Please help me. I'm aiming for my first 20 miler either tonight or this weekend and I'm getting myself in a right state about it. It's just the words '20 miles' that scare me. I have enough mileage and long runs in the bank to justify attempting this but I'm getting really terrified of the distance.
I've been finding the whole business very difficult this last few days - I'm struggling badly to find the excitement about running my first FLM that I've had since last september when I got my gold bond place confirmation and for the first time, serious doubts about my ability and wisdom in doing this have crept in.
Sorry to whine on but I could really do with a filip from those people who are going through the same training as me at the moment.
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I agree with PW, try and pretend 2 separate runs of 10 miles. Also try and think of the most interesting route you can find.
Forget about times etc, just take it easy and take in the views ( if there are any).Think of when you get home and how pleased you will feel with yourself. What is the furthest you have done so far?
If its any consolation, the longest long run I managed to fit in before my first FLM last year was 15 miles. I didnt know about these threads, didnt have a proper schedule.At the time I had read somewhere that so long as you could do 15 miles one month before then that was enough, and i took it exactly as that.The morning of the run , I was talking to fellow runners on the bus who had ALL done at least one 20 mile!!!- PANIC. But I was fine and finished in 5.09, not fast i know but I loved every minute, thats the truth.
Believe what everyone says Roger, If you crack this 20 miles at the weekend , you CAN do the FLM. The crowd, adrenaline and excitment will carry you round.
Before you set off for your 20 miler, just think of why youre doing it. Think of the many thousands rejected , who would love to be in your shoes.
Go On- Enjoy it. It'll be fine
BILLIE
you can definitely do it. i used to think 5 miles was a long way and now i'm up to 18 miles.
i think we're pretty much the same mentally, i just want to get on and run the bloody marathon now, and the excitement i've had throughout is now being replaced with a sense of impatience and frustration.
as others have said, don't think about it as a 20 miler. instead break it down into 5 or 10 mile chunks, or alternatively try and disassociate yourself from the whole mileage thing by just running and every now and then take a quick look at your watch to work out how far you've done so far. when running alone, i usually either listen to the radio (one headphone in, one headphone out just in case i bump into local deviants), or try and just take in the views(which is a bit hard when you're running in hackney!).
keep going, not long now, and then there is the big payback - the marathon itself!
chris
If you break your run up in your mind into managable chunks (say 3-4 miles) that may help. I found on Sunday at Silverstone if I concentated on 1 mile stretches the time flew over and I did the lot in 1:45 which is much quicker that I usaully go.
Everyone goes through this, I've got 9 to do tonight and 18 at the weekend and trying to put them off, I'm sure once I'm running I'll be fine the same goes for you.
Hop to it
Dene
that's all really good advice - the longest I've run yet is 15 because I've developed shin splints (ouch) but I definitely find breaking the longer distances up into manageable chunks makes the time fly quicker.
Giving your self rewards too can help - like eating jelly babies after 10, then after 15, then after 17 and so on which makes the second half of the run fly by much quicker.
It may be playing games and fooling yourself but I find it works
Good luck and enjoy - you certainly will once you're into it.
I guess it is all psychological. Just think how proud you'll be of yourself after you've done it!
When i did FLM 2y ago i though- ive got 4 10ks to do- 4 easy training runs-
Dont go thinking s##t 20 miles- think 4 x 5 or 2 x 10/etc..
Go slow. Enjoy not dread !
Another idea is to lose the watch. It is sometimes painful to see that you have run an hour but still have X to go!!
Finally, think of how good you feel after the run. You may ache a bit, but it'll be a great achievement.
it is nice to go somewhere different to run - it is like a treat - somewhere new!
I know how you feel - that's exactly how I felt this time last year, training for my first marathon. You've done the mileage, and you CAN do the 20 miler. As others have said, it's psychological now. The great thing about it, though is how good you're going to feel when you've done it. It was at that stage that I finally realised that I was going to be able to run a marathon: I knew that if I could do 20 then I could do 26.2. I'd not been sure about it until then!
See if you can get someone to run/cycle/whatever some of the way with you, but if you can't then just prepare yourself mentally and go out and do it, steadily. You are going to feel so good when you get home again!
Don't worry - you'll be fine Good luck
Try to run somewhere scenic and calm. Canals and rivers are good, or smaller country routes. Try to enjoy your surroundings, and remember how far you've come (in all senses of the phrase) in a short time.
A 20 mile run is a good time to try gels, and make sure you have a plan for keeping hydrated - particularly after the halfway point.
Have a great run.
My conclusion is that a Half Marathon last sunday, 5 miles on tuesday, physio and yasso reps on wednesday and a bad cold and cough didn't exactly set me up well for an attempt at the big barrier.
I'm now going to take it easy for the next week and go for it at the Cranleigh 21 mile race a week on sunday.
But thank you to you all, your advice and encouragement is spot on as usual and very gratefully received.