Reflect/Reset January & February 2023

Reflect/Reset is a series on the blog and will be published at the beginning of the month. In this series of blog posts, I will be sharing details about the previous month of training and sharing my training plans for the month ahead. I will reflect on the past month and reset to create space for the experiences that await in the new month.

Reflect: January

Marathon training officially kicked off in January! I can’t believe I am officially training for my 10th marathon (4th Major!). In January, I went from running four days a week to running five days a week because, in order for me to feel confident in my ability to train for and run a marathon, I felt like I needed to add another day of running to the schedule. So far, the added day has worked out well and I am appreciating having another day to work on building the aerobic engine I’ll need for my 26.2-mile journey. So far, training has felt pretty good and I think part of it has to do with the weather (definitely cooler than summer weather!) and the work I’m doing in shifting my mental state from focusing on time to focusing on effort and bringing more feelings of joy and “I get to run” into all of my runs. Race-wise, I participated in the Miami Half Marathon (recap here) and used that race to practice my planned-for-now marathon day nutrition. Overall, January felt like a solid month of training where I didn’t feel like I was training for a marathon and I hope that those “do the work, but don’t feel the work” feelings stay with me as I continue to build the mileage over the few couple of months.

January Stats:

• 131.6 miles total

• 32.9 miles average weekly

• 20 runs total

• Longest run: 14.35 miles

• Shortest run: 3.24 miles

• Favorite workout: Easy runs! I’m getting more comfortable with finding and staying in that cruising zone where running feels good and less effort-ful.

• Most memorable moment: Crossing my 11th Miami race finish line.

• What supported running this month: Naps! I was more intentional about taking 30-minute power naps on running days and I feel like it’s made a big impact on my ability to handle the added running day. Physical therapy also supported me this month.

Reset: February

February is one of the busiest months in my household because everyone has a birthday! The goal this month will be to make sure there is harmony between my running goals and my desire to spend time with and celebrate family. I hope that the weather continues to have pockets of coolness because the weather, despite my best efforts, continues to be something that challenges me on the run. If it’s cool/cold, I’m great and confident. If it’s hot, I’m grumbly and have to put extra effort into fighting the negative words that pop up in my mind. The biggest goal I have for the month is to focus on hydration, especially before the long run. I left the Miami race feeling good about my fueling approach, but with a sense that more effort needed to be put into hydrating well before a race/long run. So, here’s to drinking all the water, coconut water, and electrolytes in February and reflecting on what hydration strategy worked best for me before and during a long run.

Aside from the hydration goal, my mental focus will be on cultivating more of a “just show up and try” mindset to the speed workouts. I know myself enough to know that I can handle long aerobic runs, but that I struggle with negative self-talk when it comes to doing anything that requires speed. To do this, there will be some reframing: I didn’t “fail” the workout, I gave it the best I had that day. There will also be some remembering: You run for you, no one else, so do what you can do. Finally, there will be tough love: You are choosing to do this, so try your best and stop doubting yourself.

 Note: You can support me on the road to London by donation to my #TeamSunshine Rays of Sunshine fundraising campaign here.

Race Recaps:

• 01.29.23: Miami Half Marathon