Happy Monday,
I hope you enjoyed your weekend and had lots of fun. I am happy to report that my marathon training officially started yesterday with my first hour and forty-five minute run since the Empire Half Marathon on October 16, 2011.
I can’t officially call that time or distance a long run because years ago my training partners (Coach & K) taught me that it is not considered a “long” run unless the distance is 20 miles. For some reason that long run training philosophy has stuck with me ever since.
Nevertheless, it felt good to pound the pavement without any stops for that amount of time. January will be the month to build more weekly miles into my routine so I have enough time to run several 20 plus training runs in preparation for the Flying Pig Marathon on May 7th. I am aiming for 6-8 training runs to cover that “long” distance to give me the confidence and endurance I need to cover the 26.2 distance come May.
I’m definitely a proponent of ”more is more” when it comes to marathon training. I know that there are several training philosophies out there that contradict my method of madness, but I need to dig deep into my training archives and follow what has worked for me in the past if I want to accomplish the goal I have set.
I can tell you that times have changed since the old marathon training days in the late 1990s. I would spend Sunday afternoons soaking in a hot tub for hours, drinking beer & wine and watching VHS recordings of Seinfield & Friends post long run. And once our skin resembled a shriveled up raisin, we knew it was time to dry off and feast on K’s pasta fagioli and italian bread before calling it a day.
Times have definitely changed somewhat since then. There was definitely a day long feast yesterday following the run but the alcohol consumption and soaking in the hot tub elements were just fond memories of the past. It seems like I had so much extra time back then to train hard, goof off and do nothing but lounge after a workout.
I thought it was appropriate to kick off the Pig training with my dinner plate filled with a pig meal- juicy ham, wild rice & quinoa, and salad. Everything was delish! I munched all day long because that is what I do when I train for a marathon or it would be more accurate to say that I munched more than I normally do on any given Sunday.
Marathon training is hard and takes a lot of discipline- trust me, I know from experience. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Once again, I am officially out of marathon retirement and only 17 weeks to go before the pig day!
What is your method of madness when marathon training? How many miles = a long run for you? Tell, tell and feel free to disagree about my concept of what is considered a long run.
hi,
My marathon training begins on January 26.
This will be my first and I am excited and nervous all at the same time.
For Christmas, my husband signed me up for marathon training at our local running room. He is a marathoner and I’m not sure whether to thank him for the push, or to hurt him (badly). I do know that he only considers 20+ km as long runs (our marathon is 42.2km). Good luck and I’ll be tracking your progress. I love the way you think…1 down 17 to go.
Hi Steph, Good luck with your marathon and training program! It definitely helps to share to the pain with others so it’s good to be part of a group for the training. You will thank your husband come race day because you will have done your homework and feel such an accomplishment when you cross the finish line with a smile. Just remember to have fun!
Awesome
For me, a long run is anything double digits….but Im still a realitive newbie (3 years of marathoning:-p) so it still impresses me when I can bang out 10 miles. Long runs are my fave though-zoning out and taking in the world!!
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Trust me, my body feels like it runs 20 miles when I run anything longer than 5-6 miles these days. I have to keep telling myself over and over again that I will be able conquer these training miles. So you understand why I have retired from marathons on three previous occasions. I must be nuts to have voluntarily signed up for this self induced physical abuse. Love that you enjoy your long runs. Keep zoning!
I think “long” is an individual state of mind, and relative. I think of long as anything over an hour…because it’s longer than my typical 40-45 minute morning run. I’ve set my sights on doing a 50k trail run this spring…I’ve done a lot of 60-65 minute runs in the past few months, but did my first longer run (1:31 mins) on Saturday. I’m excited to have a new challenge…and I love hearing about your path too!
WOW a 50K trail run! That’s awesome and sounds like fun. I’m not even sure how you would train for that but would love to hear more about what your training plan is. Where is this wonderful train run? I do agree that “long” is individual and relative. It’s just hard to teach a dog new tricks. I’m not even sure if this old dog will be able to handle all those miles at this age. Good Luck!
Hi KMB- Wow you are back at it 100%. I ran 8 on Fri & will prob try to run 10 this Weds. Getting ready for the Lake Effect HM 2/25. Best of luck in your training!!!
Nice! This weather has been conducive for upping those miles in January here in CNY. I’m thinking about the Lake Effect HM as well. You know how I like to be in the background of all of your race photos…guess that means I have kick up the pace a bit so I’m ready to smile and wave at those race photographers.