Thanks.



Well, so far everything's going great! Just a few minutes ago, I finished my final week of three 2-mile runs and two 3-mile runs. The runs have been steadily getting easier, which is nice, and I am honestly becoming too thin for my clothes lol. I am by no means skinny, but I am definitely slimmer than I have been in a while - most of my pants literally will not stay up unless I use a belt.



This coming week, I will run two miles four times before finishing up with a 5K race on Sunday. I'm not sure yet if it will be part of an actual race (entree fee, number, etc.), but I will definitely give it a race effort.



Then I start gradually moving up to 20 miles before starting marathon-specific training the week of Aug. 9. Then the fun will really start!



Long-term, I have a goal of breaking three hours in a marathon within the next five years. I know there are many factors that go into it and that it may never happen, but if it doesn't it won't be because of not trying. I'm going to attack my goals - as I always do - and whatever happens, happens. We have only so much control of life, you know. I just focus on giving everything I have for my goals and then relax - if there's nothing else I could have done, there's nothing else I could have done.



Of course, my focus right now is on enjoying my journey to the Seattle Marathon.

Just finished my 5K "race"!!! It went really well. I have run in enough races (and was a theatre major) to visualize and experience the true feel of a race pretty closely, even up to the point of impatiently waiting for the gun to go off. I set a time of 3:37 p.m. as my "gun time" and was ready to go at 3:30, but did an outstanding job of recreating that impatient waiting time that is the part of so many races the last few minutes before they start. It also helped that it was at Green Lake, which was really crowded, so I had lots of people to dodge and dart around, just as is often the case during a true race.



My estimated time for the 5K was 27:47 (I ended at 4:04 p.m. and estimated it was about 13 seconds before my cell switched over to 4:05), so about an 8:57 mile pace. Not bad at all considering where I was a couple months ago. And I felt good the whole time - a little exhausted towards the end, but that's to be expected, obviously, but I felt I paced myself well.



So that's where I am now. So excited to move on to the next step of moving from 12 to 20 miles per week over the next few months.

Sounds like you're doing great! I love a well planned road race...like you said, the darting in and around people at the beginning before it's thinned out, the adrenaline rush towards the end...all good!



Just ran my second half marathon, it was great! Not sure I'm ready for a full marathon, maybe someday!

Good luck with the training! Make sure you get a hydration belt or some way to have water as the runs get longer and the weather gets hotter.

Thanks. I actually really like challenges in my races. Some people want them to not be so crowded, have perfect weather, be flat (or downhill). Me? I love the crowdiness of needing to dart around people, I want to do my first marathon in a rainstorm (my dream would be to do the Boston Marathon with a downpour going on the entire time - like was the case the first part of the 2007 race), and I like my race courses to be at least somewhat hilly (a flat course? so boring!). I want variety in my races!



I had a very interesting Bloomsday race a couple years ago (40,000 runners strong - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilac_Bloomsday_Run) where I overslept, actually watched the race at home on TV, then headed to the course and there were still people crossing the start line! And I lived 20 miles away! I then proceeded to pass literally thousands of people for the following 7.5 miles. Was so much fun and provided so much variety to try to find spots to pass people the entire distance (it was probably five miles in before it thinned out at all, and even then it was still pretty crowded). Sometimes I was forced to walk simply because there were no openings on a pretty wide road, it was so crowded. Not something I want every time of course, but a pretty cool, fun time that threw some variety into my racing.



Congrats on your half marathons and good luck with your continued training! I actually have never run a half marathon before. I have run that far in training runs (not recently), but my longest race was 10 miles (a few years ago). Yes, hydration is extremely important. Luckily here in Seattle it shouldn't get too warm (although I heard it got into the 100s last summer - a city record). But I will definitely make sure I stay hydrated, especially since I plan to be running 13 miles on my long runs by the end of August.

I always find after about 7 miles, without hydration, I do very poorly. Even on training runs. You may think you're not sweating, but you are, and your body is sucking up any moisture it's got. Just my opinon, but get some sort of way to carry water. Sometimes, I just take a plastic bottle and fill it up (usually half apple juice and half water, the glucose in the AJ is great quick energy) and carry the bottle in my hand. I do have a "fuel belt" i wear sometimes too.



I don't think you'd want to run a marathon in a downpour! You would wind up with many blisters, painful chafing (nipples, inner thighs, underarms, etc). Trust me, been there done that! That being said I do LOVE a run in the rain!



Keep us posted on progress. damn, I'm jealous that you're training for a full marathon!

Usually I attain proper hydration throughout the day that lasts me through runs - especially of the distances I am doing now (four miles and fewer). However, once I start getting closer to 10-mile runs, and absolutely beyond that point, I will ensure I either bring water or money to buy something to drink along the way.






