Berlin Marathon: Almost Taper Time
Berlin Marathon: Almost Taper Time
In less than three weeks I’ll fly out to Berlin, ready to tackle my 9th full marathon, and second world major. The official training block commenced at the start of July. But I’ve been building my base fitness since returning to running in February.
This marathon build has not been without it’s challenges. In a previous post, I discussed the interruption to my training due to COVID. Unfortunately, just two weeks after recovering from the virus, I endured another week of enforced and involuntary rest. Uncertain of how or when, I managed to strain my lower back muscles quite badly and was unable to run for a week. I was literally bought to a stand-still with agonising pain. With mild muscle relaxants having no impact, my medical team switched to a stronger approach. Strong anti-inflammatories, pain-killers and some heat therapy along with eight days of no exercise at all and I was finally able to run again.
Confronting Challenges During Marathon Training Helps to Build Resilience
An old army friend who now owns and runs his gym on the East Coast contacted me recently. He works hard in the fitness industry and successfully helps his clients achieve their goals. He is not immune though from the occasional slump in enthusiasm for running. I casually mentioned to him that time away from a sport can often reignite a passion for it. That, or an injury which prevents you from engaging in it. Those words rang loud and true for me over the couple of weeks I was sidelined as I had to forego all training on my plan.
I would say I have a fairly reasonable pain threshold and can tolerate a decent amount of discomfort. Back pain like this however, quite literally had me in tears. It was important for me to remember that even when things don’t go smoothly, how I face those challenges influences how quickly I bounce back. Things rarely go smoothly in life, as in marathon training, but confronting challenges as they appear can help to build resilience. This in turn places us in good stead to get through the challenges we face during a race.
In the midst of being sidelined by illness or injury, it is easy to fall prey to believing things will never improve. I fear I will lose all of my fitness, hard earned gains wasted. In reality, nothing of the sort happens. With a sensible return to running as I recovered, first from the virus and then from the strained muscles, I was back on track before I knew it.
Less is More
I’m sure we have all heard the assertion that less is more. But mostly, with perfectionism and unrelenting standards tough schemas of mine to let go of, more often than not I dismiss this sage advice. So when my body quite literally forces me to slow down and do less, though really tough to cope with mentally, it forces me to acknowledge how accurate the “less is more” approach is.
Fortunately, my coach Kat is often more level headed and sensible than I, so it does me good to listen to her guidance. Wanting to get straight back into the hard workouts as soon as I could move again, she gently but firmly suggested instead that I ease myself back on track. I’m grateful to have listened.
I have felt strong, capable of hitting the paces in each workout she prescribes. My weekly volume has increased to a total of 115km a week, less than what I was doing for my Boston Marathon build, but I haven’t felt the heavy, exhausted drain during this build that I have previously.
Focus Only on Things You Can Control
As I did prior to the Boston Marathon, I joined a social media group for Berlin Marathon. I find them helpful for sharing useful tips and insights, as well as developing a sense of community with other runners who will travel from all over the world to participate. A word of warning though, sometimes people get very wrapped up with worrying about things they will have no control over. Things like the weather, what the terrain of the course is like, and where the aid stations are. Travelling a long way to participate in a major event comes with its own challenges. Long haul flights, adjusting to time zone changes, different cuisines, and availability of familiar nutrition choices.
There are few things we have full control over and those are the only things we should concern ourselves with. Worrying about the weather is an entirely pointless exercise. I know there are runners who will opt for the treadmill rather than train in inclement weather. That is their prerogative, but I wonder how they cope at the start line of a race on a rainy, windy, stormy morning? Perth has certainly turned up the dial in terms of the wind and rain this winter. I don’t mind the rain so much but the wind makes me irritable. Trying to run at pace with an unrelenting headwind slamming into you is a special kind of challenge. But if we don’t face those challenges in training, we have little chance of successfully facing them on race day.Â
On a recent long, hilly training run I ventured up into the Perth hills, having marked out a decent 36km loop. I had not however, accounted for the amount of rain we had in the preceding days, which meant much off the course was flooded and boggy. Mostly, I was able to navigate around the flooded sections, but some of them there was nothing to do but splash through and carry on. I have been lucky enough to have my husband, Vini, riding along on his push bike on many of my longer runs. Blissfully ignorant of the difficult terrain on this hilly trail run, he was not at all impressed with the poor condition of the course. Indeed, watching him push his bike up most of the hills, I admitted that running up them was likely far easier.
Embracing the Process Without Worrying About the Outcome
I love running and so I naturally enjoy the process of a marathon build. Logging the workouts, building up the volume, I truly enjoy the process. I think this is a critical part of the reason why I embrace the training without fixating on the outcome of the race. A few people ask me along the way what time I hope to run the marathon in. What my goal is, what the race plan is. We all love to nail a personal best (PB). It feels like a great achievement to press the stop button on our watches and see the numbers tell us we’ve run faster than ever before. But in truth, I am far less motivated by times and PB’s than I am in enjoying myself and feeling like I have run my best.
In their recently published booked, “The Resilience Shield“, ex-SAS officers Dr Dan Pronk, Ben Pronk DSC, and Tim Curtis discuss the power of focusing on effort rather than achievement. They present the findings of research by psychology professor Carol Dweck which suggests developing a growth mindset: reframing failures into learning opportunities, and prioritising effort (process) over achievement (outcome) can significantly improve self-confidence, tenacity, and resilience.
Make no mistake, there are certainly days during a marathon build where I am tired. When I am sore and achy, and would really rather a lie in than getting up and heading out the door for another run. Thankfully though, those days are few and far between. I know that the hard work that gets me to the start line helps me develop the determination to get to the finish line. I embrace the training. The long runs, the hills, the speed-work sessions, sometimes even the wind in my face. Because I know, regardless what numbers my Garmin will display as I cross the finish line, I worked hard and gave myself every opportunity to have a great run.
With just two more big build weeks before taper, I can’t wait to write a race-recap post marathon from Berlin!