So, I mentioned I had BIG news yesterday…well, maybe it’s not that big: I signed up for the Eugene Marathon in May! I have to say, I’m a little nervous. I think it’s because I want to qualify for Boston so bad that I’m starting to feel overwhelmed before my training has even started! I realize I need to relax…and just do what I can. If I can’t run fast enough for Boston..then so be it. But I really want to!! :).
I’m going to start training on Monday. I can’t believe I’ll be training again…good ol’ long runs on the weekends…just me and my crazy thoughts for hours on end. I’m definitely going to need to update my ipod before the long runs kick in! Any suggestions on good, motivating songs?
I picked Eugene because one of my sister in law’s lives in Portland and she signed up for the marathon too. It’s definitely more fun when you have someone training with you (even in another state). I can finally give my husband a break and complain about running to someone else! It’ll be a fun trip regardless of how the race turns out. I’ve never been to Portland (or Eugene) so I’m looking forward to checking out that part of the country. I’m also looking forward to chugging some beers with my sis in law after the torture of the marathon!
Here’s a training schedule I found on the Runner’s World website.
| Week | M | T | W | T | F | S | S | Total |
| 1 | Rest | 2 miles GP 2 miles T 2 miles GP |
3 miles 4×100 S |
1-hour run, including 4:00–5:00 TUT |
Rest | 4 miles | 8 miles | 29–33 miles |
| 2 | Rest | 2 miles GP 2 miles T 2 miles GP |
3 miles 4×100 S |
1-hour run, including 4:00–5:00 TUT |
Rest | 4 miles | 10 miles | 29–33 miles |
| 3 | Rest | 2 miles GP 4×1 mile T (1:00) 2 miles GP |
3 miles 5×100 S |
70-minute run, including 5:00–6:00 TUT |
Rest | 5 miles | 12 miles | 35–39 miles |
| 4 | Rest | 2 miles GP 4×1 mile T (1:00) 2 miles GP |
3 miles 5×100 S |
70-minute run, including 5:00–6:00 TUT |
Rest | 5 miles | 14 miles | 35–39 miles |
| 5 | Rest | 4×1,200 C | 3 miles 4×100 S |
4×800 SI | Rest | 5-K race | 10 miles | 28–30 miles |
| 6 | Rest | 2 miles GP 2×2 miles T 3 miles GP |
3 miles 6×100 S |
80-minute run, including 6:00–8:00 TUT |
Rest | 5 miles | 15 miles | 39–43 miles |
| 7 | Rest | 2 miles GP 2×2 miles T 3 miles GP |
3 miles 6×100 S |
80-minute run, including 6:00–8:00 TUT |
Rest | 5 miles | 16 miles | 39–43 miles |
| 8 | Rest | 2 miles GP 3×2 miles T (2:00) 3 miles GP |
3 miles 6×100 S |
4×1 mile C | Rest | 5 miles | 16 miles | 44–47 miles |
| 9 | Rest | 2 miles GP 3×2 miles T (2:00) 3 miles GP |
3 miles 6×100 S |
4×1 mile C | Rest | 5 miles | 17 miles | 44–47 miles |
| 10 | Rest | 1-hour run, including 2×1,200 C 2×400 SI |
4 miles | 4×800 S 6×100 S |
Rest | 10-K race | 6-8 miles | 32–34 miles |
| 11 | Rest | 2 miles GP 4×2 miles T (2:00) 3 miles GP |
3 miles 6×100 S |
90-minute run, including 8:00–10:00 TUT |
Rest | 4 miles | 18 miles | 45–51 miles |
| 12 | Rest | 2 miles GP 4×2 miles T (2:00) 3 miles GP |
3 miles 6×100 S |
90-minute run, including 8:00–10:00 TUT |
Rest | 4 miles | 19 miles | 45–51 miles |
| 13 | Rest | 3×1 mile C 3×800 SI |
3 miles 6×100 S |
75-minute run, including 6:00–8:00 TUT |
Rest | 4 miles | 20 miles | 46 miles |
| 14 | Rest | 3×1 mile C 3x 800 SI |
3 miles 6×100 S |
75-minute run, including 6:00–8:00 TUT |
Rest | 4 miles | 13 miles | 45 miles |
| 15 | Rest | 2 miles GP 4 miles T |
3 miles 6×100 S |
1-hour run, including 6×400 SI |
Rest | Rest | 1-hour run | 27–29 miles |
| 16 | Rest | 4×400 SI | Rest | 3 miles 6×100 S |
Rest | 2-mile jog | Marathon |
Before the major mileage kicks in…I need to invest in a few running accessories….most importantly, sport’s bras. I don’t know about you…but I think I’ve been using the same sport’s bra’s since high school softball. Running this much definitely wears them out so I think a new one would be a worthy investment. Another item might be a new ipod running case. Mine has been through 2 marathons and countless trips to the gym. It’s starting to rip on the side and down the center…not to mention the lovely brown color it’s turned (from white) because of sweat (nice, I know). Other than that, I think I’m good! I recently bought new running shoes, a foam roller, and received a heart rate monitor for Christmas. Bring it on Eugene!!
