I'm pretty discouraged.

tvroybal

I'm starting to think my marathon in october is completely out of reach.  My last two long runs were terrible, I even puked.  I know I need to keep my head up, but I'm frustrated and discouraged.

iamjoesgurl

Have you been following a training schedule?  Could you do a 1/2 marathon instead in the same race and then try the full marathon next year?  Or would a 1/2 be too long too?  I'm sorry that you are discouraged.

bbyckes

There's no shame in walk/jogging the first one.  Don't get discouraged - keep at it! 

soontobeklg

Slow down on your long runs!  Like really, really painfully slow.  You can do it!  Or if you really don't want to, see if you can switch to the half marathon.  That's still a huge accomplishment!

novodca

Aww don't get discouraged! Here is a Arnold Schwarzenegger quote for ya -Arnold Schwarzenegger: "I have no fear of fainting in a gym, because I know it could happen. I threw up many times while I was working out, but it doesn't matter, because it's all worth it."Hahah I know its weird that Arnold is one of my idols lol But he is sooo motivating!

lvasilen

I agree with PP, and hey just think of how far ahead you are of when you started....I must say I am envious!! Keep up the great work, you can do great running and walking or whatever it takes! p.s. like the arnold quote very funny...but good I never realized he was so inspirational but I like it!

Knottie_22387735

Do NOT get discouraged just because you had two awful long runs.  Everyone has them.  Trust me.  Mine yesterday was a shorter "recovery" long run.  Instead of having a nice run I spent most of the time in the rest room THEN was too dehydrated to continue running after mile 11 thanks to the repeated bathroom trips and hot weather.  I had to walk the last 3 miles since it was an out and back course and still barely made it back.  It was awesome.  Really.  This will be my 5th marathon.  I've qualified for Boston in all my previous marathons and I'm gunning for a 3:10 in the upcoming marathon.  Awful awful long runs happen to all of us.  No matter how experienced.Think about what you ate, drank, and the time of day you're running the long runs.  Is there anything you can think of that might have affected your runs?  For me any type of dairy is bad.  Are you drinking enough water?  You will need some type of sports drink in the heat too, so you'll want gatorade or powerade or something like that.  I buy the mix and make up small water bottles at home.  Are you getting extra sleep?  The body does not like long runs on insufficient sleep.  How about food?   Are you eating enough pre-run?  The body is like a car- no gas, no go.  Have you tried eating during the runs?  Things like gel, gu, shot blocks, and those energy jelly beans can really help.  I like to run with 100% fruit juice fruit snacks- inexpensive and a nice boost.  Getting too low on food and sugar during a run can make you sick.  When you finish your runs, are you properly refueling?  I force myself to eat carbs and some protein (usually a chicken wrap, you know like the McDonalds bbq snack wrap...) within 60 minutes of finishing the run.  I don't always want it but I know that carbs help my body recover quickly and the protein helps repair my muscles from the beating they took running.  So that was rather long, but my main point is to not get discouraged but instead try and look at your existing pre and post run nutrition and hydration and see if you can't pinpoint something that will help.  It truly could just be two bad long runs in a row for no reason whatsoever.  Just keep on putting one foot in front of the other and you will be ready to run in October. 

tvroybal

Thanks all for the helpful words. I vented to FI about it and he helped with some advice as well.  Dee: Thanks especially for all of the details and perspective.  I'm thinking now that it is the heat that is causing my runs to suck, the past two weeks I've been running in the middle of the day.  I'm also going to look into nutrition/hydration pre/during my long runs, seems like it might be an issue.

Knottie_22387735

Mid day long runs?  Bad tvroybal!  No wonder you've been feeling like garbage.Seriously, just try a few small changes like drinking more water, bringing water with you while running, and running either earlier or later in the day and see if that helps.  I would bet it does.  Training in the summer is really hard, so be proud of how far you've come and know that cooler temperatures are on the way