Marathon

Yesterday when I came home to The Ship, Mama had brought home a box of books from the FOSL booksale. She had picked up the whole box without looking through it because the first few books where all political books. She thought my brother would enjoy them. I decided to look through them...and found a 16 week training book to train non-runners to run a full marathon. For those who don't know (I didn't until I flipped through the book), a marathon is 26.2 miles.

I have been working on training to run a 5k. I can now do a 5k on the treadmill. I can run over a mile not on the treadmill. However, I'm having problems with the progression. I NEED a plan, and am having trouble designing one on my own.

This book provides a detailed plan. It also trains me to run far further than I had originally planned. Also, I have found that there are no marathons in the area that correspond to when I would be ready to run one if I started training now (16 weeks of official training, and at least 3 weeks of recommended pre-training).

With all that in mind...I still like the idea of doing the program. It gives me a goal, and a detailed plan to follow. The books not only covers the physical training, but also the mental portion of preparing to push one's self to the extreme of running 26.2 miles. I also just like the idea of being able to accomplish something as big as running a marathon.

I was momentarily deterred by the fact that I don't have a marathon to sign up for (which is the very first step in the program. Give yourself a firm goal before you start). I have decided that I can just choose a day that fits with my training plan...and tell EVERYONE who will listen that I am running a marathon that day. I won't have completed anything official, but I will have still run the distance. By telling people, and by writing this blog, and by posting it on FB, I will have created some since of obligation. I won't be able to back out, because then I'll have to tell EVERYONE that I didn't do it. Later on, I might sign up for a marathon when one presents itself.

So, starting Monday I will be starting my pre-training. This portion may take 3 or 4 weeks...it depends on how long I can jog right now. I will know on Monday. After that, I will plot out my training program, and set a date for my marathon...and put in all my running goals on their proper days on my Google calendar. I might even write them in my planner too, just so I have them everywhere. The book provides little charts to help tract progress, and how you feel during the runs. I will probably create a digital version...either some kind of spreadsheet using Google Docs (which I would then attach here, of course), or I might just write those updates here. Not sure which one yet.

Anyway, putting such nerdiness aside...The pre-training is designed to get your muscles and bones used to the repeated stress of running 4 times a week. During the pre-training period I'll run for a set time (20, 25, and 30 minutes as the training progresses) 4 times a week. This will help prevent injuries once I start actually working on running for distance 4 times a week.

The distance total for first week of real training is 15 miles spread out over 4 runs. I'm intimidated already, but kinda jazzed about it too.