Ma-Ra-Na-Tha to Marathon!

Lady is a tramp

I was contemplating opening a new account for this log, but decided, meh, feck it. I'll be making reference to some of my past and ongoing issues in this opening post (probably not so much in the rest of the log), but it's nothing I haven't posted about openly elsewhere on the site, so no point closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, etc etc! For anyone who might recognise me from my story, my anonymity is well and truly fecked anyways, and it's not like there's any of it I feel the need to hide or be ashamed of, anyways.

Basically I am creating this log to track my progress to (hopefully!) completing the Dublin Marathon in October of this year. A bit about me. I'm 31 years old, mother to a three year old boy. Not very fit and I've never done anything like this before. I used to work in Finance/Accountancy but I'm not currently working. In fact, I've spent the past couple of years in and out of psychiatric hospitals and treatment centres dealing with pretty severe mental health and addiction issues. In July of 2016, I was admitted to a Christian treatment centre in Kildare for a twelve-week holistic addiction treatment programme. I found it so good, that on completion of it (in October of 2016) I decided to start it all over again, making it a twenty-four-week programme in total - plus I tacked on a few extra weeks at the end, and was there almost seven months altogether!

There are quite a few reasons I've decided to give the marathon a go. Considering where I was at the time of the marathon last year - in a safe place, and healing, but completely institutionalised - it's lovely to be able to celebrate the freedom of being able to decide to do this, and to set my own schedule to train for it etc. (It's the little freedoms you don't appreciate - I literally wasn't even allowed to run when I was in there!) Also, having been discharged at the end of January this year, there are a few areas in my personal development that I think the marathon training will help with. Things like self-discipline. Getting a balance between living in the present, and forward planning. Keeping my impulsiveness and reckless tendencies in check for the sake of the bigger picture. Motivation. Basically I am using the marathon training as a big fat metaphor for my recovery - if I stick to the plan, and just keep on doing the next right thing, I will get there - at my own pace! It's all about maintaining a healthy mental attitude.

I can currently (just about!) run 5km so I'll be using the Hal Higdon Novice plan from 26th June. In the meantime, I'll be building up weekly mileage, and doing Parkruns most weeks (and maybe a 10k, if I feel up to it before then, and if there's any on near me.) I have lost around 3 stone in the past couple of years, but wouldn't mind losing another stone, so I'll probably be updating any progress there in this log, too.

Oh, and the thread title? In the treatment centre I was in last year, we were woken up at 6am every morning for Christian meditation - Ma-Ra-Na-Tha was the chant we were supposed to be doing in our heads for this, and all I could ever think of was marinated chicken. I'm still not at all religious even after my seven months of daily masses and meditations and all the rest. The title is just a wee reminder for me - seeing it brings me right back to where I was then, and brings it back to me that - while I love that treatment centre and have utmost respect and gratitude to it and visit it regularly - I never want to go back in there as a resident on the programme, and lose the freedom and progress I've made since then. And if the marathon training is part of what keeps my focus and motivation in the right place - brilliant!

Anyways this post is probably the only time I'll make reference to all of that in this log, as it's all about moving forward, isn't it. It was important to me to mention it though, as I need to remember where I'm coming from, and celebrate how much I've achieved already.

I really have no idea of what time I'll be aiming for in the marathon. I will have a goal in mind well in advance, but I feel it's too soon to set a realistic one. I have no plans to do any charity fund-raising as part of the marathon, although I suppose that might change closer to the time, we'll see.

I've attached my recent record of my training runs for C25K (I ended up basically saying "feck this" one day and just running the 5k!) I'm only including it so that this log will represent the full journey, from my first 60-second jogs in April, to (hopefully!) the marathon in October. Basically just including it for myself, for the sake of completion. Will probably do a similar Excel log for the Hal Higdon plan when I start it, and upload it here every few days.

Here's to a busy and productive few months ahead!

RacoonQueen

Best of luck with your training and goals - and well done on getting to where you are.

Annie get your Run

The very best of luck with your marathon journey, you've achieved so much already so no doubt you'll do this justice.

kit3

Best of luck - wouldn't worry too much about time goals just enjoy the journey.

gypsylee

Good luck with your training. Looking forward to reading your updates.

