The foundation laying phase of marathon prep may be the hardest for me.  I started my base training in March having spent a long winter overeating and spraining my ankle.  So I ran a lot of 2 milers when my back hurt and my muscles were tight, and my lungs were on fire….Ahhhh, the Runner’s High!!!

April saw me hit weekly mileage of 13, 14, 15, and 13.5.  But the rythmn is still not there, so sometimes a 2 miles feels like more work than the 5 milers.  So far I am incredibly dependent on the conditions, time of day, temperature, and even mindset.

But I have turned a corner.  Last Friday I ran 7.5, longest run since Sept and Monday morning I ran 5 miles at an 8:00 minute pace.  That is way too fast for training pace but it felt so good!

One of the things I am seeing play out is the incredible importance of managing the mental aspects of long runs.  I find myself wanting to go faster to get the run over with, but knowing that I can not keep up that pace for longer distances.  I totally get the idea of building up an endurance strength in CV and muscles, but the mind games need to get in shape too.  Any ideas on managing the thoughts of the long runs would be great…