4 signs you are knee-deep in marathon training
Don't worry, you aren't the only one going through it
Is your training starting to feel more like a full-time job? With the fall marathon season already underway, countless runners are in the thick of it, trying to juggle workouts, recovery and life. If you know someone who’s mid-build (or if that someone is you), here are four telltale signs you’re knee-deep in marathon training.
1) You think in weeks, not days
At this point, you don’t live by a calendar; you live by a training plan. Days of the week? Irrelevant. To your coworkers and family, it’s “long run day” or “speedwork day.” Marathoners don’t want to know the exact time they have left, so they don’t count down the days until race week itself. They think in weeks.
2) Your grocery bill is sky high
Wondering why your VISA bill is still sky-high despite cutting out alcohol, late nights and junk food? Blame the 3,000+ calories you’re eating daily just to keep your body moving. Unless you’re committed to a strict, depressing pasta-and-rice-every-night lifestyle, marathon training has you burning through food (and your bank account) faster than your 5K splits.
3) You’re drowning in laundry
Between doubles, long runs and workouts, it feels like you’re always out of clean gear. You swear you just did laundry three days ago, but have run six times since then. With priorities being work, training and recovery, laundry keeps getting bumped down the chore list. Your “closet” is now a mountain of sweat, and every doorknob in your house has turned into a drying rack.
4) Your social (and sex) life is on pause
Wedding invites, birthdays, bar mitzvahs…they all get the same RSVP: “Sorry, I can’t make it… I have a 30km progression long run the next morning.” Your only real social circle is the handful of training partners who are just as exhausted as you are. If you’re single, dating is impossible, as it obviously interferes with your training schedule. If you’re in a relationship, intimacy is pencilled into your calendar like a workout, carefully timed so it doesn’t cut into your precious eight hours of sleep before 6:30 a.m. mile intervals.
For those who don’t understand, marathon training isn’t just a sport, it’s a lifestyle. And if you’re nodding along to these signs, congratulations: you’re officially in the thick of it.
