Monday’s
It’s a good thing Monday’s come only once a week
I could write a whole book on the lessons I have learned from marathon training. I feel like every time I build up for a marathon I get a whole life’s worth of wisdom from just three grueling months of training. These past couple of weeks have been filled with ups and downs. One day I will be doing a 13-mile tempo run feeling strong and filled with energy. The very next day I will be doing close to two hours of running (split between two runs) and feel like I couldn’t take on a recreational jogger. Deena has routinely been dropping me on my easy runs, but its ok, I can take it, she is a bronze medalist after all.
This past weekend was a big for me. I ran a 13-mile tempo run (hard run) on Friday and then came back on Sunday with a grueling 2-½ hour long run. My long runs are usually very hard, but this one topped them all. I was working hard from the beginning, visualizing myself running in Beijing. It was easy to see myself there running in conditions similar to the 80-degree temperature we started in and 90-degree temperature we finished in. It was great to have my wife Sara along on the bike for the last hour of the run. I always visualize her riding next to me when I am racing. It calms my spirit. When I finished I told Sara that I really hope the marathon doesn’t take 2 ½ hours in Beijing. But it was a great run for me to practice running hard for that duration. I feel very prepared for Beijing.
On Monday I was tired. After enjoying a casual run, and I do mean casual, I couldn’t keep my eyes upon till lunch. I crashed out for an hour nap before lunch and then tacked on an extra two-hour snooze that afternoon. Recovery is a huge part of marathon training and it isn’t all napping, either. There is stretching, icing, massage, and proper nutrition that all go into proper recovery.
Monday’s are the hardest days of the week for me; I just try and keep my sanity. After all that napping I did feel better on my afternoon run but once we hit the gym my energy was once again lagging. Sara just laughs at me in the gym on such days when I am pretty much useless. On Monday’s I just tell myself to make it through the day.
One thing that keeps me going even on the Mondays is the thought of the lives in Africa that I hope to change through my efforts. I am reading a book right now called The End of Poverty, and it has really opened my eyes to the underlying causes and possible solutions to some of the injustices in the world today. I have decided to commit my race in Beijing to the World Vision projects in Africa, and we’ve even made a new website, www.ryanhall.org, that tells how you can get involved. Having this as a goal gets me out the door even on the most tiring Mondays.
I am always surprised when Tuesday rolls around and we head up to Lake Mary at 9,000 feet to do an interval session and I feel good. I closed my last 800 meter repeat in 2:10, which I like to think of being worth at least 1:50 at sea level (I wish). Regardless, it was good to get some snap back in my legs and set myself up well for the remainder of the week. My energy level feels much better today, Wednesday, and I feel ready to finish off the last really hard week of training before Beijing. Next week I travel to China so I will have to make some adjustments in my training. Then there will only be two weeks to go and the taper will begin.
I can’t wait to get over there, not only because of the excitement of competing in the Olympics but also so I can run in shorts and no shirt again. For the past couple of weeks I have been running in black running pants and long sleeve shirts. Knowing that I am going to have to bundle up for the 80 degree afternoon sessions don’t not exactly make me feel like heading out the door but I know that it is really working to help prepare me for the heat and humidity in Beijing.
I can already feel a notable difference when I am doing some hot weather running. I know that a lot of being successful in Beijing will have to do with my body’s ability to handle the conditions so I know that bundling up will be just as important as hitting those big workouts that we have scheduled week after week. It is going to be a battle out there in Beijing, not just against the competition but against the elements as well. Thankfully, the race isn’t on a Monday!