Running - feeling broken

[MyGhastIsFlabbered]

I'm signed up to do the Brighton marathon in April. Training went awry last year due to illness but I'm working on it, gradually upping the mileage. Did a half last week and it was slow but manageable - I felt great. Today I was supposed to do 14 miles. I started off not feeling great. I had a niggle/pain in my hip/thigh and opposite ankle. I felt sluggish and couldn't get any pace. It was really cold and windy and I couldn't get warm. After 2.5 miles I called it and walked back to the car. I'm now sat in the car freezing and sobbing whilst waiting for DH to finish his run.

Last week I felt the marathon was achievable. Now I feel it's totally out of reach. Can I have a pep talk so I can just chalk this run up to experience and try again tomorrow?

Two long runs on back to back weeks might be the issue

If you've not done a marathon before or not used to high mileage a better strategy is every 2 weeks to stretch your long run. It's difficult to do that now when your time is a bit more limited. But better to get to the start line fresh rather than knackered.

Everyone has a bad day now and then. It's normal for training to feel really hard sometimes as it's stress on your body.

Have a rest day tomorrow & then get back on the horse.

Right then.
I'm working on the assumption this is your first marathon so apologies if that's not the case.

First thing to say is that a marathon is mainly about willpower. Yes you need the fitness, of course you do, but more than anything you need the mental resolve and the sheer bloody-mindedness to push through. You don't really need that in a 10k or a half; not so much. Just when those distances start feeling tough, the race is pretty much over. A marathon is different and the training is different. It's about grinding it out when it feels hard and finding the strength you didn't know you had. But it's also about listening to your body when your body tells you to stop and not picking up injuries that stop you getting to the start line.

So right now, have a word with yourself. You can do this, if you want it enough. It's going to be uncomfortable at times, it's going to hurt, but the payoff is exhilarating.

Have a proper look at your "niggles" now. Are they niggles (normal and can be run through) or actual pain (need to stop to recover). Be honest with yourself. If the former, then pick yourself up. Today was a bad day but tomorrow will be a good day. You can get out there and put your 14 miles in the bank. Pretend today never happened. And if days like this happen again, tell yourself you'll just get to 10k before making a call - chances are you'll have bedded into the run by then and feel fine to carry on (also you'll be six miles from your start point so you won't have much choice!)

If you're actually injured though, take today as a de-load week. The basic test is to hop on it. If you can hop without pain, you can run. If it hurts to hop, then rest, ice, compression, elevation this week and pick up next week where you left off.
Brighton is a great race and the energy on the course will get you round. You can and will do this if you tell yourself you can, you accept it's meant to be hard, and you know you're tough enough. You've got this.

It's so hard to predict a run. Some are wonderful some are terrible.
I have yet to understand why/ the science.
Please don't give up- there will be loads of people on that start line feeling under prepared!

Cold, wet and windy is an energy sucker anyway.

Marathon training is a slog on tired muscles at a crap time of year.

Every runner hits The Run Of Doubt at some point.
Mine was the classic 20 miler. I had the benefit of knowing why (3⁰C grim fog/ drizzle and knackered from racing a HM 5 days earlier as I brought it forwards to avoid forecasts of snow and ice.
Every single step hurt.
I didn't know if I could do it, even at halfway.
I remember waiting by major traffic lights at 27km and dancing frenetically because I did not dare to stop my hurting body from moving. I got umpteen looks.

There's lots more possible reasons for the run you just can't get in to, hormones, sleep, food, coming down with something...

It's just one bad run, and one bad run does not define a training block. What it can do is build that mental resilience to get through miles 21-25, but even that's easier because of the other runners, crowd support and being fully trained and tapered.

Thanks for the pep talk. I think the cold got to me. The wind chill made it feel like -1 according to my phone. I got into bed once I got home and was still shivering an hour later. Onwards and upwards.

If it's taken an hour to warm up, it just wasn't the right day for it.
Make sure you're well fuelled in advance and have layers.

I did most of my long runs "compass style" so was never more than 3 miles from my car which had spare layers soup, water and snacks. Not a race day strategy practice, but if race day is in April, you're not going to be dealing with the toll of winter weather, and it will be in double figures.

The next one will be better!

Great advice above 👆. I’m training for London in April and have had injury problems and an abandoned long run a few weeks back. I know how difficult it is to keep going but you can do it! What really helped me yesterday was signing up to the free Nike Run Club app and their marathon plan. I had intended to do 16 miles yesterday after 14 the week before, but this plan has alternate lower weeks then increased long run the next. I also used the guided run feature and that helped too.
In the word of the guidance coach ‘there is no such thing as a bad run - you learn a lot from these’. What could you change for next time?