10.53 miles
There is this hill that has become a benchmark for determining what my energy will be like for the rest of my run.
Last week the hill felt easier. Not easy. Just easier. Today I struggled up it.
The perfect early morning fog and cooler temperature burned off quickly as the sun showed up just in time as I reached the hill.
All I could do was surrender because I knew there wasn’t anything I could do at that moment to change the outcome.
There is a cumulative effect of all the choices I make throughout the week that can impact this long run. For instance, I didn’t sleep well enough, or I didn’t drink enough water, or I didn’t eat enough, or I should’ve had oatmeal as my pre-run meal but I didn’t.
Small actions (and inactions for that matter), can have a big impact.
This wasn’t a bad run. I accomplished the miles I wanted with 1,095 ft of elevation gain on top of it, but it could have been better considering I completed last week’s 12 miles in less time than it took to complete today’s 10.53 miles with the same amount of elevation gain.
There is an enormous amount of trial and error when it comes to marathon training or training for any endurance event, but I am aiming to become better at tracking my choices to see what the impact is because the race is in 3 months from today. Three short months and I am far from ready.
Thank you for reading my daily post on my Chicago Marathon training.
