Marathon Training - Week 21 of 30

I'm training for my first marathon, which will be the White Rock Marathon in Dallas on December 4, 2011. My training week runs from Monday to Sunday. Tomorrow is Monday, which means the beginning of a new training week!



Week 20 Review:

• Monday: Schedule rest - completed
• Tuesday: 4mi run - completed
• Wednesday: 7mi run - completed
• Thursday: 4mi run - completed
• Friday: Scheduled rest - completed
• Saturday: 15mi long run - completed
• Sunday: Cross-training - completed (1hr cycling)

Another great week last week.

The 15mi run on Saturday was another distance PR for me.

The idea of running 14 or 15 miles (or longer) is intimidating, so this week I decided to tailor my long run to include some elements of familiarity and simplicity in order to minimize the intimidating nature of the run. Instead of doing a 15mi loop or a 7.5mi out-and-back, I decided to run a familiar route that could be made into a 5mi loop. A 5mi run isn't nearly as intimidating as a 15mi run. So rather than thinking of it as a 15mi run, I thought of it as doing a 5mi run three times. I think this tactic worked. It helped me to relax and enjoy the run. It was also nice knowing that I was never more than a couple of miles away from my car.

I also started listening to audio books instead of music on my long runs. I can focus on the story (but not so much that I lose track of my surroundings). It's almost like a movie is playing in my head. It's great for helping to pass the time, which is a real challenge when you're going to be running for 2.5 or 3 hours or more.


Week 21
(week 9 of Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program)

This is week 21 of my 30 week training program, which means that I'm now 2/3 of the way to the big day. Just a couple of months to go!

This week is a step-back week, meaning that my Saturday long run is shorter than the past couple of weeks. But it's still 13mi, which is not "short" at all to me. But it is much less intimidating following weeks of 14 and 15 mile runs.

Here's what's on this week's schedule:

• Monday: Schedule rest
• Tuesday: 4mi run
• Wednesday: 7mi pace run
• Thursday: 4mi run
• Friday: Scheduled rest
• Saturday: 13mi long run
• Sunday: Cross-training

Have a great week!

Marathon Training - Week 20 of 30

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

I'm training for my first marathon, which will be the White Rock Marathon in Dallas on December 4, 2011. My training week runs from Monday to Sunday. Today is Monday, which means the beginning of a new training week!



Week 19 Review:

• Monday: Schedule rest - completed
• Tuesday: 4mi run - completed
• Wednesday: 7mi pace run - completed
• Thursday: 4mi run - completed
• Friday: Scheduled rest - completed
• Saturday: 14mi long run - completed
• Sunday: Cross-training - completed (1hr cycling)

Back when I first looked at this training program, the big increase in mileage for this past week really stood out as possibly making this one of the more challenging weeks of the program, and it was challenging for sure. But the bigger the challenge, the better the feeling of accomplishment once the challenge has been met. So it feels good to have last week completed.


And here comes week 20.
(week 8 of Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program)

Another week, another distance PR on the schedule.

Before I get to this week's schedule, here's a great motivational video that a friend posted on Facebook yesterday. It's you vs. you. Each day I have a choice as to whether I'm going to get out and run. Each moment of every run I have a choice as to whether I'm going to take that next step or give up. So much of running is mental. It would be easy to feel tired of training at this point with twenty weeks behind me but still another two and a half months to go. But this video is a good reminder that it's all about making the choice to keep going...because "every one of those moments is a test that you get to take one time, and only one time."


Here's what's on the schedule:

• Monday: Schedule rest
• Tuesday: 4mi run
• Wednesday: 7mi pace run
• Thursday: 4mi run
• Friday: Scheduled rest
• Saturday: 15mi long run
• Sunday: Cross-training

Have a great week!

Marathon Training - Week 19 of 30

I'm training for my first marathon, which will be the White Rock Marathon in Dallas on December 4, 2011. My training week runs from Monday to Sunday. Today is Monday, which means the beginning of a new training week!