RunnerGarf

Best of luck with your training, will look forward to reading your updates. The guys on here will give you lots of useful advice if needed. Don't worry too much about times or hitting targets, just enjoy getting out there and running.

HigginsJ

Enjoy your running, the marathon is tough but so are you

Younganne

you have gone through a tough journey, so you are well prepared for the marathon training. Never be afraid to ask any questions whether here or in the general forum and if not already done so, join the Novices thread. A fantastic resource, Novices thread

good luck and enjoy the journey

Lady is a tramp

Thanks for the good wishes! And yup I'll definitely be following that Novices thread.

For the moment I'm going to be following a 5k -> 10k programme using a ZenLab app. Today was four ten-minute jogs, with one-minute walking breaks in between. So almost an hour altogether including warm-up and cool-down. (No idea of distance covered.) Went grand, despite the heat ... I much prefer running when it's cold, but best to get used to all conditions I guess! I didn't use music today - want to get used to running without it most of the time, as I won't have earphones for the races. Anyways I guess it's good for getting some headspace to go without it!

Next up is my first official 5k run on Saturday. As I did it (unofficially) in somewhere around 36-37 minutes last Saturday, it would be nice if I come in under 35 for my first official time. Not too worried if I don't though, main thing is to get it done!

Lady is a tramp

I'm going to update with a weigh-in every Friday. Log attached. I'm now 4.5 lb down from when I started three weeks ago.

My short-term aim is to get down to 10 st 10.25 lb by the time the "real" work starts on 26th June! :P So that's 10 lb to lose in 6 weeks. (That'll bring my BMI to 25 exactly.) I'm not sure how realistic it is, and I won't be too disappointed if I don't manage it, but it's nice to have something to aim for!

Lady is a tramp

I was not prepared for the psychological factor of running with other people! Obviously I positioned myself at the back for the start, but it was still frustrating watching how quickly everyone disappeared off into the distance. I tried to pace myself against those also at the back, with buggies or dogs, or those a lot older than me etc, but they very quickly got off ahead of me too. So I wanted to give up within the first 60 seconds, but I didn't.

Then as the run went on, and I saw the others ahead of me taking regular walking breaks, especially on the hills, I really really wanted to too. It's amazing how easily influenced I am! But I'd decided I was running the whole lot, no matter how slowly, so I stuck with that.

My counsellor is always telling me I need to "stay in my own lane" and that's an example of what I mean when I say I'm using this training as a metaphor for my life! I could really see today how some of my patterns in real life were coming out today in my expectations of myself, in how quickly I got frustrated and wanted to give it all up, in how I was not running my own race, I was too distracted and affected by what everyone else was doing.

Anyways I didn't finish last ... only second last! But. I ran the whole lot with no walking breaks at all. And in fact - physically - it was grand, no cramps or stitches or anything, that's 5k more than I could run in one go a month ago. My time was 35:14, so I didn't quite make the 35 minutes that I was aiming for. Between one thing and another, I don't think I'll be able to do another Parkrun for the next 5-6 weeks, so hopefully if I keep going in the meantime, I should see a decent improvement on that for the next one.

What I really need to do for the next one, though, is work on keeping my blinkers on and running my own race, against myself, never mind everyone else! It probably doesn't help that I do most of my "training" at a deserted football pitch with no one else around. I hate running in public places but I think I need to start running in more populated areas, just to get used to it!

Annie get your Run

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

I was not running my own race, I was too distracted and affected by what everyone else was doing.

Never fear, you're in good company here. There's not one runner who hasn't done that at some point (or at every point!) in a race. One of the important things you can learn in a race is how to race, it's good practice to do them, even at easy pace, just to learn from each one. Well done today, you didn't stop and walk when tempted!

Lady is a tramp

Just popping in to say I haven't forgotten my log and my training! I've been running when I can, just so busy these past few weeks I haven't been tracking. We had a massive family occasion this weekend (all went smoothly, and I got LOTS of compliments on how much weight I've lost) and now that that's over with, the marathon training is my big focus and I'll be updating here very regularly.

I'll be doing the Sligo Parkrun on Saturday - I'd love to improve on the time above, not sure of it though with the lack of routine and all the festivities recently. We'll see! I'll give it a shot at least. Will also update on Friday for my weight/BMI ... I'm down a few pounds as of today, not as much as I'd like though! Will get there eventually.