I’m 12 weeks into my marathon training plan with 4 weeks left and for the first 6 weeks all went really well and I was so proud of myself for sticking to it and completing all of the runs on the plan.  Then I had a few weekends of travel and a few unmotivated days in between.  The little lies and forgiveness didn’t help get me out the door and I’ve slipped on the training plan a bit.  The good news is I have 4 weeks to get back on track and to get running.  The bad news is, I’ve probably wasted all of the good work I put in the first six weeks.

I’ve never had this happen before, but it feels like the more I run the worse shape I am in and the fewer “good” runs I have.  Which has affected my motivation.  I feel like I should be able to run without stopping at least 8 miles with all the training I’ve been doing — but I still struggle even with my short mileage days.

The Hanson’s Training plan that I’m following — the basic concept is time on your feet running and cross-training is good for overall fitness but not so good for reaching your marathon goals.  I’ve found that limiting my workouts to only running has really affected my motivation.  I love to ride my road bike and to swim — so to feel like I can’t do those things because I have to be running…well that and you know the gravitational pull my couch has on me.

I’m disappointed in myself that I haven’t kept up with the plan and that I’ve missed several long runs.  The good news is I still have 4 weeks of running left and there is still time to get in a few good long runs.  Other good news is my expectations for the marathon are VERY low and anything that comes close to finishing is success.

To help keep me motivated and to gauge my readiness, I’ve also signed up for a relay coming up — the Bourbon Chaser with a group of friends.  I’ll either be reassured that I can at least make it to the finish or it will inspire me to work harder in these last 4 weeks.  I’m hoping both happen.

I really have no excuses for why I haven’t completed my training plan — I’m single, I have no kids and I have a very flexible job.  I have everything in my favor and some days I can’t seem to get out the door.  I’ve also found the change in daylight has affected my sleeping habits…for some reason recently I feel like I can sleep all day.

I’m not sure if this is normal or what exactly is going on, but I’m very discouraged and hope that I can snap out of it soon.  The weather is finally starting to get cooler this week, so hopefully the cooler temps will give me a few good runs under my belt and get me motivated again.