Wednesday, January 13, 2016

One Month

BREAKING NEWS: The Olympic trials are in one month.

One. Month.

How the hell did that happen?

The fact that time is passing first dawned on me this past weekend, when I realized with a start complete shock minor panic attack that the race was five weeks away. Five weeks! I typically taper for three weeks, which means two measly weeks left of real training.


The Holy Crap/How Is This Marathon Sneaking Up So Fast feeling is pretty typical, for me at least. You’re in the thick of training, la de dah, it seems like you have so many more workouts and weeks left and then… all of sudden the race is upon you.

But this season feels worse. Maybe because it’s the biggest race of my life, or because things were a bit wonky at the beginning, or maybe the holidays being smack in middle of things threw me off. I still got in all my workouts, but it wasn’t my usual routine. I haven’t been on the track with the GRC girls in what seems like forever. And the race is in a month???

Of course my main freak out is because I don’t feel ready. I want more time—more weeks of big mileage, more long runs, more of everything. Surely I could be faster and nail my goals if I had just a little more time??

That’s pretty normal, too. I’m feeling particularly out of sorts this season, like things just aren’t going quite right, but I think I feel that way every season. It’s easy to look back fondly on seasons that ended well as if everything went smoothly; all the doubts and fears seem forgotten when the PRs happen. If only I could get back the confidence I had during my best season… But the grass is always greener on the other side; I wasn’t brimming with confidence back then either. Truthfully, the grass on both sides is full of doubts.

But no matter how much I doubt myself or my preparation (Have I put in enough work? Will I be able to hit the pace I want?), the reality is it’s better to be under trained than over trained. Over trained too easily becomes injury (and I’ll have none of that, please and thank you).

But all this Only A Few Weeks Left business also makes me oddly sad. I love the training: the routine of it, the constant hum of tiredness, the endless peanut butter jars and banana bunches. Once the race gets closer (oh God, it’s going to get even closer?!) I’ll get the normal combo of super excited and intensely nervous, because of course I love racing, too. Until that happens, though, it’s a little sad the training part is ending.

But the excited nervousness is already starting to surface here and there. The hype is building: Team Teal is busy crafting the most extravagant spectating squad in the history of Trials spectating (I swear I’m not exaggerating on this), my planning is shifting from scheduling workouts to figuring out water bottle strategies and racing outfits, the Trials is the talk of the (ridiculously small) town. I’ve even put in my order for the post-marathon Girl Scout cookie eating binge (i.e. ALL the tagalongs). And every time I see a headline about how Shalane or Desi or [insert your favorite marathon star here] is ready, my heart skips a few beats. It’s coming…

The realization of having only two big mileage weeks left has made me approach them with renewed vigor. I'm going to try to nail the last few workouts, obviously, but also work extra hard to do all the little things to take care of myself. After all, these are also the weeks everything fell apart last time, so despite my freaking out that I’m not ready, the priority needs to be on staying healthy.

Just one month to go.

Dream big,
Teal

17 comments :

  1. EEEEeeeeekkkk!! I'm so freakin' excited for you!!! I can feel the excitement coming from your words and I know (despite the nervousness) that you will be ready! And you will enjoy the crap out of this race because you worked so long and hard to get there. I will be my own little virtual cheering party over here but you can guarantee I'll be yelling and cheering at the computer as you run! This is the icing on the cake!! Take many photos of the insanely cool atmosphere (and race prep!), okay? Go get 'em!!!

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    1. Thanks, Jenn!! Oh man, I'm not sure how I'm going to contain the excitement as it gets closer. But yes, I plan to enjoy the crap out of it! I'm sure my family will be snapping lots of photos and I'll share them all :)

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  2. You've got this, Teal. You alluded to it, but even in the taper you're still working hard toward your goal- with the water bottle strategy, the outfit, the cheering section, etc. The devil's in the details, I guess. Plus, you just had a big PR in Jacksonville, even if it wasn't what you wanted, it's nice to have a good race that isn't your goal race. You gotta be confident and as you say, dream big.

    I can't wait to watch and see how you do in the trials! It's all really inspirational to me to see your first races and how those times dropped and that you're now lining up beside Shalane or Desi. You've given a lot of runners out there hope, and that means something.

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    1. Thanks, Amy! I'm so glad you've gotten inspiration from my story--that's the whole reason I share it! I've come a LONG way, but it just comes down to working hard and believing in yourself. Dream big and who knows where it'll take you!

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  3. Why is Team Teal extraordinarily large and enthusiastic? Because you inspire us -- training, racing, up or down. Yesterday I told a woman I see on the commuter train (I know her dog's name but not hers) that the Olympic Trials are one month away. She got very excited and asked if it was being televised so she could watch and cheer you on. Team Teal -- Catch Our Spirit, Because You Can't Catch Her!

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    1. Thanks! I think you might be the Official Team Teal Recruiter!

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    2. I like that slogan :).

      Are the trials televised? I would love to watch.

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    3. Amy- They will be! Live on NBC at 1 pm Eastern Feb. 13

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  4. So So SOOOOOO excited for you! I know it's getting real, and close and a million emotions you have to be dealing with but.....you earned this! Go after those final few weeks of training knowing this was what all the work was for. I'm totally watching the trials and can't wait to be like hey hey hey "I've met her?!" Haha. It's going to be an experience of a lifetime for you

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    1. Thanks, Laura! I think my moment of TV glory will come when the men lap me, so keep your eyes peeled :)

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  5. Hi Teal! I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on this ridiculously awesome achievement so I figured now was better late than never. I fell completely out of the running loop for quite a while and am just now starting to catch up on everything (which includes like two years of blogs from some of my favorite writers!). In any case, best of luck out there and kick some butt!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! Glad you're getting back in the running loop :)

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  6. I'm so happy I discovered your blog today!! I'm just at the beginning of my training cycle for a marathon at the beginning of May, and I've loved looking at your posts that have shown your progress in the marathon over the years - SO inspiring! Best of luck in the trials, I'll be rooting for you!! :)

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    1. Thanks, Nora! Glad you found it and thanks for following along! Good luck as you start your training!!

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  7. So! Excited for you!!!! I wish I was in your extravagant spectating squad, but I'll be extravagant while I watch on TV, promise! You're in great shape, you've definitely worked hard and you deserve to enjoy the YOU-KNOW-WHAT out of this race. GOOOOOOO Teal!

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    1. Thanks, Salty! I yell loudly at the TV when I watch races and I'm pretty sure it helps the runners (right??!) so I'm sure your extravagant cheering will be felt :)

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