Oh yes I would. I am very lucky in that I have never ever received a blister from running for any reason whatsoever (and I used to go on 15+ mile runs before I allowed my running to decrease to nearly nothing). I don't know, I have never come close to receiving chafing due to the rain - maybe due to dry weather or poor clothes choices, but not from rain.






Will do. Thanks. I am pretty excited - more so about finally getting my running back to the level it used to be and then surpassing that. I have always wanted to do a marathon - in fact, to do them on a regular basis - and I am excited about getting there before the end of the year.

Just to give an update ... everything is still going great!



Little bits of soreness here and there, but that's to be expected. I am at about 16-18 miles per week and will stay between there and 20 miles a week for another couple months.



I am also thinking of moving to the Fremont area soon (at some point this summer), which would be awesome because it's right on the spectacular Burke-Gilman Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke-Gilman_Trail). Although where I live right now is a pretty cool place to run too with both that Trail and Green Lake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lake_Seattle) close by.

Woohoo! I am sure you will do great. I am training for a half right now and it is hard!!

Thanks.



I have been getting a little sore the last week or so - this is hard work!



Tomorrow (Sunday) will be my first five-mile run of this training plan!



Best of luck to you.

Am still on track! Earlier this week, I did a 10K "race." (another quasi-race where I put in the effort of a race without the entrance fees! although not as cool as an actual race ...) I finished in 1:00:29, or a 9:44 mile pace. A little slower than my earlier 5K "race" (27:47, 8:57 mile pace), but considering that I was feeling a bit out of it physically and the distance was twice as far, wasn't bad.



Am at about 20 miles a week for another few weeks, then off to marathon-specific training for four months!

This is really motivating to read. I want to start some serious running now!



Good luck. =)

I am doing my first half in October. I was initially planning to run more of it, but had to scale back my goals due to hip injury. I still plan to walk it, come hell or high water! I did a 12 mile training walk on Tuesday, and was amazed that I felt so good. Best luck to you in your full marathon. I'm totally inspired by the mental strength it takes.

I know the mentality. Congrats and good luck!



---



Unfortunately, there has been a change in plans for me.



Various parts of my right leg have been acting up over the past couple weeks and I think I am going to have to postpone my first marathon to sometime in 2011 (mainly hamstring, but also hip and Achilles). I am just not physically ready to start marathon training and don't want to push it because I want to do this (run marathons) long-term.



I think right now I am going to adjust my focus to simply running 20-30 miles a week (once my hamstring heals up) until the end of 2010 to continue building a base and then dive into marathon training for sometime in 2011. I also want to focus more time on going to the gym (cross training) and stretching to help decrease my chances of future injuries.






I feel I have an impressive amount of mental strength, it's the physical strength that I'm having trouble with. That's okay, I will use my mental strength to overcome my present physical ailments and become a marathon runner in 2011.

I'm so glad that you are listening to your body. No marathon is worth being physically injured in the long term. Maybe you could start with a half since you are already doing those kind of training distances each week!

Thanks.



I am considering that (doing the half marathon). But I am just going to play it week-by-week right now and wait until my hamstring is healed and I am back to near 100 percent before deciding that. But you are right, I will likely be doing those types of distances every week by that point anyway. And I don't necessarily need to race the half marathon. Either way, I do want to start doing more races, partly because they're fun and partly because they serve as great speed work. And there are usually plenty of them around here. But first things first. Got to get healthy first.

I am not racing at this point either. This is more like my departure point. I've never entered anything longer than a 5k, and am definitely not racing against anyone but myself. I'm really excited about where this whole journey will take me.

Have you ever been to a running coach? (Actually, I don't know what they are called, but...) My husband took some workshop where they took a video of the runners, and then analyzed their running to minimize injuries and extraneous movement. He said it was really helpful. The coach (?) and her helpers also did some runs with the class and coached them during the run. He said he learned a lot from that about avoiding common knee and ankle problems, and being conscious of doing a flat run rather than a bouncy one. He just did one or two of those workshops, and then didn't feel he needed any more after that. I don't know if that is what you need/want, though. Hope you get back to running soon.

Not a bad idea - thanks. I'll have to look into those. I did do significant long-distance running some years ago and ran cross country in college, but it's been long enough that my form, etc., may have changed since then and I wouldn't have noticed.

My new plan is to simply focus on base-building for a while, slowly building (back) up to around 20-25 miles a week and beyond in addition to gradually incorporating weights into my workout routine. I also need to ensure I stretch more regularly than I have.

I've gotten so into the swing of training for a half marathon in October that I've talked myself into signing up for a marathon in April next year. Eep! I hope my enthusiasm holds out, I don't get injured and that winter running doesn't make me give up!

