Marathon Training Cycle #3- What is different this time?

I feel like with only ONE more long run to go and just over TWO weeks until Hyannis that the countdown is officially on!

 

I have been training pretty damn hard for the past couple weeks but feeling good. A little tired (my bedtime should probably be 8:00 from here on out) and hungry as shit but my legs/hips/feet are A-OK. I'm confident that they are going to stay that way and therefore do not feel that I'm jinxing myself! Anyone who read my blog during Marathon training round #1 and #2 knows that I'm typically grievously injured by this time. So this is a new trend!

 

So what has been different this time?

 

Well... Coach Kelsey has kept me the hell in line. And really limited the amount of junk running that I do. Every workout has a purpose and I'm not just meandering around like a dummy running 10 milers at an 8:30 pace daily (yes, I'd be ok with that. my life has been harder lately!)

 

I think y'all know that I almost never give product shout outs on here. But I've had amazing, amazing luck with Aspaeris Pivot Shorts. I had hip pain of DEATH for months on end at the beginning of fall and seriously thought I might never get over it (it kept me up at night, bothered me during every run, had me flat on my back at the Chiro on the regular...) I also had hamstring pain, lower butt pain, side butt pain, pain pain pain....

Anyway. I started wearing these little gems at the beginning of this training cycle and BOOM. It was like my hip/side butt/low butt/hammy had never been a problem. I wear them for running and recovery.

My one complaint is that they are *not* cute and that I don't feel like I could ever wear them without tights or similar... I tend to prance around the house in them shouting "runners lingerie!! sooooo sexy!!" and generally making a spectacle of myself.... Lucky Eric.

 

I figure the lack of cute brought on this adorable color in the Gen2's!
I NEED THESE in an XS! (unavailable, tragic...)

No, Aspaeris did not pay me to say all this stuff. However, they did dig up 3 pairs of XS in the original design shorts and were possibly the best ever customer service so they deserve a legit shout out. (and guys, I really need the Gen2 so whip me up an XS STAT!!)

And yes, like every other runner in the universe I wear pro compression.
I don't need to extrapolate as we all know them and love them.
Lester does too...

In addition to wearing the compression like it's going out of style I have been foam rolling like a BOSS, doing tiny bits of spin/core cross training (like, once a week which is apparently tiny in my world) and the couple of days that my legs have felt BAD I have **GASP** taken the day off.

Seriously, I'm much more fun to be around when I'm not running with my pain face on!

 

If all goes according to plan I'll be toeing the line in Hyannis more fit and less injured that I have ever been at the start of a Marathon. If it wasn't a 26.2 mile race I would be feeling supremely confident but I respect the mileage too much to get cocky. If nothing else, I'm putting the work in and all systems are looking good for a solid race!