So I took a picture of myself from my treadmill to mark the start of my marathon training, just like I did with my half marathon training back in December.
Since I posted that status I've completed 4 half marathons, a sprint triathlon, a long-distance duathlon, tons of 5Ks, 10Ks, and a 15K. Also many cycling events including finishing the century again at the Flying Wheels, and completing the STP again too. I did all of this despite crashing on my bike twice, bruises, 7 stitches, a broken sinus bone, and foot/knee/hip pain from repetitive running that I've had to figure out along the way. (Thank you Chi Running) Not to mention I've had a few oral surgeries that I've had the worst luck with.
According to my marathon training schedule I am supposed to run 11 miles this weekend. I'm not ready for that and I was thinking about giving up on the idea of a marathon this year. I'm proud of what I have been able to accomplish this year. Maybe Hawaii becomes a nice, relaxing vacation instead of a way to torture myself for 26.2 miles. I was having doubts.
Then I counted how many weeks I have until the Honolulu Marathon. 19. There are plenty of 20 week marathon plans and it's not like I'm starting from absolute zero so I think starting on week 2 would be just fine. So I picked a schedule that would work well for me and added all the distances into my workout calendar app. I have a progressively longer run each weekend. My old schedule had a longer run every other weekend while I got a short run on the other. No more easy weekends with this schedule. But with all my injuries and set backs, I'll have to be super determined the next 19 weeks if I still want to make this goal. So I did my 3 mile run yesterday and went to the gym for some ass kickin' with VK Sista. Week 1 (well, week 2 technically) Day 1 complete!
I'm practicing the run/walk method for the marathon. I cannot run the whole thing and after losing TWO toenails (yeah, I lost the other one I bruised at the Tinkerbell over the weekend. A nice new toenail underneath.) I definitely need to practice walking long distances too. I found a plan that said to try 45 second run/ 20 second walk. That sucked. Neither of them were long enough. The training plan I picked says to do 3:1 intervals. 3 minute run, 1 minute walk. I'm going to try that next. I'm sure it'll be trial and error but I'll find an interval that works for me. Apparently intervals are good for fat burning too and the 15 lbs or so I've gained really bugs me.
So... Wish me luck. Onward with marathon training!
