If we were having coffee...

Can we talk?

Grab a cup of your favorite brew; I have a few things I'd like to share with you.

Let me start by saying if we were having coffee...
It would just be you sipping the coffee...I'd be savoring a hot cup of a frothy chai latte' because I don't do coffee. I love the aroma, but just cannot acquire a taste for it. Thankfully, now days, there are lots of other "hot drink"options besides hot chocolate or black tea.

Chai Latte' for the win!

If we were having coffee....
I would probably be moaning and groaning about my current frustration(s) with my running shoes. Why, oh WHY, do shoe companies feel the need to mess with a good thing? Last year, I was disappointed with the Mizuno Wave Inspire 11's....they felt good, but they were nothing compared to my beloved WI 8's (that got me through my first two marathons, countless training runs, numerous other races... and needed to be retired). This year, I'm having a similar issue with my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16's. For the most part, they have worked well....but something is just not quite the same as the oh-so-perfect 15's (that I landed in after my Mizuno mishap last year). I understand that the shoe manufacturers are constantly trying to stay on the cutting edge of shoe technology...but why not just make a "new" model instead of tweaking the current ones that most of us have fallen in love with?

My current shoes....Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16's in purple and mint green

If we were having coffee....
I would have to 'fess-up that my erratic sleep schedule is (finally) catching up with me. I have been rocking the early morning runs through the majority of my marathon training....but all of those early mornings (following many late nights) are making me feel like a zombie by 10:00AM. I have my 20-miler on tap for Sunday, then two weeks of taper....and I need to commit to an earlier bed time. Pronto. End of story.

Another run in the wee dark hours

If we were having coffee...
I would share with you how I'm a little confused as to what I will do with my free time after my marathon. Granted, I will not be retiring the running gear, nor ignoring the call of future races (I may or may not have already registered for marathon #7...stay tuned). I will, indeed, allow myself a proper recovery period....but then what? I have gotten so used to 4:21AM wake-up alarms most mornings, it will feel really strange to NOT be rising before the sun several days each week.

No snoozing allowed!

Last of all, if we were having coffee...

I'd share my excitement for my sixth marathon, the Route 66 Marathon. I think training for a marathon is much more difficult than actually running one, but the training is a necessary evil. All the speed work, hill repeats, daily PT, and countless miles logged need to be done to get the runner's body in prime marathon shape. 

Something else I have learned in this training cycle is the importance of mental training. I have had a lot of training runs to do at "very easy pace." I'm not especially fast, but running slower than what feels natural is even more difficult than running faster. Coach Suz has shaken her finger at me a few times when I ran my "easy" runs faster than I was supposed to...and I (now) get the importance of mind over body. I have made some gains with my speed, and if I don't keep it under control, I will burn through all of my energy reserves and have nothing left to get me to the finish line.

So, that's what I'd share with you over coffee (and chai). Anything you'd like to share with me? Have you trained for a marathon? Ever have issues with shoes when the new model didn't feel as good as the previous one? Early morning runs-yay or no way?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date. Stop by and see what everyone else is sharing.