It’s peak week in my marathon training adventure. For those non-runners out there, peak week is the week of training when your long run and your weekly mileage is at its higest. For me, that means a long run of 22 miles and a weekly total of 45 miles.
After peak week is the taper – a two to three week period just prior to the race when mileage reduces and your body is allowed to rest and recover.
Peak week represents all I’ve been working towards and after my long run on Sunday I can relish in the small victory of getting through the hardest of the training. Since it’s well known that the hardest part of running a marathon is getting through the training period uninjured I think I’m close to calling my marathon mission a success.
This leaves me thinking…what next? Training for a marathon PLUS breastfeeding E has allowed me the luxury of eating WHATEVER I WANT without gaining even an ounce of weight. I think I’m burning about 3,000 calories a day and I admit, I have gotten quite used to my all-you-can-eat buffet. I’m not too keen on giving it up.
Though I plan to start the weaning process with E in a few months I can at least keep running at a level which allows me to enjoy that guilt free burger from time to time. Unfortunately, I have historically had a difficult time continuing to run without a race to train for. It’s too easy to sit on the couch when there’s nothing movitating me to get up and go. I’m afraid I will fall back into the lazy, sit-on-couch death spiral of weight gain.
I could register for another race, I suppose,but I promised Jason I would wait until the Fall to do another. The rigorous long runs really cut into our weekend family time and we all need a break. So.. I’m just gonna have to buck up and hold myself accountable to running without a race to train for. That shouldn’t be too hard given that the dreary days of winter are behind us and spring is here. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go running on a beautiful day?
Speaking of running…I’ve got a 5 miler I need to tackle and it is gourgeous outside! I’ll be back in a little less than an hour!