Just give me a plan
If you’re interested in watching a humbling marathon training journey filled with injuries, slow paces, no plan, and zero expert advice, then follow my blog and socials for the next two months.
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In November 2019, the marketing and communications team I served embarked on what we called Project Revitalize. The team hated it so much we all had to take shots when it was over. But they lovingly indulged me in this project that was essentially a master plan for the upcoming year. We had the most beautiful Excel spreadsheet, a project management software with every project and task for the upcoming year, and folders filled with supporting plans, documentation, and creative materials. We planned for 80% of our work for the year ahead so we could allow for that last 20% that always comes at us unexpectedly. It was the most confident I had felt heading into a new year in a long time.
As we all know, while we were steadfastly working away on this plan that November, a virus was already beginning to unknowingly take over our lives. That particular year ahead would not follow the 80/20 rule I had planned. Instead, it followed the you-are-100-percent-fucked rule. There was no plan for a pandemic. There was no plan for closing our buildings. There was no plan for laying off two-thirds of our workforce. There was no plan for printing hundreds of hand sanitizer signs and filming endless videos about how to wash your hands.
This is my one recurring living nightmare: I work toward a solid plan - for work, for parenting, for the weekend, for life - and just when I’m on the verge of perfection, something goes sideways and I am forced to reluctantly adjust course.
Fast forward to the present. I have been preparing for my first marathon for two years. Which is about 18 months longer than your standard marathon training plan. As a planner, I knew five years ago that the New York City marathon would fall exactly on my 40th birthday in 2022, and that is how I would spend this milestone birthday. Getting into this marathon is competitive, and there are three primary ways for average Janes like me to get in:
Qualified entry: run a qualified marathon in the year prior to race entry under a specific time designated by your gender and age. For me, this would have been completing a marathon at a 7:45 pace.
Lottery: anyone can enter and few are chosen. Similar to Mega Millions.
Charity: New York City charities can purchase a set number of race bibs. Runners can apply to these charities for a bib, and in exchange for the bib, we raise money for the charity. For example, the charity purchases 10 bibs for $1,000 each and then requires its runners to each raise $3,000. It’s a fun way to fundraise and friend-raise.
My first goal was to qualify. I started training for this in 2020 with the goal of running a qualifying marathon in 2021. I had been running eight-minute miles in shorter races and I fully believed I could do it for 26.2 miles. I was wrong. That plan fell apart pretty quickly in July 2021 when I started experiencing pain in the inner thigh. I ran on the injury without any acknowledgment or treatment of it until November 2021 when it got so bad and I was so frustrated with my slowing pace that I stopped running completely. I focused on yoga and physical therapy to strengthen the tendon and reduce the pain. I had to let go of my qualifying plan and refocus on a charity bib. Thanks to the always amazing Y network and a new colleague who had just moved to the YMCA of Greater Seattle from the YMCA of Greater New York, I picked up a bib and am one step closer to this birthday dream. (You can learn why I love raising money for the Y and help me bust through my $3,000 goal here.)
When I started running again in early 2022, I had lost much of my aerobic base, my pace was horribly slow, and I was still in pain. I had been running with an amazing running coach who provided the best direction and was an incredible cheerleader and champion. I learned how to properly prepare for and recover from every run, and how to focus on strength training and mobility. Regardless of my coach’s awesomeness, I was struggling to follow our plan. (The irony.) I was no longer enjoying running, I was in too much pain, and I didn’t want to run most days. What wasn’t working about the plan is I wasn’t listening to my body. As I was navigating a recurring injury and additional related injuries, I needed to listen to my body when it needed to pull back or rest, and the plan didn’t know that. Six months before the race, I abandoned the plan and started experimenting instead.
Experimentation is the opposite of a plan, so has been terrifying for me. I try something for a week, see how it works, and then adjust when it’s not working. I’m pretty sure it’s not recommended by any marathon training book, blog, or expert. But for once, I’m listening to my head, heart, and body, and it’s working. I’m in love with running again and my body feels strong.
What hasn’t changed is I’m facing injury after injury and I’m running much slower than ever. I’ve had to let go of any race goals and just focus on finishing, without permanent injury. Some days I’m scared I won’t even be able to finish. I haven’t shared my marathon running journey so far because being vulnerable about life’s challenges and showing my imperfections while I’m in them is a hard thing for me. I’ve learned to share my stories after I’ve survived them, but to bring people along through the mess is scary. As I approach 40, there are many ways I’m trying to grow, and this is one.
So if you’re interested in watching a humbling marathon training journey filled with injuries, slow paces, no plan, and zero expert advice, then follow my blog and socials for the next two months. Here’s a peep at a few of the highlights to come:
Weekly snapshots of my training wins and losses.
Overview of the various styles of race training I’m trying.
Deep dive into my injuries, prevention, and how to run with them, including my most common mobility, flexibility, and strength workouts.
Insider’s look at all my favorite gear, training tools, and who I follow for inspiration (spoiler alert: it includes the best incontinence underwear to wear if you worry about peeing your pants during a 26.2 mile race like me).
A look into my nutrition, which will include many PB&J sandwiches on days I’m squeezing training in between work and kid commitments.
The Y’s role in my running journey and all the good we do for the community and world.
Part 2 of “Just give me a plan” about how I’m working on relying less on plans and more on listening to my head, heart, and body.
Thanks for joining this journey with me.
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