In every marathon training cycle, I reach a point when I question whether I can really pull it off. Usually I hit that wall when fatigue, the weather or a series of unfortunate events conspire to keep me from a scheduled long run.
This happened a couple weeks ago. My mileage already left a bit to be desired, I felt like crap, and I was actually emailing a friend of the friend of the folks organizing the marathon to see if I could, tail between legs, downgrade my registration to the half marathon.
Fortunately, my friend would have none of it, first dismissing my request with a terse "BAH," then telling me to "suck it up" and, finally, critically, offering to do a 30K with me this weekend. She's training for an Ironman in mid-November, so it's not entirely a selfless endeavor on her part, but it was the helping hand I needed to get my training back on track.
No runner training for any race, whether it's a marathon or a 5K, makes it through training without a hiccup. The mind can trick the body into doing stupid things or, in my case, not doing smart things. That's why it pays to have friends, family or colleagues, in real life or online, who are willing to listen and offer words of encouragement, plus the occasional kick in the pants. You may run by yourself, but you're never alone, and you should never forget that.
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