Story by Randi

 

Running is a pretty simple endeavor, really. Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat. Begin at the beginning. Finish at the end. And for the most part, whatever you “deposit” in training you get to “cash out” on race day. My training cycle for this marathon, however, was a bit different because I made a conscious decision to make larger and more frequent deposits than ever before.

 

In the 12 weeks leading up to the race I AVERAGED 75.3 miles a week, kicking that off with a 105.4 mile week over the New Year. ( I had a goal of running 100 miles in a week and I did it.) I incorporated doubles several times most weeks, most of them in the 9:00-9:30/mile range, which it turns out was about 1:30-2:00/per mile slower than my eventual marathon pace (i.e., very easy).

 

And while I did a handful of races and time trials in 2020, Because, as we all know, there weren’t many, I honestly had no real idea where to set my goal at the START of the cycle. I just started putting one foot in front of the other. And I began at the beginning. Realistically I thought breaking 3:20:00 would be an awesome goal, as my official PR before that day was 3:28:24. (Note: I time trialed a 3:21:37 in September, virtual Boston).

 

But as I started incorporating workouts, it became evident how much interest those “deposits” were already earning, so I recalibrated to 3:15:00 after a few weeks. I then shocked myself with a 13.1 mile time trial (1:29:51) in late February. In which I also set unofficial 5k (20:24) and 10k (41:42) PRs.

 

I then felt 3:10:00 was realistic on a great day and a fast course. But this was guess work, and the race itself would prove to be the real barometer.

 

And if you were at Two Rivers that year, which was one of the only races being held within driving distance, you would know it was not a great day or a fast course. Much like in training, that morning I began at the beginning. I put one foot in front of the other. I followed my instincts moreso than my watch. I let the race unfold. The receipt in the picture shows the “ending balance.”

 

3:13:53

 

A time I NEVER thought possible just over 12 weeks ago when this process started. Nor did I think, would be possible at the AGE of 45, to PR in every single distance!

 

Sometimes running seems very complex. And other times, very simple. Make a lot of deposits in training, cash out on race day. No excuses.