Marathon Training Week 1: Why, Again, Did I Sign Up For This?

The good news is that I survived Week 1 of Marathon Training!!!!


The bad news is that I have, like, 19 more weeks to go.


And why did I sign up for this again??

Oh yeah.

I didn't sign up for just ONE marathon - which would be my first, actually.

Oh, no. I NEVER do things easy. It's either go big or go home, I always say.

So, if I'm going to put in the training required to run 26.2 miles, I'm going to do not one, not two, but THREE marathons in a 3-month period…all so I can join the Marathon Maniacs group.

So, official fall marathon training began June 20th - and here's a recap on how it went:


Monday, June 20th

My first day of training called for an easy 4-5 mile run. Because temperatures were going to be brutal, I managed to get my a$$ out of bed and on the road by 6:15 a.m. This was probably due more to adrenaline & excitement about Day #1, than anything else, because I am normally SO not a morning person.

The run felt great - I felt great - and again, this was probably attributed more to Day 1 adrenaline. Let's see how long THAT lasts.


The Plan!! Welcome to Day #1!!


Oh yeah…I'm smiling NOW…but let's see who's smiling in a few months??!!



Proof.

Tuesday, June 21st

Rest Day! So important to rest those legs, and I did JUST that.



Wednesday, June 22nd

Today's plan was to run 2 easy miles for a warm-up; then run 6 hill repeats at a quick pace for at least 25 seconds each, and then run another 2 miles easy for a cool down.

I was actually out on the road by 6:11 a.m., which is a small miracle. Was it the excitement of running hills? If that's the case, then I am truly one sick puppy - and should be receiving major psychiatric treatment.

Here's how the hills went, according to my log:

1st Hill: "I've got this."
2nd Hill: "Okay, maybe not."
3rd Hill: "Hmmmm….."
4th Hill: "Gah."
5th Hill: "Ugh."
6th Hill: "Okay, that sucked balls."

So, my legs were a bit mushy at the end, but a nice stretch when I got back home did the trick.


I've got this…I think...



A beautiful sunrise...




Thursday, June 23rd

Rest Day! My trainer's taking pity on my right now because she knows my legs aren't quite up for this torture. Trust me - I know I won't get as many rest days in the future.



Friday, June 24th

Today, I was scheduled to run 3-4 miles easy, and I did exactly that. Nothing super special or crazy about today's run, other than the neighbors are looking at me crazy, as I'm sweating and running along. The humidity is absolutely BRUTAL, but the weatherman says that next week looks to be cooler…thank GOD.





Saturday, June 25th

LONG RUN DAY! Yup, for distance runners, the long run day, normally on the weekend, is the day to be anticipated with joy or dread. Today, it was a mixture for me…on one hand, I was excited to keep up my distance running, but on the other hand, I knew the heat and humidity would take a toll.

Six miles…along the neighborhood roads…with two stops for water and for some nutrition/fuel.

Hubby was getting HIS long run in, as well, and we would pass each other and shout out, "I love you!" to keep up each other's spirits. Wait. Who am I kidding??!! Hubby NEVER needs his spirits kept up while running; he's like Forrest Gump and would just run, run, run the entire day and smile the entire time. It's ME who needs encouragement and morale boosters. :)

Speaking of morale boosters, one of my neighbors was washing down his garage with a hose…so as I ran by, I stopped briefly, threw out my arms, and pleaded, "Please, kind Sir! Have some mercy, and hose down this hot, miserable beast."



(Don't worry. My neighbors already think I'm nuts, so he didn't even blink twice at this request.)

And oh my goodness - that cool water of the hose, as it showered over my head, was delicious and refreshing and energizing…it felt SOOOOOOOOOOOO good.





I did manage to see two deer, 8 rabbits, 1 turtle, 12 cows, 2,320 squirrels, and 1 fox today along the route. That's a pretty good wildlife haul, if I do say so myself - and so I ALWAYS had someone to talk to…even if they didn't talk back.


Sunday, June 26th

The plan called for an easy 3-4 mile recovery run, so I put in four miles…but I'm not sure I "recovered." Even starting early didn't spare me from the heat and the humidity; not to mention, there was not ONE bit of breeze in the air. My only running companions this day were the horse flies, who teased and tortured me mercilessly. I think I expended more energy shoo-ing them away than I did actually running - gah.

When is fall, again?

I. Can't. Wait.


A beautiful sky this morning…it never gets old.



I leave for Florida in another week, and I'm thinking it's probably cooler in southern Florida than it is in Kansas City right now. That's rather scary.


Peace.