My Plan for a Balanced Training Cycle

I am at it again.  Going non-stop, saying yes to everything and packing in as much as I possibly can into every day.  The real victim of this lifestyle choice  is all my tv shows that I am so behind on.  This past week consisted of a 4 day trip to Nashville for fun, a two day conference in So. SF, being crazy busy at work and I still managed to get all but one of my training runs in.

Nashville BBQ

Scarlett & Will at GOO - NBD

This weekend consists of kids birthday parties, dinner with friends and my first 20 miler - queue the dramatic music.  To say I am nervous for 20 miles would be the understatement of the century.  Both my 18's went fine but not great.  I seem to keep hitting a wall around 15 and it doesn't help that regardless of which direction I run, my last 1.5 -2 miles will always be straight up hill to get home.  Still you wouldn't think an extra 2 miles would be that big of a deal, but they have me totally freaked out.  There is something about 20 that just makes this marathon thing real.  My goal is to take it easy, especially for the first half and finish in under 3:30.

After this weekend I am headed out of town again next week for 3 days for work and then back to town for the Kaiser half marathon (goal sub 2) and some Superbowl Shenanigans Fun.  This 120 mph lifestyle is crazy to a lot of people but I just don't want to give anything up so I am constantly attempting to find the best method of juggling it all.   Maybe you can't do it all but you can almost do it all, as long as you do it all in moderation.

This year I especially need to keep this in mind with 3 marathons on the schedule.  I am focusing on keeping my training a balanced piece of my life and not my whole life or else I'll burn out before I even start.  My problem with an intense training cycle has always been burning out early and then throwing away the 2nd half because what's the point.  I start skipping runs, eating worse, drinking more and become very unbalanced.

This time around I've been much better about realistic scheduling and if I get home at 10pm and can't do my 10 miler (wed) so be it.  If a 6 miler tempo turns into a 6 mile jog/walk so I can spend time with MFR, it's still 6 miles.  I am not going to throw away everything because I missed one run.  I've seen  friends who go full throttle, become so obsessed with training and hitting every mile that they can't think of anything else.  They no longer see their friends and instead sit at home on Friday night obsessing about every detail of their workouts.  Unless you are training for the Olympics or plan on turning pro, your entire life should not revolve around a race.  That kind of pressure is unhealthy and unsustainable.  A race should be one of your priorities, a complement to everything else that matters and motivation for a healthy lifestyle.  It should not be your whole life.

10 weeks in I'm proud of the balance I've been able to strike so far.  The key for me is getting in all the long workouts and although I still partake in all my social obligations I am moderating my food/drink intake - (i.e. only two three beers instead of four).  I am planning my calendar way ahead.  For instance last weekend I knew I wouldn't be down to run 18 miles in 28 degree Nashville weather so I did it on Thurs.  I am getting a good amount of sleep every night, not freaking out if I miss a workout here or there and still making plenty of time for my career, my family and my friends.  And when all else fails and I feel out of whack, I'll schedule a Sunday morning in bed to drink coffee and catch up on New Girl and Mindy Project which is exactly what I'll be doing tomorrow.