdue, and after being called out for my lack of training updates, here you go. My last update was at 8 weeks of running and I’m on my 39th week, oops. In the beginning it was a bit more fun as every day felt like an improvement or a feeling of accomplishment. That high continued through the spring when I brought running clothes on trips and actually used them. My mileage through May stayed in the 20-30 mile range. A few times Pete gave me some actual training on paper but it seemed like everytime he did my shin would hurt or my foot, or life would get in the way and I couldn’t get it done. The stress of having to do a certain run on a specific day or a mini workout (I mean we are talking light pickup-type fartleks not what I would call a real workout) kind of took the fun out of it for me. So I switched to me figuring out my weekly runs and Pete giving me a workout each week and helping me figure out my long run. His guidance is beneficial as I have a tendency to overdo things and he has helped me stay a bit more even-keeled.

In June, I pushed my mileage a little higher into the 35-40 mile range and kept a two-week up-one-week down cycle, at least that was my goal.  That lasted about three weeks, and as summer continued and it got hot, I had work, kid and elderly parent (sorry mom and dad) responsibilities it just didn’t happen. So I’ve been on more of a 1 week up 1 week down cycle. 

I’ll be honest by the end of July I was struggling. The humidity was crushing me (I really hope it is not hot in Houston), I was tired of doing all my runs on my own and my motivation was waning. My mileage fell to mostly in the high 20’s to one week at 38 and my longest run was about 10 miles. But things started changing when I found some running partners- woop woop!

I started going to the Saturday morning group run in Boone. Having people to run with just one day a week was awesome. (If you don’t have running partners go find some. IT HELPS SO MUCH!) Our Saturday morning run grew to us meeting on Sundays for long runs. This was a game-changer. My longest run of 10 miles in July was because of this group. And then we started workout Wednesdays! Shout out to Suzy and Wayne (who was my training partner 20 years ago) and Brent (my new younger fresh-legged running partner). I went from all my runs on my own to having people to run with 3 days a week! 

I’ve continued my week up and week down cycle because life still throws some challenges. My mileage has ranged from 20-45 miles a week depending on the weather, kids sports, a broken hip (not mine), parents with covid- me maybe having covid, travel, etc. Some weeks I am so excited to run and really feel like my fitness is improving while other weeks I have a hard time getting out there to start a run. 

I can’t say the workouts are fun. I still get nervous and worry I won’t be able to finish. I question myself, why did you decide to run a marathon? But somehow when we meet on Wednesdays it all comes together and I’m able to do it. I finish feeling really good and accomplished and then I start thinking “The pace you just ran for that hard workout used to be your easy day 20 years ago! What happened? How did I used to do that?” I try not to dwell on this for too long.

Things shifted significantly 3 weeks ago when Hurricane Helene devastated our area. Thankfully, my family and friends are safe and unscathed, but witnessing the damage around us has been overwhelming. Immediately following the storm, running felt trivial, and I struggled with guilt for having the luxury to run while so many were suffering. The destruction in nearby towns is heartbreaking, and I can’t find the words to express it adequately.

Moses Cone Park was a mess with trees down everywhere, the Greenway was covered in inches of mud and debris (this is not normal mud it is slipperier than ice). I still got out for a few runs around town with many loops around the outlet mall parking lot and even a long run on a clear section of the closed Blue Ridge Parkway. The amount of work done by so many people in the last 3 weeks to bring a sense of normalcy to our town is mind-blowing. The roads may not all be fixed, the kids are still not in school but everyone (in our County) has power and the trails are clear.

I have about 12 weeks until the Houston Marathon. I lot of people have asked me my goal. I initially said somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 hours. Now, I feel I can narrow it down to about 3:40-3:50. And yes, I did buy a pair of those “supershoes”—the Saucony Kinvara Pro—and honestly, they feel like cheating. Am I wearing them on race day? Absolutely!

Thanks for following along on this journey. Here’s to more running and better days ahead!