Providence Marathon Update #4: A Change of Plan

Soooo.....

It's no secret that this time around marathon training has been a bit rough. Back in February I was feeling super far behind in my training, and while I picked it up a bit through March, I came to the realization that registering for this marathon wasn't looking like it would be fiscally possible this time around. And, with a heavy heart, I've had to make the decision that this $100 race registration isn't something I could commit to right now. I'm really sad about it because I really wanted to make a spring marathon work this year, but it's just not looking possible.

BUT - it's okay. I still plan to run marathon #4 this year at some point when I've got a bit more wiggle room in my budget. There are some upcoming changes in my life (which I know I'll speak about here soon) that's going to make saving money and purchasing some fun things (like race registrations!) possible. I'm searching around for some late-summer and autumn marathons that I can shoot for, and in the meantime continue to train while running some half marathons and other distance races. It just really stinks sometimes just how expensive race registration fees (especially for marathons) can be!

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I AM, however, still planning on running a race on the day of the Rhode Races (which the Providence Marathon is a part of). If you're not familiar with Virtual Strides, it's a Virtual racing company that focuses on a different charity each month. Basically, you sign up for the race you'd like to run, they create a custom bib that you can print and wear and then they mail you a medal that you can rock after you're done running your race! For each race you can choose between 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances and each distance is the same price. You run the distance on your own timeline (they do have a time frame that you need to complete the distance by) and when you complete it you upload your time to the website and you can even share a photo of you on "race day"! It's a really easy and affordable way to race and feel a part of the running community even if you're running solo.

On May 1st, I'll be running the One Tough Mother Runner virtual half marathon that benefits the Family Lives on Foundation. This will be my first virtual race and I'm very interested to see how it goes! I'm excited that I'll still get to run a long-distance race on the day that I was hoping to, even if it wasn't *exactly* what I was planning. PLUS a portion of the registration fee will be going toward benefiting children in need. I'll be posting a review of my experience here on the blog (of course) but for now, here's a little glimpse at my bib! :)

Have you ever run a virtual race before? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Providence Marathon Training Update #3

One month away until the Providence Marathon.

While it still isn't perfect, training has been progressing in a positive direction. Training for a spring marathon is clearly much more difficult to accomplish than a fall marathon, what with the limited daylight hours, and the higher motivation to stay cozy and warm inside when the frigid wind whips right through you. However, with the temperature rising and the sun staying out much longer, I'm able to hit my runs more frequently and I'm feeling a bit more encouraged.

I have run into a different roadblock, though, and this one is financial. Over the past months that the Providence Marathon has been on my mind, I've still yet to scrounge up the money to register for the race. I keep finding that I have to wait until the next paycheck comes around, but once that paycheck comes around I have to tell myself the same thing. This season has been rough on my wallet and I just haven't had the spare $100 to register, and I worry that I won't be able to. I am still hopeful that my next check will yield an official registration for May 1st, but I can never really be sure until it deposits in my account.

In the mean time I'm still planning to train like I will definitely be crossing the starting line in Providence, but right now I'm full of uncertainty as to if it will actually happen. Fingers crossed for checking off marathon #4 this spring!

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Providence Marathon Training Update #2

Woof. I've been dreading this blog post.

I'm going to be super honest with you guys. I've been absolutely sucking at training this time around. I don't know what it is, but I'm constantly making excuses for myself *not* to run. Between it being too cold, the roads being too dangerous from New England winter weather (which, if we're being honest here, hasn't really been that bad!), me getting sick (which I actually think is a good reason not to run), or being too tired or too busy.... I've been letting myself slide in my training, which is not okay at all. I really need to cut it out if I want to run another marathon.

I don't know if winter marathon training makes my running motivation completely MIA (I am one to seriously reduce my mileage in the winter time due to busy schedules and lack of sunlight), but winter training is what I've signed up for if I want to run a spring marathon. Perhaps it's the fact that I haven't officially registered that makes me think that I can skip out on runs and be fine because I still have the option to back out if I wanted (which I don't, but hey, the option's there). Whatever it might be, I need to get over it. I really need to give myself a kick in the pants so I can be properly prepared for Providence in May.

That all being said, I don't have much to update you all on in terms of training. I'm going to change that for my next update. I'm not going to say "I hope to change that" or "I'll try to change that" because that's just too lenient. I'm going to change that for my next update and be excited to write it for you all. My goal is 3 runs a week - one short, one mid, and one long. I'm going to hit that target and come back to you all with exciting running news and be pumped to share it with you all!

68 days 'til #RUNPVD.

Providence Marathon Training Update #1

As I announced in my Winter/Spring 2016 Race Preview post last week, I'm training for my fourth marathon, the Cox Providence Marathon, which will be on May 1st. I wanted to do some periodic training updates for you all to share my experience of juggling marathon training with all of my other commitments and document what it's really like!

Marathon training is off to a slow start this time around. I've found that I get very bored with the repetitiveness of my training program at the very beginning, and I'm now enjoying my long runs a little bit more. (I mean, I've only gotten up to 7mi so far so it's not that far quite yet, but still.) I've been having a lot of knee pain lately, so I'm often resigning myself to the elliptical which isn't the best option for training, but it's better than the treadmill that tends to put me through a lot of pain. 

Of course, I still definitely prefer getting outside than heading to the gym to get my miles in, but it's usually dark before I leave work and I'm the actual worst at waking up in the morning, so during the week I'm confined to indoor running. We do have an indoor track that I like to utilize when it's free and my run is short (a shortened indoor track means 3mi = 24 laps.... yikes), so at least I can put that in the plus column! I'm trying to stay outside for my #SundayRunday long runs if I can help it.

Overall, I think I'm off to a positive start. Runs will progressively get tougher, of course. This weekend I have 9 miles on the schedule which I haven't run in *forever* (not since Colt State in November, I'm pretty sure) so we shall see how it goes. Regardless, I just got a running wardrobe update (thanks to Brett!) consisting of the most awesome leggings you will probably ever see. If that's not motivation enough to wear them around to show them off, I don't know what is!

Bear Leggings | Yoda Yoga Leggings (no longer available) | Space Leggings | Light Saber Leggings (no longer available)

Looking forward to continuing my marathon training journey for the fourth time.
It's going to be a great experience and I'm hoping it's my best marathon yet!