Marathon Training Update

Five weeks into my marathon training and I'm happy to say things are going well (I've probably just jinxed myself). My friend Meg is going to run with the marathon with me...bless her! We ran the half together back in February and I so enjoy her company on our long runs. Meg and I have a similar build and a similar running style and that makes it easy for us to train together. We're doing it right this time: experimenting with pre-run breakfast foods, cutting back on our cross training classes to minimize our chance of injury, training with water and GU Chomps (love 'em), staying consistent with our weekly mileage, slowing down our long weekend runs for optimal conditioning, and taking our rest days. We did a nine-miler yesterday and this weekend we'll do 10; our mileage is increasing quickly. Yikes! I feel great today though...thank goodness! It was a road run instead of a trail run and I was worried about how my knees would handle it, but so far, so good. Nine miles, for whatever reason, is a tough distance for me. I remember thinking that during half-marathon training as well. Why 10 and 11 mile runs seem less painful, I don't know, but that's the way it is for me. Maybe it's at nine miles that I realize "Okay, this is the start of the long runs." At least that run is over and the reality of this running schedule is sinking in.

Similar to gummy bears in texture, Gu Chomps
are a nice alternative to gels and help endurance athletes replace
lost nutrients and boost energy during training and/or racing

It's about time to invest in a fuel belt and I've got my eye on the Nathan Trail Mix 4. I tried one on recently and was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and snug it was. I bought some Brooks Ghost 4's last month and I think I've found my shoe for the marathon. Perfect for classes at the gym and long runs; lighter in weight than the Glycerins, but way more support than the PureFlow's. My watch has really come in handy too. No longer are we forced to run mapped-out routes or guess at our mileage - it's simple and easy to use and I like that. I bought Meg and myself a couple of bondibands and those headbands do a GREAT job of keeping the sweat off my face and out of my eyes. They're so cute...I'll be buying more soon. I feel like I'm getting all of my running gear kinks worked out. Experienced marathoners say the week or two before a marathon is not enough time to introduce anything new into your runs. By the time we hit our 17, 18, 19 mile runs, I want to know what works for me and what doesn't. That's not the time to learn you hate something you're wearing.

 

I'm still really excited about the marathon and feel like we'll be ready by December. Once the weather cools off and the humidity isn't such an issue I think we'll feel even more optimistic about the race.

Nathan Trail Mix 4

bondibands

Brooks Ghost 4

 



As exciting and challenging as all of this marathon business is, there's another race I'm looking forward to even more. Kathryn and Owen told me recently that they want to run a race with Mommy! They've asked me several times recently if they can go run with me, so I know they're interested. I'm looking for a good one mile fun run in the next month or so and we need to "train" a little between now and then and find them both a good pair of real running shoes. I know they'll do great though - I'm looking forward to crossing the finish line with my sweet twins!