Yoga Pants Life

Holy cow! Has it really been a month since my last post? I guess it has. I’m less than two weeks from marathon day and I’m nervous as eff about it. I’m most worried about my right knee holding up. I know I can hack the other aches and pains, but my knees? Not as much. All I can do is take an anti-inflammatory, ice, stretch and rest and hope for the best.

Training was rough this cycle, but I discovered the Galloway method of walk-running and it’s changed my training for the better. I tried a few different ratios, but ultimately found that a 1:1 ratio worked best for me in terms of speed, mental/emotional and physical ability. Walking longer than 1 minute, I start to feel like I’m dragging and can’t get back into running. Running more than a minute is totally doable, but I found that keeping it to a minute was most sustainable for long runs and that’s what matters.

Oddly enough, I’m actually faster with a 1:1 ratio than I was running several miles with few breaks. I have to admit, it feels weird to start walking when I don’t feel like I need to, but my body appreciates it and I feel almost no pain or stiffness even after 10 mile+ runs.

Sometimes I worry that I’ll be judged by other runners as ‘not a real runner.’ They even have a term for those that use Galloway – ‘Gallowalkers’ is thrown around in online forums like it’s some kind of contagious disease that we should stay far away from.  But, you know what? Running can be really, really hard. Especially for those of us who aren’t natural athletes or who have chronic injuries/issues. There seems to be a perception that you have to run an 8:00 minute mile and a BQ marathon in order to be a real runner, and that’s just not the case. While I’d love to do both of those things one day, I’m not there yet. Using a run-walk method is what’s kept me going and I’m working to accept the fact that I’ll never be a ‘real runner’ in the eyes of some people. Everyone starts somewhere.

I’m not sure how the Galloway going to work in the marathon, as it’s probably going to be difficult to walk during the first few miles with the crowds, but I figure it will thin out around mile 3 and then I’ll be free to run/walk the rest. The past few months of training have been kind of bad, so I really just want to be an official finisher and cross the finish line injury free. I’d love to have a time I’m proud of, but that may not happen this time around. I’m almost at peace with the situation. Regardless of what goes down on race day, I won’t give up running and I know a slow time won’t define me as a person.

I’m really looking forward to post-marathon workouts in a few weeks. I may take a break from distance running and keep working on getting faster at short distances and really, REALLY take time to lift weights (ugh!) Also, I really want to lose about 25 pounds. Partly for aesthetic reasons, but also for health and wellness reasons. I’m a few pounds overweight (less than 10) and I really want to get back to a healthy place.

I’m also excited to really focus on saving money when I get back from my trip. I had a major life event that really opened my eyes to the fact that thousands of dollars can be gone in the blink of an eye. It’s been years since I felt that ‘on-edge’ financially speaking and while the whole ordeal only ended up costing me $100 (and a few vacation days) it could have cost me thousands.  PS? People who steal catalytic converters can suck it (I really should write a post about my experience and I hope I will…but with my track record, who knows when that will happen.)

There you have it, folks – my September update 🙂