Back On Track
It's been a productive weekend on my road to the Houston Marathon starting line.
I did knock out six miles today finally, and yes, running (slowly) all the way. I stopped a few times for water, but that's normal. It's hot after all, and six miles is a ways to go without water.
I'm very affected by heat as a runner, and I don't understand runners I see at Memorial Park wearing long sleeves or long pants in this weather. I think it's finally just bearable to run outside in shorts and a tank. I'd pass out if I wore long-anything at this point. Maybe someone can explain that to me?
That aside, the other big marathon thing I got accomplished was plugging in the numbers for my marathon training plan. It officially starts Monday, September 28 (giving me a little more time to work on regaining my cardio-fitness) and has me slated to run 20 miles on Christmas Day. I can also tell you that I will be very tired December 14th through the 27th -- my peak weeks, when my mileage will be in the mid-40s.
I'd like peak weeks of 50-something miles, but I think between work and motherhood and sleep, I should cut myself a break. The marathon will happen with 40-something mile peak weeks. My sanity might not survive anything more than that.
Note: I am crediting the Runner's World magazine website for the basic plan, but I made a lot of my own changes, adding two runs a week and upping the pace in about 90 percent of these runs by anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds per mile. I would not suggest first time marathoners make their own changes without talking to more experienced runners first, like the coaches of local running clubs, or staff at specialty running stores. There are quite a few of both in the Houston area. You can check out the Runner's World website for training plans for just about any distance race, and for great running information.
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