Well hello again! Today I am posting an easy little update on my marathon training progress. In fact, this may become the regular Monday blog feature: Marathon Monday!
If you know me in 3-D then you are probably sick of hearing me talk about this; but the thing is, is, it’s exciting and a big part of my life this spring. Prepping for my first marathon consumes a reasonable amount of emotional and mental energy, not to mention the physical stuff.
Today marks the beginning of week four of the Higdon Marathon training program for “Novice 2.”
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51138/Marathon-Novice-2-Training-Program
Until this past week I was woefully behind, thanks in part to Oklahoma weather. I’ll happily run in the cold, just not on ice.
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But now I am super happy to report that those missed runs are all caught up, and (if I am allowed to count a handful of miles from elliptical workouts) I have officially clocked 54.3 miles since December 30th. Close enough for now. More exciting to me, though, is that my endurance is up significantly. I have discovered that my biggest personal obstacle is not ability but boredom.
I discovered this by mistake.
Opportunity knocked last week and I answered the call to run through downtown city streets, alone, wild. I ran through gaggles of business people and dog walkers, around city buses and speeding cars, through traffic lights and up and down concrete staircases. I began to regard those digital crosswalk countdowns as tiny race challenges. Can I make this intersection in 9 seconds? 4? 2?
It all felt amazing, like childhood, running free and silly, untethered and unmapped. I had no plan or route in mind; just a good swift pace, incredible music, and the craving to deplete my muscles and energy.
Well, it worked! For three days straight I went on 5-6 mile runs without getting bored, without quitting after a certain number of exhaustive oblong laps around the back field, and without falling further behind on my Hal Higdon plan.
So this is going to become part of my personal formula, adding to a few other things I’ve learned through trial and error:
- Run early in the day, and celebrate the chilly mornings!
- Run on an empty stomach (coffee is ok)…
- but while really well hydrated.
- Keep a notebook handy for post-run idea scampering, because good runs always produce good ideas.
- Eat more protein than breads, etc.
- Eat fruits AFTER running, not before.
- Find ways to bust up the monotony so you will choose to run longer.
Are you training for anything right now? Would you agree that most of the training is for your mind or your willpower, rather than your body? I do. I believe we can do things physically that would shock us, but our limited thinking keeps us tethered.
This coming week, Hal Higdon asks us to run a total of 23 miles plus an hour of cross training. I’m excited! It should be a happy, idea-rich week indeed!
Think big! Think fast, think happy. Think good things into your life and act on them.
Happy Running!
XOXOXOXO
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