Week 3 - trying to get back on track!

Wow, I'm not sure I'm being very successful at my accountability plan so far, but I'm going to try to improve! I spent last week in Wisconsin and Minnesota. My cousins live right across the street from a fantastic conservancy with miles and miles of trails. I'm very jealous. I took some advantage of it and ran a couple of times. The weather was fantastic - it was about 60 degrees in the morning. It reminded me why my last two marathons were in the early spring - training through the summer is a bummer!

Unfortunately, I only ran twice and walked a few days. The rest of the week was pretty much a training bust! Just a lot of hanging out with my family & eating junk! Hopefully this week will be better...

That said, I'm not off to a very good start. I slept in Saturday and Sunday and so have not done a long run at all! I'm definitely less motivated when running alone (tear!). But, I'm counting down the minutes now... in 33 minutes I'll be at the gym and am going to attempt 10 miles on the treadmill. Wish me luck. I'm not sure if I can think of anything more boring than that!

Speed Work

Hi,
So we had speed work this morning and I ran a little over 5 miles. Unfortunately I failed at the objective of speed work-to finish the last set faster than the first. Must remember to start off slower.

While I was running, I came to the conclusion that I work harder on my running than anything else in my life and I am not very good at it. I have a new sympathy for people that studied all the time and made C's.

I have my 6 mile run tomorrow morning. Hopefully it won't rain.

Week 2!

How is everyone doing? I'm not going to lie, my training plan is going to kick my booty! I was glad for a day off today because this week was full force. Tomorrow I will be headed out for a 9 miler, and I'm in a hilly area so it will be tough. We're finally headed up to Virginia this weekend so I am looking forward to eventually doing a long run with Elizabeth! I have to tell you Hax, you have Margaret's big shoes to fill.

Foot Update (I went to the doctor)

So last Sunday I woke up with foot pain and it hurt everytime my heel touched anything (the ground, my hand, etc). I figured it was a heel spur from my plantar fasciitis (since I already have a heel spur on my right foot, it makes sense I would want a matching one on my left foot). Cathy Rizutto told me it could be a stress fracture so stay off it until the pain went away and go to the doctor. By Friday the pain was gone if I had shoes on (still hurt barefoot, but my other foot feels that way too). I did not run 10 miles on Saturday and instead only ran 4 since I had not gone to the doctor yet. My appointment was today and he confirmed that I do have a heel spur in my left foot. I am going to do the ultrasound therapy again (I did that with the other foot and it seemed to work).

I am also available to trade feet with anyone that would like some messed up ones. If you know anyone that seems to have no problems, but hates walking/exercise/etc, we would be a good match b/c I would give them a reason to say, "I can't do that b/c my feet hurt too bad." I will pay for the transplant surgery =)

Week 15... I think

Based on Elizabeth's calculations, I am assuming this is week 15. I don't know when y'all like to start your training week, but I usually assume Monday and I generally save my long runs for Friday or Saturday morning. My 10 mile plan for last Friday didn't come to fruition - a long involved story involving minor construction at my house, new breaks for the car, etc, etc... but I did find a flat, albeit dull, route that will do for long distances. I think I did about 6 miles on Saturday and will save the 10 miles for my long run this week.

So,this week I intend to get in 2 regular 5 mile runs, 1 long (10 mile) run, 1 hill work-out and 1 speed workout (probably 3 - 4 miles each). So, hopefully I'll get in about 26+ miles.

I definitely appreciated Elizabeth's treadmill/speed suggestions. I was utterly disappointed when I ran to the track this week with a "need for speed" only to find that it was closed until November. Clearly, I've been taking the track, which is only about 1/2 mile from my house, for granted. There are so many hills in my neighborhood, I really don't want to try to combine hills with speed! So, I will try to hit the gym for speed this week. Hopefully I can get into the habit before all those students return to campus!

I'm also trying to incorporate sit-ups/ arm work... but I generally talk myself out of that by the time I get home from my runs! However, since this is all about accountability - I intend to do both activities at least twice and I will report back next week about whether or not I followed through!

Good luck this week!

Yoga

Sara, I just read you comment about the new trick you will show us on MCM weekend. (MCM is short for Marine Corps Marathon BTW ;)). It was timely as I am sitting here resting up for the 10 mile run we have in the morning.

Back in January, I started taking a yoga class at my gym once a week. Altho there are different types of yoga, I managed to find a good class and instructor right away. She is also a runner. Bonus!

I think yoga has helped me a lot. I have learned many new stretches that I use for pre & post run stretching. So while a downward dog may sound silly, it really helps stretch the back of your legs! I highly recommend trying a class or doing a video. (My cable provider has yoga on the On-Demand channels, but I've not tried that.) Not the "hot" yoga, just a normal class, even just to learn a few new stretching moves.

Anyway, check it out. I really think it will help you (us) through those long long runs.

Workouts/Training Plans

I was curious what training plans each of you are following. I have seen Hax's, and may jump in on a few of her runs once I get up to D.C. Until then, I needed something to get me going, so I based mine off of the training plan listed in the July issue of Runner's World. It's a little intense, so I have my doubt that I'll be able to follow it exactly (I've never logged over 40 miles in a week, and some of the weeks are closer to 50!) but I put it all in a google calendar to remind me when to do what. Here's next week, my first week:What are you guys planning for next week?

Accountability

Training for a marathon is tough, in general... but I'm realizing it is a lot harder alone! I've been spoiled for my past two marathons to have a fun running buddy to motivate me, hold me accountable and keep me entertained on all of my runs. So, since I'm now running solo in Athens, I thought a little online accountability was in order. These hot Georgia mornings and the hills in my neighborhood seem to be conspiring against me, but hopefully, if I make a conscious effort to log on here periodically & post my workouts I'll feel more obligated to stick to a training plan.

So, I hope that the rest of you in my MCM group will do so as well... what do you think, maybe we can all post our progress weekly? Tips, guilt trips and other motivators are also welcome! I'll post a weekly reminder on Sundays.

Until then... Happy trails - and Happy 4th of July!