Brian's Running Stuff: Marathon Training

Monday, September 12, 2011

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: