Marathon training...

This feeling is so familiar - increase in appetite, sleeping like a rock, lack of focus on those days I miss my run...

I am 3 weeks into an intermediate marathon training program and even though this is my first marathon, the physical and psychological changes are something I have been through many times before. Except this time the soreness isn't in my triceps- it's in my quads and hamstrings.

I swam in college and for a US team after college. In college, we would start the season off light but about 3 or 4 weeks in, we would be doing 2-a-days and 'dry land' training every other day. The increase always took my appetite by storm and I would suddenly be eating 6 times a day and still not able to ever fill up. I thought it was awesome! Guilt free eating!! Then, after college when I joined a South Florida team with Coach David Wright, I realized those college workouts were for sissies. Ten weeks of 10,000 meters a day. Whoa. For those of you who don't know how much that is... It's a lot.
And it wasn't only the appetite that grew. I felt changes in my body I am not I can fully explain in words.

1. I was eating everything - at all moments. I was constantly hungry and would eat at least once an hour for every hour I want in the pool. In the mornings, I would eat bites of sandwich between sets... Bottomless pit.
2. My arms and back were sore - but so was my skin. I felt like the skin on my upper back was being stretched as my muscles were hypertrophic. My shirts were starting to fit funny... (Not to mention my breasts went from a full C to a B... And have never recovered.)
3. I started to count my distances and logging times during practices. I became obsessed with the numbers. I had entire workouts, splits and stroke counts memorized.
4. I never wanted to miss a practice - in fact I never wanted to miss a single lap. It always felt like Cheating. I would do almost anything to make sure I was in the water on time. If I missed out on an entire practice I felt grumpy until the next time I could be swimming.
5. Outside of the water, whenever my body was horizontal - I was asleep. Instantly. It was like magic!!
6. And lastly - all I ever wanted to be doing was swimming. If I was awake - I was thinking about when I would be in the water next.

So now that I am into this running program and have almost doubled my mileage - I feel these symptoms starting to set back in...

And in less than a month I have gone from going "urrghh I should run today...." To "when can I fit another run in? Should I run twice today?"

The challenge I will have with this marathon training will be to find the balance in this and avoid the obsessive mindset.

Wish me luck!!




(Picture taken after a snow shoe run in Hollis Nh)