Tuesday, June 24, 2008

breaking it down

first, i want to thank everyone for the words of congrats and encouragement. it means the world. i am so excited to run this marathon in such an amazing city. i've never been to new york (gasp) and my philosophy is that running is the best way to discover a new place. so here goes nothin'.

jona and i have talked a lot about my running. we've analyzed why i've recently crashed mid-race so many times and why i can't seem to get a whole lot faster. (read here for a great "serious crashing" running story). we've come to the conclusion that i have plateaued as a runner. after four + years of running, my speed and endurance have leveled off and i can't seem to "break" in to that next level of running that i am so badly craving. it's causing a lot of frustration during my training runs and especially my races so here's our next plan of attack:

START OVER. yep. i'm completely starting over ... one mile, baby. the key will be that that one mile will be faster ... much faster. then hopefully two miles will be faster. then three and so forth. combine that with a better cross training effort and more intense long runs (perhaps multiple 20 milers), and hopefully it will add up to a stronger, faster marathon.

have any of you felt that plateau as a runner? what have you done to push it to the next level?

7 comments:

  1. Ooh. I like it. Honestly, the times I've gotten faster were the times I was running with Erica and Deirdre--both of them listening to their ipods and running fast. Not much chit-chatting going on there. Unfortunately, I sometimes think that all the chatting we do while running slows us down. Not that that's a bad thing. I love the social aspect of running. But to get faster, you have to be constantly running at a pace that does not allow for chit-chat. Do you guys agree?

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  2. totally agree molly. if you watch professional runners, they are ALWAYS pushing it. maybe we won't ever go THAT fast, but most of my speed improvement has been because i've done speedwork by myself where i have pushed myself until i literally couldn't go anymore, or from running with my husband (who is way faster than me). i haven't ever reached a plateau in my running, but i've only been doing it a couple years, whereas you have been running for almost five. maybe it's a common thing?

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  3. one more thing... i think that's a great idea for you to start over with one mile. maybe if you can do one mile at a much faster pace, then it would help your body feel comfortable going at a faster pace for longer distances... let us know how it works. :)

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  4. i love what you both said and it sounds like in a nutshell you're talking about focus and "pain" in a sense. i think a HUGE part of my plateau is that i haven't been uncomfortably running in a long time. you know, where you push it to the point of literal exhaustion. that's the plan.

    i WILL let you know how it goes. hopefully well. :)

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  6. i understand your frustration - when i swam, no matter what, i would swim at the same pace racing and in practice. i like your idea of starting over...i was going to suggest slow and steady. when you go at this pace, you are able to focus (and hold) on form and technique, which will make you faster in the long run. i'm excited to hear how your plan pans out!

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  7. you know - on these hot days i might just take slow and steady. :)

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