T-minus 16 weeks...

Training starts tomorrow! Three miles at 10:58 pace is on the schedule. On top of starting to train, I've also started to pack for my move on Friday. Wish me lots and lots of luck in both the training AND the moving! Thanks! :)

Here's a peek at my schedule:

It's 16 weeks long. I decided to just go with the Runner's World training schedule again. I'll play around with it as needed, but this has been pretty good to me in the past so I'm going to stick with it.

Saturday I did a pretty long run of an hour (just about 6 miles) on the treadmill. It was hot so I decided to stay inside and just bang out the run. It was actually a really good run and was sort of just what I needed to get myself excited for training. To be honest, I've been in a bit of a running funk of late, and haven't been feeling "very running-like" as my boss once put it. It wasn't very fun, and I'm pretty sure it mostly had to do with the fact that I was (still sort of am but am much MUCH better!) injured. Now that the injury is looking up, I guess my spirits are up more too! And thank goodness for that, because I can't imagine how difficult starting to train for a marathon would be if I were still down. I know that I'll still have some ups and downs during the training, but it's nice to start it off on the right foot :)

That's it for now...packing really took it out of me! Night!

Training begins...

...on Monday, June 21. That's in five days. I am just going to think of it as another thing I'm training for, and maybe not think of it as TRAINING FOR A MARATHON!!! because that is a little be scary. I'm going to keep doing what I do...run a little, do some strength training, cross training, and definitely throw in more yoga and Pilates (especially since I just discovered Exercise TV On Demand!).

On top of starting to TRAIN FOR A MARATHON!!!, I'm also moving apartments, which means packing, cleaning, and moving. Ugh. Such a pain. But I know it'll be worth it! :)

So while I haven't been blogging much, I haven't really worked out much since my last post. I went to Montauk for the weekend and was lazy on the beach, eating shrimp and lobster, and basically being incredibly lazy. It was just what I needed and it was awesome.

I haven't done much running -- the sciatica is still bugging me a little bit, but it's gotten SO much better. I might do something crazy and try out my old shoes to see if that helps my sciatica...I just feel like I need to do SOMETHING like that since I did not have sciatica OR hip flexor tendinitis before I changed shoes. I'll let you know how it goes!

That's it for now...I'll post my training schedule soon. I'm still debating between Hal Higdon's novice schedule and the Runner's World training schedule...and I have a feeling I may well end up combining the two somehow but relying mainly on the Runner's World schedule.

What's your favorite training schedule?

Japan Day Run

Today was the Japan Day Run. I didn't have a great race -- 4 miles in 40:48. I did go into it just thinking of it as my workout for the day and that time didn't matter (which I still feel is true), but I felt SO slow and sluggish the whole way. My legs felt like sandbags. Even Glee's "Like A Prayer" couldn't help me pick up my pace! In all I suppose it could have been worse, but it was definitely not my best race. Oh well.

I guess it's just sort of making me worried about marathon training this summer. Granted, the long runs are usually run at a slower pace anyway, but it is HOT in New York in the summer! I suppose I can always run along the river instead of Central Park (for some reason Central Park tends to get little to no wind on the running path), but since I'm moving to the UES Central Park will be sooo much more convenient than the Hudson! And I will have my CamelBak to keep me hydrated. And I can always get up incredibly early and knock the run out before it gets hot. So maybe it won't be so bad!

Here's my Garmin info from the race:

Well, marathon training will be starting quite soon. This coming week I'm going to cross train and do some running but probably not too much. Next weekend I'll be at the beach so I'll definitely try to squeeze in a run even when I'm relaxing! And then...marathon training will begin. I am still researching training plans -- I've heard good things about Hal Higdon, and in the past I've just used the Runner's World training program (subscription required). I guess I'll just talk to a few people and see what worked for them! I'm looking for about a 16-week program to start around June 21. I'll let you know which one I go with!

I'm off to bed -- had quite a weekend in the sun (maybe that's why I was so slow!) and am wiped!