The Spring of 2020 saw COVID hit the United States. With it came the closing of schools, work places, and basically the end of travel. Of seemingly far less importance there came widespread cancellation of organized racing. Major marathons such as Boston, NYC, and Chicago were canceled. Some found themselves mid-training cycle and unsure of what to do. Do you finish the training cycle? Stop and just go into maintenance mode? Take some time off?

Truth be told, I’m some people. I found myself mid-training cycle for a ten mile race and a half marathon. I completed the training cycle and ran both races virtually. It provided “closure” for the race and the training cylce.

The harder question wasn’t those mid-cycle races for me. It was what came next. I set my sights on running the NYC Marathon in 2020. I successfully became part of the team for the Alzheimer’s Association and registered for the marathon in the beginning of March 2020. In my mind at that point, there was no way the marathon didn’t happen in November. Come on, it was months away.

I clearly underestimated the impact of COVID on life in general. What I anticipated would be a seemingly brief disruption to life was actually beyond my wildest dreams (nightmares!) We were/are in this for the long haul. Granted keeping our family safe, engaged and happy is priority number one but there were lots of disappoints for canceled life cycle events, birthday parties, and for me races.

The news of the NYC Marathon being canceled did not come as a huge surprise when it was announced in the summer. Quite honestly, I knew it was coming and I know it was 100% the right call. While I was disappointed I began to shift my focus to my WHY and my training. When I put into perspective that my WHY- was to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of my dad. So, really, when I got down to it I could certainly continue to fundraise and share my story as to why the Alzheimer’s Association is important to me and my family.

One such fundraiser was with Momentum Jewelry. I love their motivational wrap bracelets. Not only are they great for wearing when you exercise but all the time. Using the Alzheimer’s Awareness color of purple and meaningful motivational sayings was a huge success. (There’s still time to get one if you are interested. $20 each shipped directly to you. Secure yours today by sending $20 via Venmo to @kelly-blavatt).

Additionally, this was a valuable teaching moment for my children. Why? I was disappointed. There may have been tears. It showed them that they weren’t the only ones who were upset about things being canceled. But why else? When you say you are going to do something you do it- no matter what. So COVID wasn’t going to stop me from fundraising, nor was it going to stop me from sporting my purple and lacing up my running shoes.

In June I organized a virtual 5K for the Longest Day (summer solstice). I also ran a mile ever hour for every hour of day light. 16 hours equals 16 miles run. We sold t-shirts. The boys and my husband ran. We talked about why Mommy was trying to raise money. It was the first real conversation we had with the boys about the fact that my Dad has Alzheimer’s. There were many questions. Many of the same questions I still ask. And there were tears. But there was also a new understanding of WHY doing something is so important.

I had to ability to defer my NYC Marathon registration to a future year. In 2021 I’ll find out if I’m running in 2021, 2022 or 2023. Honestly, I also struggled with this news. It seems silly now, but when you are focused on accomplishing a big goal- a goal that requires a high level of physical fitness three years actually feels like a lifetime. But, with time and perspective, I realize I’ll be fortunate whenever I have the chance to run five bridges and through five boroughs.

In the meantime however, I was left to decide what to do this year. Did my Longest Day 16 miles provide me with the closure I needed? Did I want to run the Virtual NYC Marathon near home? Was I still going to accomplish my goal of running a marathon in 2020? I had some time to decide. As the months went on I saw my weekly and month mileage continue to increase. I was consistently hitting anywhere from 28-32 miles a week, well over 100 miles a month. When I looked at the training schedule from Run Lift Mom I saw that weekly I was already hitting the heaviest weeks of training. Granted my long runs would be getting longer but it wasn’t a lot more miles per week. Additionally, wouldn’t I want to learn now how my body was going to react to a full training cycle, rather than when a “real” race was looming on the horizon? Clearly the answer is yes!! But, as I’ve discussed before running is just as much mental as it is physically- do I really have it in me to run 26.2 miles BY MYSELF?? The answer to that question is- time will tell.

I registered for the NYC Virtual Marathon. Heck, if I’m going to run 26.2 I’m certainly going to get a medal! While I had originally planned to run my at home marathon on the scheduled race day of November 1, I literally called an audible (my favorite football term) and on day one training moved up race day to the weekend of October 17-18. Per the rules for the virtual race it can be done any time from October 17-November 1. I definitely do not want the pressure of leaving it to the last minute!

So what did this change in schedule mean for my training? As I mentioned above I was already running approximately 30 miles a week. I was mixing things up in regards to having longer run, speed work, and easier runs. I had to find a way to eliminate two weeks of training to allow for a proper taper before “race day.” The beautiful thing about a flexible training plan like the one that Run Lift Mom offers is one key run a week! What did I do, combine weeks one/two and three/four. Say what?? Well the key effort for week one is a 10KTT and for week two is 8 miles with a total of 24 miles total for the week. Monday I ran a 10K and Friday I ran 8 miles. In the end I’ll have closer to 28 miles on the week, so I don’t feel as though any value was lost. Again, if I had not already been running 30 or so miles a week I would not have felt comfortable making this scheduling change, but I feel confident with the earlier weeks. In addition to running I made a much more concerted effort regarding my strength training this week. I’ve come to learn that the strength training is just as important as the running. The goal is to get the runs done, strength training done and avoid getting injured. I’m having some hip pain, which I know means I need to also make sure yoga and more structured stretching is in my future.

What does that mean for the coming week? Technically week two of official training but really weeks three and four. Week three’s key effort calls for speed work (800×4), while week four’s key effort is a ten mile run. Total miles for the week 26 miles. How’s this going to break down? Monday I’ll kick off the week with the speed work. Check that right off the list. Then I’m going to run light the rest (2-3 miles a day with some strength training) of the week because I’m registered for a COVID compliant half marathon on Sunday. Yes, I know that 13.1 is more than 10 miles but I’ll take a little longer rather than shorter. A week from now, I’ll be “caught up” on the training plan and on target to be ready to run 26.2 mid-October.

The next two months will not only be for physical training, but also for fine tuning race day nutrition and the mental strength for running without the adrenaline/fan support of a “real” race. That said knowing that my husband and boys will be waiting for me at the end will certainly keep me going!

Stay tuned for week two! Subscribe to get updates!