Getting set for a morning run is a fun activity. The amount of preparation needed depends on the distance planned. In past training I’ve been heading out on my long runs before the rest of my household is awake. Careful preparation is needed to be sure that I won’t need to turn on the light, waking my husband, or noisily rummage around looking for an item and wake one of the kids.
I actually have a packing list for my marathons. It helps to insure that I have everything that I need from my running wear to my post-marathon ibuprofen. I even have my epi-pen listed in case it’s bee season. When I prepared for my last marathon, I could not find my packing list. I did my best to pack everything that I thought that I would need, but missed a key item. My friend, Cindy, could not believe that I forgot this item that has always been key to keeping me out of the porta-potties mid-race. As I reported my reported having to hit the porta-potty at mile-20 she could not believe it. If I had packed everything that I needed, this might have been avoided. But by mile-20, my Boston Qualification (BQ) was already slipping away. So I gave in to my body’s screams for about 3-5 minutes in the stall.
I’ve been a bit nervous about my launch into training for the Avenue of the Giants marathon. Am I ready? What if I’m not healed yet? It’s been over 3 weeks since I ran the California International Marathon (CIM). I usually have returned to running within a week of my marathons. This time was different because I had run the Silicon Valley Marathon just 5 weeks before CIM.
“When’s your next marathon?” my friends and family asked. We were still in the finish area of CIM. Some had launched into advice about adding specific speed-work, and increasing the total distance per week. Others told me to wait at least 6 months before running another one. “You run too many marathons”, they said. I dodged the question about the timing of my next marathon. I usually run a better marathon when I haven’t let too much time pass since the last one. But I don’t want to compromise my ability to run either so I’m easing into it cautiously.
It’s been a couple of days since my last entry. I’ve done a couple of short runs. I’ve found these Post injury runs are a bit different than my usual meditative run. These runs were filled with caution. I was not relaxed, but rather staying alert to my body to immediately determine any discomfort should it arise. I’m holding off on runs where I need to put forth the time to lay out my clothes, watch, etc. It’s still recovery time for my body.