Apparently I have A LOT of things to say this week. Apparently it’s also Monday which I keep forgetting, yay long weekend!
So, I Hired a Run Coach
Last week I treated myself to a week sans running. I cardio danced my heart out and went to Soul Cycle and it was glorious. This week I was back to running and therefore complaining. Come Tuesday, I was once again struggling through my 7 mile run and wondering “what the heck is wrong with my legs???”
And that’s when I decided I needed more help. Sure, I know a lot about fitness and can train myself for a half marathon. What I’m quickly learning though is that marathons are such a different beast. Yes, this is a really obvious statement to make, but it’s only now just starting to sink in how different my training needs to be for the NYC Marathon compared to my previous half marathons.
Reaching out to my marathon veteran friends is great and super helpful buy obviously not the answer to everything. What works for them doesn’t necessarily work for me. In that same train of thought I’m not qualified to train you for a half marathon. Sure I can give you words of wisdom as a personal trainer and someone who has crossed the finish line at a half marathon numerous times, but that still doesn’t make me truly knowledgeable about training smart for a race.
I wanted someone that was familiar with the NYC fitness scene and wouldn’t totally judge me for my love of group fitness and desire to only run 3 days a week. I reached out to Jess having followed her blog for 4+ years and because I know a bunch of other bloggers that have trained with her for marathons. She’s the real deal.
I wasn’t planning on hiring a run coach since I do have access to some coaching from Team in Training. Not to sound high maintenance but I wanted something with a little bit more handholding.
Truthfully, I’m terrified of this race. I’m scared of injuring myself. I’m scared of gaining an obscene amount of weight because of horror stories I’ve read. I’m scared I won’t cross that finish line. I’m scared I’m going to end up walking 26.2 miles. People constantly telling me “oh you’re a runner you’ll be fine” or “oh you’re so fit you’ll be fine” doesn’t actually help. I only really plan on doing one marathon in my life so might as well do it right.
Jess pointed out some flaws in my current training plan– she recommended I take a rest day before my long run instead of after. She also pointed out that I was going a little crazy on the intensity scale. Honestly, I had no idea my training plan was too intense and maybe the reason why my legs felt like lead all the time.
She wrote me out a personalized plan based on my favorite classes, the Jewish holidays, and the fact that I’m also running a half marathon 2 weeks before the marathon. Having a set schedule that’s smart and well planned out already makes me feel so much calmer. We’ll also continue to have phone calls every other week to talk about training and figure out my race day strategy for both races.
It’s honestly a sigh of relief. I trust her and trust her knowledge of running + marathons. I trust that she’ll help calm my nerves for race day by helping me figure out my best fueling plan and how to tackle 13.1 miles on those San Francisco hills without running my New York City Marathon. I trust her to not judge me for all the ridiculous questions I ask. Trust me, I have a lot of questions.
Part of me is also still such a teacher’s pet. I was that diligent student in school who always did homework because I wanted to impress the teacher. Having someone to discuss my training with will also keep me accountable for those midweek runs I loathe doing. Because yes, I’m still a total teacher’s pet.
So yes, I’m really excited about this.
Also… I ran 14 miles.
Also… the Williamsburg Bridge rocks. Going into my long run on Saturday I was SO nervous since my previous long run was a total hot mess. The weather was perfect and I decided to go exploring over the Williamsburg Bridge instead of my usual route on the West Side Highway
I’m officially obsessed with the Williamsburg Bridge. It wasn’t crowded at all, the path is wide enough that you’re never stuck behind slow runners and I also kind of liked the incline at the beginning.
The change of scenery was exactly what I needed and I felt strong for about 90% of the run. The final mile or so was rough which wasn’t surprising.
14 miles is my longest distance EVER and my first time running longer than a half marathon. I still have so so much left to go, but couldn’t help but smile for the rest of the day. Also, I don’t feel all that sore 2 days later considering. Hey, I guess my body is getting stronger and more used to pounding the pavement.
This Week’s Plan:
MONDAY: Exceed (1 hour HIIT)
TUESDAY: 6 mile run- easy pace
WEDNESDAY: Uplift + Trapeze
THURSDAY: 1 hour run- pick-ups
FRIDAY: Rest
SATURDAY: 14 miles
SUNDAY: 45 minutes spin
Great update! Sounds like hiring a running coach was a good decision: I can feel your sense of relief coming through this post. 🙂 I would love to hire a coach if I could afford it (currently in grad school)…I also tend to feel more confident about tackling a big goal when I have personalized guidance from someone who knows what they’re doing. Maybe someday!
Also, as a fellow musical theatre lover, I have to confess: After reading your post while I was getting ready this morning (didn’t have time to comment at the time), Parker Posey’s “Teacher’s Pet” audition song from Waiting for Guffman has been in my head all day. Haha!
Definitely already feeling some relief 🙂 It’s definitely an investment, and something I never considered for a half marathon, but I’m hoping the sanity it will provide me and strong race will be worth it.
How have I never seen that clip!?!
I’m so honored and excited to be your coach! It’s gonna be fun 8 weeks.
So excited too! Who would’ve guessed I was excited for marathon training
I recently started running long distance, maybe 3 months. I love it! I would love to run a marathon soon. Having a plan always works. I hope next year I can do this marathon I also live in New City, Queens.
Yay, that’s so amazing!! It took me a long time to work my way up from not being able to run to a half marathon, so it’s kind of crazy to think I’m now running 14+ miles in one shot.