My training schedule is pretty easy this week. It's nice, yet it's hard to resist the temptation to keep going because I know I can. But I've been good and managed to stick to my schedule. I know in the long run it will help me.
For today's short run I bumped up my pace a good bit. I have been running my long runs at a 9 minute mile pace. It was nice to know that I could bump that up and sustain it for the short distance. I know that will help train my muscles and make me faster. For most of my run today, I ran at an 8.5 minutes per mile pace. Then for the last half of a mile I bumped it up to a 7.5 minute mile. It felt good to open it up at the end. Hopefully it's doing some good and I'll be able to improve my long run pace over time.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Oops...
So I learned something today on my long run. Not all of the roads in and around Hershey have street signs. That was true of the one street that I was supposed to turn on. A wrong turn today took me on a 8.5 mile run instead of just 7. Not too bad. I didn't run the whole thing. After about 4 miles in I knew I had missed my turn, so I took a brief walking break. Not because I couldn't keep running (although it was pretty hot today), but because I didn't know how far I was going to end up going, so I wanted to try to conserve a bit of energy and not overdo it.
I always have my cell phone with me for my music and I was about ready to call somebody. But then I got back on track and just kept going. So next week's 5 mile run should seem easy compared to today!
I always have my cell phone with me for my music and I was about ready to call somebody. But then I got back on track and just kept going. So next week's 5 mile run should seem easy compared to today!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
I Must Be Crazy
Someone suggested that I look into the Amish Half Marathon in Lancaster this fall. It includes a half-marathon, 5k and 1 mile run. A few weeks ago, I thought that I'd probably just do the 5k. When I actually looked into it to see when it is, I saw that it is November 6th. According to my training schedule my long run is supposed to be 11 miles that week.
So I did what any crazy person would do. I said, "what's another 2 miles?" and signed up for the half marathon. It's Saturday, November 6th at 8am in Bird-In-Hand, PA.
http://www.usrahm.com/Events/amish.htm
So if anyone wants to come out and watch (although there's not a whole lot to watch other than the start and finish), I'd appreciate it. Thanks to my wonderful wife April for changing her weekend plans so that I could do this! It's a little scary to think that I'll be running a half-marathon in 6 weeks, yet kind of exciting at the same time! So I've added another countdown for this one as well. Hope to see you there!
So I did what any crazy person would do. I said, "what's another 2 miles?" and signed up for the half marathon. It's Saturday, November 6th at 8am in Bird-In-Hand, PA.
http://www.usrahm.com/Events/amish.htm
So if anyone wants to come out and watch (although there's not a whole lot to watch other than the start and finish), I'd appreciate it. Thanks to my wonderful wife April for changing her weekend plans so that I could do this! It's a little scary to think that I'll be running a half-marathon in 6 weeks, yet kind of exciting at the same time! So I've added another countdown for this one as well. Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I've Got It...
I think I have the runner's bug. My training today had me run 3 miles. By the time I hit 3 miles, I wasn't ready to stop. I wanted to keep running. But I didn't. I didn't want to overdo it and not have enough for my 7 mile run on Friday. But it sure is a good feeling knowing that running 3 miles isn't enough!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I'm Gonna Do It
Ok, so I'm following an official training schedule and I've been rather non-committal about actually saying that I will run a marathon. So now I'm officially announcing that I am planning to run the Garden Spot Village Marathon in Lancaster near New Holland. The date is tentatively set for April 9, 2011.
http://www.gardenspotvillagemarathon.org/
So that's it. I have a countdown posted in the side bar as well as my maximum training distance and training schedule for the current week. I have a feeling this winter is going to go by really fast.
http://www.gardenspotvillagemarathon.org/
So that's it. I have a countdown posted in the side bar as well as my maximum training distance and training schedule for the current week. I have a feeling this winter is going to go by really fast.
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Real Training Has Begun
I didn't post last Friday, so here's a quick recap of last week:
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Friday: 5 miles
This week was the official start to my marathon training schedule. And I really think that I'm going to run the Lancaster marathon next April. So the official training has begun. Basically, a week consists of 2 short runs, 1 day of either cross training or interval training, and 1 long run. The day after the long run is a recovery day (a nice walk just to keep the muscles loose). And then of course 2 days of rest. Here's the recap from this week:
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 25 mins interval training (which ended up being 4 miles)
Thursday: REST (Thursday and Sunday will be my rest days)
Friday: 6 miles
The goal of the interval training is to get your heart rate lower so your normal pace can be faster without increasing your heart rate. So I bought a heart rate monitor to wear while I'm running. For my long run today, I ran outside (which I'm going to be doing for my long runs from now on). It's nice to know my heart rate while I'm running so I stay in the zone that's comfortable to me. That way I can keep running. Today's run felt really good. I definitely think that running a marathon is within my reach.
