Happy Tuesday! It’s time for another edition of Tuesday Topics. This week’s Tuesday Topic: what did you learn from your worst race? You can write about this or any running related topic. Remember to link-up with Kim and Zenaida and the bottom of this post.
There’s no question that the 2017 Chicago Marathon was my worst race ever. Although I felt good about my training going into the race, race day was awful and it was a very loooong marathon (I ended up walking at least half of it). Here are a few lessons I learned from that race.
You can be OVERtrained
I did a 20 week training plan which I now know is too long for me (my sweet spot is a 14-16 week training plan). I just think it was a little too much running for me so I probably went into the marathon with my legs not as rested as they could be.
Take care of your body
I was taking a rest day every week of training, but I wasn’t really good about stretching, doing my PT exercises, etc. It took me a little longer to recover after the marathon (vs my first marathon) and I think that was one reason for the slow post-race recovery.
Don’t take it too seriously
I put a lot of pressure on myself for the marathon which ultimately backfired. It was my second marathon, so for some reason I thought I had to PR (still not sure why I thought that). I was SO rigid with my training – never missed a run, never deviated from the plan, etc. Doing that for 5 months just wasn’t healthy and was part of the reason the race was so miserable for me.
Tell me: What did you learn from your worst race?
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You’re spot on in saying that you need to respect your sweet spot. No two runners are the same and respecting what your body can handle is huge in having a successful training cycle and race.
Thanks for the linkup!
So true! Once I found my sweet spot, training was a little easier and made more sense to me.
When I start taking myself too seriously my sister is quick to remind me I’m not aiming for the Olympics. It sounds so harsh when she says it – but I think it talks to your last point that we shouldn’t take it so seriously and put such pressure on ourselves. That we get to do this for fun in addition to all the other aspects of our life.
That’s so funny because I saw the exact thing about not being an Olympian when I see friends getting frustrated or discouraged during training. It helps to keep things in perspective.
I wrote about this lady week and said the same. I over trained. And then I wanted a PR. It was my first year running halfs so I thought that’s what you do.
Never again. Now I’m chill about the whole race thing.
Great minds think alike, lol. But it’s so interesting how funny suddenly becomes way more fun once all the pressure is off.
Over-training is an evil menace that can sneak up on you. I didn’t realize it was happening to me (the one blatant time I experienced it) because I had been working with a coach. I blindly went along with everything on the plan, though I did suspect some of the workouts were a bit much, and the mileage was way more than I’d ever done prior. That said, that race (and several subsequent ones), where things were things just didn’t go my way on race day, taught me to make the best of the situation and embrace the fact that my body CAN run, and it can run (and finish) tough racess, if I keep my mind in the game.
Yup, that is exactly what happened to me. I just blindly followed the plan thinking it’s what I needed but it totally wasn’t. What was nice is that I was able to work with my coach again for another marathon training cycle and she took all my feedback into consideration and the next marathon went way better.
Most likely you heard about all the people who did have PRs after their first! At least you learned very valuable lessons from the race.
As I like to say, I may train for a PR (when I’m training, LOL), but I never expect it and I have other goals, because even under the best conditions, sometimes those PRs just don’t happen.
Yup, that was definitely part of it. I chalk it up to still being fairly new to distance running and still trying to find my way.
Overtraining can not only lead to injuries but can lead to burnout. I think it’s important to go into a race feeling good physically and mentally.
I think I definitely hit burnout during training but ignored it and though I wad just “tired”
It’s funny what you say about not taking it too seriously- somehow when we’re training and then running the race (especially a marathon) it does seem SO serious. It all seems so important, and only when we look back we’re able to put it in perspective. Ultimately, it should be enjoyable- otherwise why are we doing it?
I feel bad that you had such a bad experience at Chicago, but you obviously learned a lot from that race, which makes it a success. In retrospect, that is!
I did go back to Chicago in 2019 for the marathon and had a 1 hour course PR so I was pretty happy about that!
Great points, Kim! Taking care of your running body is so important. I used to neglect cross-training, foam rolling, stretching and all the good stuff. Sooner or later your body will tell you that you need to look after it.
I’m sure you’re a stronger runner now with all the Peloton workouts, right?
I think the Peloton strength classes and cycling have definitely made my legs stronger, but not sure it’s helped with my endurance. Then again, I haven’t been doing any long runs which I’m sure is why my endurance is about the same.
Oh it is very true that you can be overtrained and go into a race really needing recovery. That happened to me when I first starting doing tri races years ago.I did too much without. enough rest. we do learn from these though!
The sad part is that it’s so easy to overtrain because you *think* you have to fit in so much into training to be prepared for race day.
Great points Kim. 20 weeks of focused intensity is a lot! And yes to the importance of PT and stretching and strength training!
Thanks for hosting the link-up!
PT exercises and stretching are my best friends now, lol.
Great points. 20 weeks of training with only 1 day per week of rest is a very long period with high intensity.
About the intensity I made a mistake before my second marathon when, 15 days before the event, I participated in a half marathon pushing hard (it was my p.b. on the half)
Looking back on it now I can see 100% why the race was a huge failure but I’m just glad I was able to learn from the experience!
I can so understand about taking a race too seriously and having PR expectations backfire. I’ve definitely done that to myself. I quickly learned that if I wasn’t enjoying running then it was time to rethink what I was doing.
1 100% agree – I think that’s why I navigated toward strength training to give myself a break from running so much.
Great points! A race should be fun and putting pressure on yourself is no bueno. I remember one Chicago Marathon I wanted to do well and ran the first half faster than I should have. I hurting by mile 16 and almost quit. It was a mental game as I kept telling myself it was only 10 miles left to go. I finished! It was tough but I made the best of it. Plus, I even got a PR!!!
The mental game can sometimes be harder than the physical!