Body Knows Best - Dropping to the Half

Well, it looks like my body will be the one who decides whether I run the Full or the Half in September. In fact, it will decide whether or not I run at all! This morning I went out for what was supposed to be a nice, easy 10k and had another setback. I was having a great time running along, minding my own business. The pace was not concerning me too much and I just ran on feel. It was just fun to be running properly again, and I took advantage of it. Also, I got out before work (which is a rare thing indeed for me) since I was preparing to help my Dad move some heavy old radiator down the front steps of his house to the curb. He'd arranged for someone to pick it up there, but they couldn't bring it down since their crane was not long enough. I was a little concerned about injuring myself while trying to move this 300lb cast iron thing, but I never would have suspected that I'd be hobbled long before I had that chance.

As I was crossing the Bloor St. Viaduct (that's the main bridge that crosses over the Don Valley and connects Bloor St. to Danforth Ave.) I felt a sudden sharp pain in my right calf that stopped me in my tracks. It came totally out of the blue, and is the exact same thing that I felt last Wednesday when I had to abort my interval workout. Now I am faced with the prospect of missing at least a week of running right in the middle of marathon training. Or perhaps I should start calling it half-marathon training...

BTW: thank you to all those who left helpful and insightful comments on my last post. It is very good to hear from experienced runners that my train of thought on this matter is rational and sound. I agree that there is a lot of value in just finishing a marathon (though I cannot speak from experience, of course), but given my history of bouncing from one ailment to another it's simply prudent to do the shorter race. Another year of running will give me the base I need to train and complete the marathon strong.

I guess my decision can be summarized by the phrase, "Respect the distance." I do.

I managed to complete 7.75km in 41:16.52 for an average pace of 5:18/km (8:32/mile). It was a good run up until that last metre! I ended up walking slowly to the end of the bridge and then using a payphone to make a collect call (a local one and all!) to Monica to plead for a pick up. She did, and I didn't have to walk all the way home. (Monica and Malcolm, if you are reading this, Thank you!) Now facing the prospect of at least a week off, and perhaps more, I am pretty bummed out...

Garmin don't lie.

Decisions, Decisions...

Stick with the Full Marathon, or drop down and do the Half?

Over the past week I've been going through a bit of a training lull - the proverbial "valley" in the whole "peaks and valleys" theory, as it were. My recent post-race calf cramp experience has forced me to abort one run and miss another, and I am a bit down on account of all that. Perhaps this helps to explain why I've started to entertain thoughts of NOT running the marathon at the end of September, but rather dropping down to the Half-Marathon.

The biggest reason why I am now at this crossroads is that I do not think I will be ultimately satisfied with just crossing the finish line in the marathon. (Weird, I know, since simply finishing is a huge accomplishment.) I think that my training plan will ultimately get me there, but I will likely only be prepared to finish the distance. I would much rather be prepared to run the whole thing properly and cross the finish line strong, sticking to a well defined and reasoned pacing strategy from beginning right to the end. I believe that I will be able to achieve this in the Half-Marathon based on the fact that my weekly mileage and training seems like it may be better suited to racing 21.1k strong, but is just enough to get me through 42.2k (most likely very slowly and painfully over the last 10-15 kilometres).

What should I do? I don't want to bail on the ultimate goal, but I also don't want to finish the marathon and then be forced to take lots of time off because my body will be completely spent. (No matter what speed I go, I suspect that 42.2k will wreak havoc, and given that it takes me a while to recover from shorter races, who knows how long it will take after a marathon.)

I just don't think I can get my mileage high enough for long enough to run a proper race over the longer distance, but I am confident that I will be able to race the Half really well. I will certainly run a marathon sometime in the near future, but I am wondering if it is not prudent to let this milestone wait another year or so. By then I will have been running consistently for over two years and my body will be much more prepared for the mileage demands of a rigorous marathon training program. Right now I just feel like I am achieving the bare minimum to get me through, and I never like doing just the bare minimum, whether in life, training or a race.

I guess what I really want to avoid is an experience that leaves me soured on running for the long term.

Help!