>I think I’m going to post what my schedule says, and then update later with what I really did. I will also continue to track my total mileage.
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 3 mi run (Actually did this on Sunday)
Wednesday: 5 mi pace (Did 4.57 mi)
Thursday: 3 mi run
Friday: rest (Did 3.02 mi)
Saturday: 8 mi (Did 8.02 mi)
Sunday: cross
“Run” means at an easy pace (~10:15/mi doesn’t stress me out too much)
“Pace” means at race pace for the marathon (~10:42/mi)
“Cross” means cross-training, which is absolutely essential. It allows your body to recover by using different muscles and also prevents injury.
On my long runs I should focus just on going the distance.
I will add strength training too, especially for the core.
I’m following Hal Hidgon’s Novice 2 Marathon Training.
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Forgive me for having this ridiculous obsession with blogging about running. I guess if ya don’t like it, don’t read it. 😉
Today I slept until about 10:15, having gone to sleep at 2 AM after talking to my love on the phone. I got up, made breakfast, made fresh orange juice with the juicer… oh my goodness… AMAZING. I did some dishes and whatnot and then got dressed to go outside for this run.
I wore a t-shirt, long-sleeve running shirt, and my fleece jacket on top… running tights and yoga pants on bottom. One pair of socks, my new Asics and I skipped the running belt and iPod armband as I had zip-up pockets on my jacket. I took a gel and Chapstick with me, put on gloves and an earband.
I almost wish I had had a face mask… it was very windy. There were gusts up to 27 MPH, according to The Weather Channel. However, I wonder if it’d make me too warm. If it hadn’t been windy, the fleece jacket would have been too much.
I ran part of my normal route down University with some exploring in the residential neighborhoods nearby. It was a beautiful day.. it’s cloudy now but it was sunny and we had blue skies. All the snow melted with the warm temps so it was dry. There wasn’t much traffic, either.
About mile five I ate the gel. I liked the consistency and the taste (Jet Blackberry, GU brand). I don’t know if it was mental or physical but I had a great last three miles. My muscles had limbered up and I had held back enough at the beginning to conserve energy. It was exhilarating.
My Nike+ app on my iPod tells me when I have 400m, 300m, etc left. After I hit the 8-mile mark I slowed down to a brisk walk. I ran the rent over to the office to walk it out some more, then came home and made a protein shake with banana, vanilla soy/whey protein powder, a packet of that effervescent vitamin supplement, ice and light vanilla soy milk. I haven’t even drank it all a couple hours later… it was rich!
I stretched really well and took a hot shower. I know I will inevitably be a little sore tomorrow but I still plan on doing some cross-training on Monday and then take tomorrow as my rest day.
I have been so pleased with my motivation to get out there and pound the pavement this week. I was really going to start my training next week on Week 2 since Gabi and I had a good head start. I think I will still stick with the Novice 2 training schedule, but on short run days I’ll do interval and hill training.
I also want to be able to do real pushups by the end of this training. I basically plan on getting in the absolute best shape of my life over the next seventeen weeks. So watch out! 😉
My sister-in-law Katie and I are running another race together, with a couple of her friends, on April 10 in Chicago.. the Shamrock Shuffle. It’s an 8K, or 4.97 miles, and it’s perfect since it’s during my tapering for the marathon. I’m really excited to see how we both progress over the next few months.
