The one benefit (and I do use that term loosely) was that when training for my half marathon last year, I was unemployed and able to run whenever I wanted and, outside of job searching and the occasional interview, I was dedicated to running in a way I cannot even begin to explain. Two days after I crossed the finish line of the Philadelphia half marathon, I received a call and was offered a job with my current organization. YAY! Training for a full marathon while holding down a full-time job is somewhat difficult. Adjusting that training for events is even more difficult but none more than this past weekend.
Friday night after work I was headed to Philadelphia for a friend’s wedding Saturday afternoon. Nine miles loomed in my future, running in a less than fantastic neighborhood my boyfriend lives, all before I needed to get ready and drive the nearly 60 minutes to get to the wedding ceremony. Per my normal route, I would take the bus to the Philly Greyhound station, walk to the PATCO line and travel 25 minute and a short cab ride to the BF’s apartment, getting in, typically, around 11-11:30pm where I would promptly go to bed and be up by no later than 7:30am to get my run in. Alas, the universe was against me this past Friday night and due to a tractor trailer fire that blocked all 4 lanes of I-95 and a bus which broke down at least 6 times before finally breaking down in the Philly station, my normal 3 hour trip, had taken nearly 7 hours. I thankfully was picked up by the BF, who had finished his 3rd shift work, and was back at his house about 2:15am, with stiff legs and a bad mood.
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| Congratulations Chip and Brenna! |
Seeing as how I did not want to be a complete zombie for the wedding, I decided it would be best to switch around my schedule and do the 9 miles at a later time, perhaps Sunday, but most likely on Monday. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, and Brenna (the bride) was stunning beyond words. A great time was had by all, and was easily one of the best weddings I have ever been a part of. Perhaps I could count all of the dancing as part of my cross training? I guess we’ll have to see. Though I doubt it. I was finally able to get my 9 miles in on Monday night, which was such an adventure in and of itself that it deserves a separate post.
In all of my reading about marathon training, I constantly am attempting to adjust my diet so that all of this work is not for naught. I believe I have mentioned it before but once a week I am going to attempt to do a vegetarian day (I already cut out alcohol and have drastically scaled back my caffeine intake, though that may not last because I can be a bear without my morning coffee). Today is that day for me. A few weeks ago I joined a CSA and thanks to www.bullrunfarm.com I have fresh vegetables every Tuesday to aid me in my vegetarian quest. I’ve made eggplant and spaghetti squash, I have tons of tomatoes (so many that I am actually making my own pasta sauce with it). It’s really just amazing how creative I can get to help me stay sated even while running 5 or more miles.I almost feel like I am on an episode of chopped and I have to figure out what I am going to make with the limited supply of vegetables in front of me. One thing is for certain, I need to go grocery shopping more often!
Week 3 has started a bit oddly, as I attempt to make sure that I am able to get all of my workouts in, but I still feel myself getting stronger and the shorter runs aren’t nearly as daunting as they used to be, which I think is a great sign. I once again will be running on the road, as I will be traveling to Philadelphia for my little cousin’s birthday party—for which I am making the cake. Late nights, long days, and terrible schedules may cause for some more schedule juggling, but with only 6 miles this weekend (I never thought I would only say ONLY 6 miles), I think that I will be able to handle all of it well.
