recovery week

On the marathon training schedule I've been following in preparation for my first marathon in January, this was supposed to be my recovery week, a twelve mile run to rest up for next week's eighteen miler. Heeding the warnings of a few people that I might be in the early stages of an achilles tendon injury, I ran only six miles for my long "recovery" run, walking five minutes at the beginning, stretching carefully after getting warmed up, and continuing to do strength exercises to build up my calf muscles. It seems to be working-- unlike after my past two long runs (12 and 16 milers), I had no stiffness or pain when I woke up this morning.

Coming to terms with my own limitations has been one of the challenging parts about marathon training so far. With the added mileage, I can't just throw on my shoes and start running as fast as I'd like for a 10K or 5K distance. With increased mileage, each week brings a new obstacle-- blisters, chafing, "hitting the wall," and now the possibility of injury. I also didn't believe it when people told me that marathon training pace needs to be about a minute and a half slower than your best 10K time. But after hitting the wall last weekend, I think I'm starting to understand, and I plan to start slow when I tackle 18 this next weekend. I'll also try gels for the first time-- I've been taking a Snickers Marathon Bar along on long runs (delicious), but maybe gels, though less appealing, are more efficient.

I also plan to think more about what I eat this week. Carbo-loading with protein and lots of water in the two days prior to the long run. Any menu suggestions?