On to my workout from yesterday. This is probably something that will inevitably be cut down when training for the marathon. Unfortunately, I just don’t have all day to work out….marathon training takes up a lot of time (one of the many downfalls). I’ll definitely try to continue strength training as much as possible because it is important even when training. After my last race, I developed knee pain and was told this was due to weakness in my hamstrings. Only running does NOT strengthen your legs.
Here was yesterday’s workout:
First, I did a couple ab exercises to get them out of the way.
- Reverse Crunch– 3 sets of 15. Here’s an example.
- Weighted Russian Twist– 3 sets of 15 holding 10lb. medicine ball. Here’s an example of the Russian Twist. I took my legs off the ground and tried to hold them in a table top position. You can definitely keep your legs on the ground. You can also perform this without the weight.
After abs, I completed the below circuit three times.
- Pulsing Squats– 3 sets of 20. So, basically I was in a squatting position throughout this exercise. All I did was move up and down about an inch..”pulsing” but keeping that squat the whole time. Your legs with definitely start to burn with this one.
- Incline Dumbbell Curl– 3 sets of 15 using 10lb. weights. These are basic bicep curls sitting on a bench…except the bench is positioned at an incline. This makes it much more difficult. Here’s a video example.
- Jumps onto Bench– 3 sets of 15. I’ve mentioned these before. I just made sure the bench was completely flat and squatted down…then jumped onto the bench…and back down again.
- Decline Offset Pinky Curls– 3 sets of 15 using 10lb. weights. This is sort of the opposite of the incline curls. Instead of facing forward, you’re sitting the opposite way and curling. Also, the “offset pinky” means your hand is holding the dumbbell with your pinky touching one side of it. So you’re hand is not in the middle of the dumbbell. This one is sort of hard to explain…here’s a good web page showing different hand and body positions.
- Hamstring Swiss Ball Curl– 3 sets of 15. This is a great hamstring workout. I feel it every time. To make this harder, you would do the same thing, but with one leg at a time. Here’s an example.
- Shoulder Press and Twist– 3 sets of 15 using 10lb. weights. This one is hard to explain too. Starting in the regular shoulder press position-(holding dumbbells next to shoulders with elbows bent), you rotate your torso to the right and at the same time press, press the dumbbell in your left hand at a slight angle above your shoulder. Then, rotate back to the starting position and do the same thing on the other side.
- Skull Crushers-3 sets of 15 using 10lb. weights. I’ve also mentioned these before. They’re a great triceps workout. Here’s a video demonstration. This guy is using a weighted bar (which you could definitely use). I used dumbbells.
- Pushups- 3 sets of 15. I just did the “standard” pushup. I tried to do as many as I could with my knees off the ground. I got through most of it…but struggled a bit towards the end.
- Side Plank– 30 seconds 2 times on both sides. I performed these with knees off the ground and feet stacked. For an easier option, you can keep your knees on the ground. For a harder one, try lifting your top leg off your bottom leg. Here’s a demonstration.
It was a pretty good workout day. Today, I’m going to go for a run. Time to start getting in that mindset!!
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