This Sunday is race day: 26.2 marvelous miles that you have spent the last 4 months preparing for. During the last week of our pre-marathon training, we will be taking it easy, running only to keep our muscles loose and strong before the race. Our rest days are very important this week so be sure to give your body time to recharge in the days before the race. On Saturday, run a VERY easy 20 minutes or even just take a quick walk around the block. Skip your cross training this week and focus on mentally preparing yourself for the big day.
After 4 months of early mornings, sunburns, blisters, mental roadblocks, sore muscles and a few lost toenails, you are completely prepared for a marathon. Your training is complete and all that is left to do is have a wonderful, fun run. Remember your pre-race tips, get lots of sleep and have a good breakfast the morning before the race. This week, take time to meditate on what you have accomplished and thank yourself and your body for taking you this far. While you prepare for Sunday, here are a few inspirational quotes to keep in mind:
“People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any length to live longer. But don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest.”
–Haruki Murakami
“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”
–John Bingham
“Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance–you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations or coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet.”
–Doris Brown Heritage
“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.”
–Steve Prefontaine
“The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.”
-Juma Ikangaa
“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
-Fred Lebow
“We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves…The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, ‘You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.’ The human spirit is indomitable.”
-Sir Roger Bannister
“There will be days when I don’t know if I can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing that I have.”
-Unknown
I hope you have a wonderful marathon (and I know you will!) Join me next week after the race to find tips for caring for your body after the marathon. Run fast, stay inspired and be proud!
One more week until marathon day! Here is your fifteenth week of recommended workouts:
Monday: 10 minute warm up, 20 minute easy run, 5 minute cool down
Tuesday: 10 minute warm up, 40 minute easy run, 5 minute cool down
Wednesday: 10 minute warm up, 30 minute easy run, 5 minute cool down
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5 minute warm up, 20 minute easy run, 5 minute cool down
Sunday: RACE DAY- 26.2 miles
Keep up with your weekly marathon training and find running tips every Monday on Peaceful Dumpling!
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Photo: Claire Harris