Otherwise, I can't wait!

That sounds so exciting! I'm a really terrible, slow runner, but I love it. I'd like to train to do a 3k some day, just to start with. That's still a huge achievement for me, since I used to be overweight, I hated running, am asthmatic, etc etc. Anyway, I digress. This is so awesome! Let us know how the training is going and such.

You have the right mentality. When I did my first half, my first goal was to finish, even if I had to walk it. My 2nd goal was to finish better than dead last. My 3rd goal was to break 2 hours. I made my first 2 goals, and finished in 2:08, so the 3rd goal had to wait for the next year when I finished in 1:56. But it was so much fun, the training runs were so amazing, quiet times to just think, and such runner highs when you are done. The day of the race was like a carnival, all the people and excitement. A lot of fun. Stay with the journey, like you said, don't risk injuries, and for that first race, absolutely race only against yourself!

Exactly what I did! Signed up, then said "well I can't back out now, I'm all signed up". Loved my winter training runs, I live in New Hampshire USA, so it can be pretty cold. But you warm up real fast. Good luck to anyone trying for a half or a full.

I know it's been a really long time since I posted here, but I wanted to bump this up and give an update and explain what my new running goals are.

Over the past year I have been still running, just not too extensively (in relation to marathon training). Over the last few months, I've been averaging about 10-20 miles a week.

Even though I do have a goal of running the 2011 Seattle Marathon on Nov. 27 (and, as a smaller, more immediate goal, the Bellingham Bay Half Marathon on Sept. 25). However (however!), my main focus is to keep running. I think over the past couple years I have been way too focused on the end result (the Seattle Marathon! everything else is just boring runs leading up to it ...), and I need to focus more on the process instead of the result. I have known that is how to most realize success in life and used to apply that to running and otherwise but realized recently that I have gotten away from that in all aspects of my life.

So, I am going to continue to update here as I focus on training for the Seattle Marathon but the aim of my mental training will be to focus on the process of enjoying the process and experiencing every run for what it is. Maybe I will end up never running a marathon. Or maybe I will run 100-mile races one day. Who knows.

Obviously I do still have a plan. I am going to follow this ... http://www.runnersworld.com/article/...X5X7-4,00.html ... with approximately 10 percent added on to the runs. I may not run those exact runs on those exact days, but I plan to keep it to within a day (i.e. I may run miles scheduled for Tuesday on either Monday or Wednesday). Yesterday was actually Day 1 of the 16-week plan, even if all I had to do that day was "rest."

So, there you go. I will focus on the runs themselves and let Marathon Day (and Half Marathon Day) come as they will, trusting that as long as I enjoy the process and dedicate myself to that process, the race itself will go well. And if something happens that derails this plan, I will take it with a grain of salt and move on, continuing to run and perhaps planning for a later marathon. There's always this one on Dec. 31 in Bellingham: http://www.skagitultrarunners.com/lastchance/

good for you! I havent read all the replies (as I just got in from my run lol) I have my first marathon on October 23rd! Cant wait!

That's awesome!

So far so good. I am enjoying focusing on the present and enjoying every run for what it is. Today I explored a nearby neighborhood I had never visited and it was pretty cool. On Sunday I ran to and around the campus of a local high school in light showers, which was fun because I always enjoy running in the rain.

Good Luck with your training. I ran my first marathon last year. I felt so good when I finished it. I agree you should focus on the present and enjoy each run.

Couple of updates ... I am changing from that linked plan I wrote about in post #53 (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/...X5X7-4,00.html) slightly to following it exactly instead of adding 10 percent. Also, I will not be running the Bellingham Bay Half Marathon as I had tentatively planned on doing.

Otherwise it's going well. I'm in the middle of week 4 of that plan. One of the really cool things about running further is exploring new areas, and mapping out my runs can be pretty fun when planning runs nearing - and soon passing - 10 miles.

I used to run long distances (10+ miles) and I am very much looking forward to regularly running those types of distances again.

Double digits! Just finished my first 10-mile run in I think three years or so.

Am a little sore.

So far so good. I am a bit tired and sore, but it's a good tired and sore. In other words, I may be exhausted but I don't feel like I'm overworking myself. Physically I feel pretty good - especially compared to when I tried to do this a year ago and fell short well before now. Just finished a 25-mile week and a 12-mile run today. Will run 14 next Sunday, which might be my longest run ever - I know I used to go 16 miles several years ago, but I don't believe I ever ran the whole thing then without stopping for extensive walks.

Still pushing ahead. Although I am just eight weeks away, I am continuing to focus on the present and on each run and relaxing, knowing that if something happens and I can't run this marathon, I'll just do a different one in the month or two following.