7 Weeks to Go!!

Wow, my marathon training has gone by so fast, I can hardly believe its only 7 weeks away. I did my first 32km run on Good Friday. It was a bit humid, it took alot longer than I thought (3:40) and I was probably overdressed, but I made it. I learned a few new things that will help come race day. 1. I need ALOT of water/sports drink during a run this long. Seriously I drank 1.5 liters and I didn't need a pee break at all. 2. Don't try to out run the other runners out on the course. I tried this around the 16k mark when a guy started following me up a street and I could hear his huffing and puffing behind me so I sped up, so did he, I went faster and left him behind but I paid for it a few kms down the road with sore quads. 3. Sunscreen is great but it also has insulating properties causing me to sweat more than I normally do, next time less on the face more on the arms and legs. 4. My ability to fight off crazy dogs is greatly reduced after 30kms. Good thing the owner of this one yanked her way too aggressive dog away as quickly as she did or I might have a nasty scar. 5. Running has allowed me to finely hone my spitting while running technique. Instead of a spray I can now aim my running saliva in a way that would make any 8th-grader proud.
Today I happily escaped from the office at lunch and ran a solid 9km in 50 minutes, a new record for me. I felt great just to be out there, pounding the pavement with a strong, steady pace, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts. Ahhh, summer-like weather :-) I saw so many other people out there, taking advantage of the sun and unseasonably warm temps it was a great sight to see. One thing that did make me smile was seeing the Bluenose Marathon Weekend ads posted on all the bus stops. It sure was a great reminder/motivator as to why I'm out there pounding the pavement! Here's to a beautiful sunny day and more of these to come!

Reactions to my Marathon Training

I haven't exactly been "in the closet" about my marathon training, I just haven't had the time really to post my latest run on facebook or twitter. Frankly between tight work deadlines, my 3 year old battling the flu and my training just sitting in front of the computer during my off-hours feels like work. But last night I posted the fact I made it 30km the other day and I was greeted with a bunch of replies; "30km-are you training for something?" (Uh, no, I just really like to run for 3+ hours-for fun) "Wow, that's pretty far" (Yes, yes it is, my legs can attest to that) "Are you training for a marathon?" (Why yes I am!) "So you're in full swing with this eh?" (Yup, that 30km made me feel pretty committed-or rather that I should be committed-the jury is still out)

Now that the cat is out of the bag I feel a little bit of pressure to do this thing right. I've started paying more attention to my nutrition, I just read the other day that runners should have not only a running training plan but also a nutrition training plan. Another plan? I historically don't follow nutrition plans that well. I look for loopholes to get in an extra treat. But I just finished reading my latest copy of Runners World and it offered some really good advice on injury prevention and nutrition. Maybe if I look at my nutrition plan as an injury prevention plan it might be easier to follow, time will tell I guess.

The best news though is that I seem to have inspired a couple of co-workers to take up running. One told me yesterday she has signed up to do the 5k race during the marathon weekend. It will be her first race ever. Right now she's struggling to get 10 minutes straight of running in at a time, but she knows if she keeps at it she'll get there. I'm so proud of her. I remember 3 years ago when I started and the 5km seemed like a huge distance to conquer. Now 60+ pounds lost, 7 half marathons and probably the same number in 10k and 5k races, here I am training for a marathon. Wow. How far I've managed to come.

This Sunday is the annual Moose Run (25km) starting at the Cow Bay lodge on Cow Bay Rd. I ran this last year and had a great time. The folks that come out are fantastic runners and some of the most friendly and kind people I've met. It's a no-frills race but it offers million-dollar scenery of the coastline. I'm really looking forward to my husband joining me on this year's run. It will be his furthest run to date!

First Marathon Training Week Recap

Week one down, only like 18 weeks to go-give or take. Week one of my marathon training went pretty well. I can say I didn't skip any runs I know I didn't do as much as I thought I would. Monday I woke up with a raging headache. That pretty much wrote off Monday. Tuesday I managed an 8k speed workout, nailing my 5k speed sets right on pace (6:30). Wednesday another 8km, this time an easy run that felt almost as hard as the speed workout-wtf? Thursday I took a cross training day and did a P90X workout-awesome. It was fun and gave my legs a nice break. Friday the weather looked so cold and windy I went back to the track again for another 8k. Saturday I did a very very slow 16k. I can't blame it totally on my tired legs; I did have a nasty headwind for 1/2 of the run. My diet was pretty good, but I need to step it up if I'm going to be in top shape for the full marathon come May.
This week I've decided to take a day of cross training in between runs so my legs have more time to recover. I'm loving the P90X workouts, really, no dvd has been such a good workout and it seems to have even helped my speed too. This week I've got two 8k runs (one with speed intervals of 1600 meters), a 10k easy run and a 19k long run for a grand total of 45km. This week I'm determined to get my long run in on Friday morning-something I've been battling for a month now-what is it with the dark, cold, icy mix that turns me off road running at 4am?! Call me crazy but it's been hard to get my butt out the door, even when I get up at that ungodly hour full of energy, the look of a street covered in black ice, a cold wind and the fact it's pitch dark=me going back to bed. Not this Friday though!! I have to get serious about training or else this first marathon won't be pretty (alright it won't be "pretty" anyway, but at least I can help make it less painful ;-)
I was so happy for Eric Gillis (formerly of Antigonish) who ran his first marathon this past weekend, coming in just under the 2:14 mark. Here's hoping he continues running strong so we can get some serious representation from Nova Scotia on the marathoning circuit and in the 2012 Olympics!!
Well that's it for me, just about to head off for my 8k speedwork session. Happy Trails everyone!