Oh, and that little pain that I was having in my right foot? Well, I was pretty sure that it was just the muscles in my foot behaving very similar to how my calf muscles were at first. During the past several runs, my foot would hurt at first, then after about 2 or 3 miles, it wouldn't bother me anymore. So today I used a foot massager (nothing more than a roller with bumps on it) for about a half hour before I went running. Loosening up the muscles was all that it took. My foot didn't bother me today.
So I'm going to stick to my training schedule now and post my weekly recaps here. I'm excited about all of this and am actually looking forward to the marathon. Ok, I'm really looking forward to running across the finish line, but I guess I'll have to work for it first.
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Friday: 5 miles
This week was the official start to my marathon training schedule. And I really think that I'm going to run the Lancaster marathon next April. So the official training has begun. Basically, a week consists of 2 short runs, 1 day of either cross training or interval training, and 1 long run. The day after the long run is a recovery day (a nice walk just to keep the muscles loose). And then of course 2 days of rest. Here's the recap from this week:
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 25 mins interval training (which ended up being 4 miles)
Thursday: REST (Thursday and Sunday will be my rest days)
Friday: 6 miles
The goal of the interval training is to get your heart rate lower so your normal pace can be faster without increasing your heart rate. So I bought a heart rate monitor to wear while I'm running. For my long run today, I ran outside (which I'm going to be doing for my long runs from now on). It's nice to know my heart rate while I'm running so I stay in the zone that's comfortable to me. That way I can keep running. Today's run felt really good. I definitely think that running a marathon is within my reach.
Oh, and that little pain that I was having in my right foot? Well, I was pretty sure that it was just the muscles in my foot behaving very similar to how my calf muscles were at first. During the past several runs, my foot would hurt at first, then after about 2 or 3 miles, it wouldn't bother me anymore. So today I used a foot massager (nothing more than a roller with bumps on it) for about a half hour before I went running. Loosening up the muscles was all that it took. My foot didn't bother me today.
So I'm going to stick to my training schedule now and post my weekly recaps here. I'm excited about all of this and am actually looking forward to the marathon. Ok, I'm really looking forward to running across the finish line, but I guess I'll have to work for it first.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Catch Up Time
I didn't run on Monday, just a little too busy that day. So I guess I made up for it yesterday when I ran 6 miles. I don't think I'll do that all week. I did feel pretty good by the end of the run. It's nice to know I can push myself a little bit.
I found a beginners marathon training schedule online and will be using that as a training guide. It's a 25 week schedule which would put me at a marathon by February. I don't know of too many marathons in February, so I'll just have to keep up the distance before tapering off. That's assuming I get up enough nerve to run a marathon next spring. I guess I should start looking for local ones. I think most are in the fall around here, so maybe that's what I'll shoot for. I'm really just putting it off. The thought of running a marathon to me right now is a bit unnerving, but maybe that will change in another couple of months.
I found a beginners marathon training schedule online and will be using that as a training guide. It's a 25 week schedule which would put me at a marathon by February. I don't know of too many marathons in February, so I'll just have to keep up the distance before tapering off. That's assuming I get up enough nerve to run a marathon next spring. I guess I should start looking for local ones. I think most are in the fall around here, so maybe that's what I'll shoot for. I'm really just putting it off. The thought of running a marathon to me right now is a bit unnerving, but maybe that will change in another couple of months.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Week In Review
Here's the summary for this past week:
Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: 5 miles
Cool. A total of 22 miles. Calves feel fine. I ran all week at the 6.5 pace, which still feels really good to me right now. My right foot is still a little sore. I'm pretty sure it's the muscles around my arch strengthening. I didn't think about it at all today until just now writing this post. Monday is Labor Day and I have off work, so I'll be running outside again. It will be good to do some hills again.
Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: 5 miles
Cool. A total of 22 miles. Calves feel fine. I ran all week at the 6.5 pace, which still feels really good to me right now. My right foot is still a little sore. I'm pretty sure it's the muscles around my arch strengthening. I didn't think about it at all today until just now writing this post. Monday is Labor Day and I have off work, so I'll be running outside again. It will be good to do some hills again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)