So you probably heard the bad news, the Catalina Marathon, 5k and 10k are officially cancelled. I know, you’re totally bummed. So am I. I really thought if there was one race that had a chance, it was going to be Catalina. I mean we’re running in the wilderness of an island. Unless I purposely try to run with other people, I am by myself. There’s really not many spectators. The only ones you see are around the finish line. We’re trail runners and very self sufficient. The aid stations could be very limited. And, it a small field.

Does this mean I think it’s a bad decision? Not really, or was there even a choice? Even if they took every precaution the safest decision was to cancel. I figured I was going to take my chances if we got the green light. The boat ride over and back was my greatest concern. But I know deep inside that cancelling was the only choice. Maybe I was being selfish and certainly bored of being stuck in my little area. Some island air would have renewed my energy. And so it goes.

But fear not! There will will a Catalina Marathon in the future. Now we have to make a choice. Do we let this derail our training and throw in the towel or press on.

Life is a series of choices. Today I will choose to keep training and be ready for the next race when the time comes.

So what should training look like in this down time?

• Stay Healthy – You don’t want to catch COVID-19 if you don’t have too. Be smart and respectful.
• Recover – If you have little nagging pains or injuries, now’s the time to address them. Make that investment in your future.
• Get Strong to 13.1 miles – Knowing that you are always ready for a half marathon is a great feeling and means you can get marathon ready in as short as 2 months. Make your long runs 2 – 3 hours. This is just long enough to push your endurance but won’t require a longer recovery than a day or two.
• Speed Work or Hills – Do speed work, go to the track or run hills once a week. These are shorter but higher intensity. Sometimes I try to speed up in the second hour of my long runs and put some of that extra work into practice. Please take a recovery day after your long runs.
• Start – If you have always wanted to run a half or full marathon, this down time is the perfect time to start. I’m working with my girlfriend who thinks running hurts and will injure her. We’ve started by doing 1.75 miles in a little over 20 minutes. We do a 2 minute run with a 1 minute walk break. It can take time to get used to the pounding that you get running so start off slow. We’re on our second week every other day and it’s good form practice for me.

I hope to see you at a starting line one soon.

Train Focused,

Coach Steve #TuesdayTrainingTips