First, a quick review of last week (week 18):

• Monday - scheduled rest - completed
• Tuesday - 3 mile run - completed
• Wednesday - 6 mile pace run - completed
• Thursday - 3 mile run - completed
• Friday - scheduled rest - completed
• Saturday - 9 mile run - completed
• Sunday - cross-training - completed
• Total distance run - 21 miles

My bike is in the shop this weekend getting a much-needed full tune-up. So for my cross-training this week I grabbed one of our Jillian Michaels DVD's called "6-Week Six Pack" and gave it a try. It was a great workout. But I can't wait to get my bike back. 
Finally got a break from the heat last week. The temps were mostly in the 60's rather than in the 80's during my runs last week. Wow, what a difference 20 degrees makes. It's like instantly taking 30 seconds off my pace.
Unfortunately, the cool-down last week was just a temporary tease, and the temps start to creep back up this week. But fall will be here soon. Can't wait.
The 9-mile run on Saturday was just great. Sunny, 62-65 degrees, and I felt completely comfortable and strong the whole way, both physically and mentally. It was just one of those really great runs. It's amazing how 9 miles can feel like a short run after having done runs of 10-12 miles. Makes me wonder how my half marathon will feel in October after runs of 14-18 miles. PR? We'll see. 

Now on to this week - Week 19 (Week 7 of Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program):

This is the week where the training really starts to look like a marathon training program. 

My longest run ever was the half marathon I ran last December. I've run that distance just that one time. 

But here's my reality:

• I'll run 13+ miles 8 out of the next 9 Saturdays. 
• And I'll set new distance PR's 6 out of the next 9 Saturdays.

Yes, this is the week where the real marathon training begins. Everything I've done up until now has just been preparation for the next 9 weeks. In a way, it feels like the real marathon is the next 9 weeks of training. Race day is the final exam.


But one week a time, right? So if it wasn't bad enough that I've got a long run this week that will result in a new distance PR for me, my mid-week runs all get extended an extra mile as well. Here's what's on this week's schedule:

• Monday - scheduled rest
• Tuesday - 4 mile run
• Wednesday - 7 mile pace run
• Thursday - 4 mile run
• Friday - scheduled rest
• Saturday - 14 mile run
• Sunday - cross-training
• Total running mileage - 29 miles

Have a great week!

Marathon Training - Week 18 of 30

Image by Kasaa via Flickr

I'm training for my first marathon, which will be the White Rock Marathon in Dallas on December 4, 2011. My training week runs from Monday to Sunday. Today is Monday, which means the beginning of a new training week!

First, a quick review of last week (week 17):

• Monday - scheduled rest - completed
• Tuesday - 3 mile run - completed
• Wednesday - 6 mile run - completed
• Thursday - 3 mile run - completed
• Friday - scheduled rest - completed
• Saturday - 12 mile run - completed
• Sunday - cross-training - 9mi cycling completed
• Total distance run - 24 miles

Another week of temps in the 100's! The highlight of last week's schedule was the 12mi long run. I was a little nervous about running that distance in summer, but it turned out to be a pretty good run. I got an early start, and the temps were in the mid 70's for most of the run. I ran with a friend of mine for miles 6-9, which made that part of the run really fly by. I finished strong, which made me feel like my training is really working. 

Now on to this week - Week 18 (Week 6 of Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program):

I'm catching a break this week. It's another step-back week, so I have a shorter long run. Plus, as an added bonus, there are much cooler temps in the forecast for this week. It should be a great week!

Here's what's on this week's schedule:

• Monday - scheduled rest
• Tuesday - 3 mile run
• Wednesday - 6 mile pace run
• Thursday - 3 mile run
• Friday - scheduled rest
• Saturday - 9 mile run
• Sunday - cross-training
• Total running mileage - 21 miles

Have a great week!