Lessons Learned

So far pre-pre-training is going well.  Hit the gym four times this week, and did some light walking out on the trail yesterday morning where I tested out my GPS watch.  Turns out the Timex one doesn't have an interval timer, either.  So I'm going to keep the Soleus and look for a cheap interval timer I can clip on for runs.  I really like the Soleus other than the one missing feature, and popping an extra $20 on an interval timer is cheaper than shelling out an extra $60-$100 to get a GPS watch that has an interval feature.

Anyway, Brenda and Kourt and I have done a lot of talking lately about how we're going to do things differently this time around.  Looking ahead to a second marathon, I think it's important to assess the things I did the first time around that maybe didn't work so well and the things I didn't do that I now I wish I had.  Not only will it help me beat my time from last year (not like the bar hasn't been set pretty damn low, though) but it will help me guide Kourt in the right direction.  No sense in her making the same mistakes I made.  So here's what I learned last year and how we're going to do things differently:

1.  Do ALL the workouts.
   The single biggest mistake I made last year was letting schedule changes and stress keep me out of the gym during the week during the last two months of training.  Neglecting my weekly mileage resulted in hamstring problems, kept me from finishing all my long runs, and put me at the start line less prepared than I should have been.  At my level of performance (i.e. pretty damn low, lolz) it doesn't even matter if I don't do specific workouts during the week (i.e. one day intervals, one day tempo run, etc), I just need to put in the time and mileage.  One foot in front of the other.  Period. 
2. Build base mileage early.  REALLY early.
   The thing about the marathon is that it's not really about speed.  It's more about learning to not go too fast than it is about going fast.  Learning good pacing means learning to hold back when you need to.  Yeah, if you're trying to qualify for Boston it's different, but for those of us at the back of the pack being race ready mostly means having a body accustomed to pounding the pavement mile after mile.  The more you've run before the race, the better you'll run during the race, even if a lot of that running wasn't fast.  The more time I spend on the treadmill and trail now, the easier it will be to train and race.  And unlike last year, I'm not going into this wondering if I can even make my body go 26.2 miles.  I know I can.  This time it's not about proving I can.  This time it's about just being as ready as I can be.  So that's why I'm starting now.  Every mile I run or walk gets me that much more ready for the race.
3. Put my name on my shirt.
   The effect of having thousands and thousands of people on the race course cheering you on really surprised me last time.  Maybe it shouldn't have.  But as I ran last year and heard people cheering on runners by name because they'd put their names on their shirts, I found myself wishing I'd done the same. It would have been nice to hear people yelling my name.
4. Don't stress about the numbers.
   I'm a geek.  I like numbers and graphs and charts.  Already I've been taking photos of the treadmill and elliptical machine displays after workouts so I can keep track of my progress as the weeks go on.  But aside from it being cool to geek out with the numbers, I need to keep them from being something that affects my mood about training.  I only have to beat 7 hours.  There's really no need to stress about it.
5. No dieting.
   I still need to lose weight.  But I understand now that you have to focus on one thing at a time.  If I'm training properly, weight loss should naturally follow.  But I'm not going to be counting calories and trying to drop 2 pounds a week.  I will try to eat as healthy as possible so I'm consuming enough carbs to fuel my workouts and enough protein to support muscle recovery, but I won't diet.  That's not to say I won't change my eating habits.  I'm just going to focus on performance, not on my weight.
6. Don't let the weather get in the way.
   Cloud to ground lightning aside, I have to learn to train in whatever weather I'm given.  It was hot during training last summer, and I didn't make myself stick it out (safely) in the heat.  And then it was hot on race day, and I wasn't used to it.  If I'd kept going through all those hot long runs (and always put on sunscreen no matter what weather.com said) I'd have been better equipped to deal with the heat in Chicago.
7. Race first, vacation second.
   Last year we arrived in Chicago on Thursday and left the day after the race.  That meant the vacation part of the trip was partially spent being nervous about the race, and I spent the day after the race sitting in a car getting stiff and sore.  This time we all agree it would be better to arrive on Saturday early enough to get to the Expo, and then stay through the following week to do fun vacation stuff.  That way we can walk off the post-race stiffness while shopping and we can actually enjoy vacation time without the pre-race nerves.  Also, after the race I won't be worrying about what to eat, so I can enjoy eating post-race junk food all over the city!