marathon training

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1) I absolutely promise this will be the last running related post for my Napa Marathon training season.

2) I will be back later today with a recipe and tomorrow with review of the luxurious Langham Hotel Sunday brunch and the Boston Wine Expo.

3) Does anyone read this thing on weekends?Winking smile

Throughout the fall, I, as I know many of you were, was following Tina from Carrots ‘n’ Cake as she and her husband Mal trained for their first marathon. Having run four marathons in the past myself and knowing Tina’s total commitment to this goal, I found her posts really fun to read and was happy to see them both succeed in their first marathon last Sunday.

As a follow up to her marathon training, Tina posted a half marathon training schedule which I thought was totally ambitious and holistic, meant to build a strong all-over body, not just one that could run. As I read through the comments, I came across this:

“Two days a week of running is really not enough running when you are training for a distance race.”

Says who?

Since I had already commented, I didn’t reply to this, and since it was time for a running post on my own blog, I thought I would include my thoughts as part of my update.

If you have read any of my marathon training posts in the past, you will know that for years my emphasis has been on minimal running due to past stress fractures and a general propensity to get injured easily. Really injured. Due to that and a lack of desire for a hip or other replacement at the age of 50, I went from running six days a week to just two or three. And I ran, what was for me, a successful Boston Marathon last year doing precisely this. During last year’s marathon training, I spent far more hours on the elliptical and spinning bikes than I did on the road. It works.

This comment sort of got to me because I 100% stand by the fact that you CAN run less than four days a week, even two days a week, and still train for a distance race including a full marathon. Maybe not everyone can do this, but if, like me, you put a whole lot of sweat into your other workouts, you can build crazy muscle endurance. You don’t have to run like crazy to be a good runner, you just have to commit to progress.  This is what tends to bother me about healthy living blogs in general. . . I feel like there is a competition to do the most the fastest for the longest instead of an emphasis being down to the individual.

So where am I in my training, you ask? The Napa Marathon is March 6, and I ran a little over 18 miles last week. Since I was feeling GREAT after this long run, I decided to take a week off of long runs to avoid pushing it. And then this weather came! I am hoping to get 21 miles in this week before we head to Ireland, but with the temperatures in Ireland in the glorious mid-to-high 40’s I may just have to make time to do it there. Rainbow

My focus over the past week and a half has been on hill climbing on the spinning bike, long workouts on the elliptical, and speed! I discovered on Thursday that I am still fast! I don’t want to brag, but I ran 6 x 400 meters at a pace that was between 6:40/mile and 7:30/mile. And I discovered that it is precisely this type of workout that cures the winter blues. I can’t wait to do it again, followed by a Philosophy Hazelnut Espresso bubble bath, beer, and pizza for recovery.

I love a healthy balance.

Are you training for anything right now? What is a healthy balance to you?

Tags: Boston Marathon, healthy living, marathon training, Napa Marathon, running

I haven’t done a blog update on my Boston Marathon training in quite awhile, and now that I have a slight injury, I thought I would slow down and catch you all up.

My training has been progressing nicely with a weekly long run being the central part of my training with shorter, indoor workouts to help build muscle strength, endurance, and speed. I have been sticking to a formula that includes one spinning class a week, one 5 mile elliptical workout with hills at a “pushing it” pace of around 8 minute miles, and then some upper body strength, stretching, and of course a visit to the Healthworks sauna. It gets me through the winter!

Last week I started to notice the left side of my left foot. It didn’t hurt exactly, but I was aware of it in a way that I normally am not. I decided to skip the long run after completing a not-so-great 5 mile hill workout outside after I got out of jury duty and got to go home early. (So happy THAT is over with!) Instead of running, I went home to mom and I spent the weekend relaxing and off my foot, happy but a little stressed about my training.

When I returned to Boston on Monday, I mentally and physically prepped myself for a solo 18 mile run. . . and I did it. Miles 1-3 were okay with the exception of a bitter wind in my face. Boston Marathon training gives you a whole new appreciation for spring. I am just about all set with cold, whipping winds!

After mile 3, the run went downhill (though technically it didn’t as I ran the Beacon Street part of the course, where there were plenty of up hills!). I felt a jarring, throbbing pain in the side of my foot. I kept running. There was some walking involved and even a bit of hobbling, I made it to my 9.1 mile mark, all the while thinking about getting on the train and going home. It was then that I saw a familiar orange ski jacket up ahead. My husband knew my route, and he had driven to my halfway point with a snack and a drink for me. How sweet is that? It  saved the run, made me feel totally supported, and kept me going as I turned around and headed home.

Every step was a struggle, and fast forward two days later and I am in bed with ice on my foot. It hurts big time, and I have had to revise any sort of activity this week, including walking around my office.

So this is where the mental part kicks in. I am used to a certain amount of training each week, and I know that training needs to intensify for about another month before I start tapering.

My plan is to give the foot a couple of days and then to return to non impact cardio like spinning and to increase the intensity of my upper body workouts, then to try running again mid next week. In the meantime, managing the mental effects of an injury will be my top priority. . .

I would love to hear from you all how you deal with the mental aspect of being injured/working too much/traveling whatever keeps you from working out the way you are used to.

 

Even though my training has taken a slight pause, my fundraising for The ALLY Foundation is as important as ever! I have a bunch of great raffle prizes, so there are many chances to win, just a $10 donation per entry here:

http://firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally

Tags: Boston Marathon, fundraising, injuries, marathon, marathon training, running

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