Getting Serious

Marathon Training 2011 begins for me this Sunday, Father's Day.  In all likelihood, I won't do any actual training til Tuesday, the 21st, due to other obligations on my first running days.  But it's good to pinpoint a start date, good to count the weeks pre-Marathon, good to remember how hard this was two years ago and how hard it will be to best my last race time by nearly one minute per mile.  Shaving a half hour off my race time, even if just a laudable goal, is daunting. Yikes!

But part of what will make it doable is a more whole body approach this time.  In 2009 I was just terrified by the prospect of running for 5+ hours.  It seemed like such an impossible goal, I trained like clockwork and kept religiously to my little training schedule for fear that one falter on day four of week nine might somersault into a Marathon Nightmare of Doom.  This time around, whether I can finish is no longer a question.  But in order to get better, I can't just do exactly what I did last time and hope for some magical different result.

First off, I need to lose 10 lbs.  More would be good.  Less would not be the end of the world. But less weight to carry just means my legs can carry the rest of me a little further, a little faster.  I'm not sticking to any magic diet plan, I know this isn't rocket science.  I'll be tracking what I eat, how I exercise, and making sure I'm eating at least 90 grams of protein a day, preferably more. 

Second, my upper body/core strength is laughable.  And doing 26.2 miles on strong legs alone just doesn't cut it.  So I started the 100 push up training program today.  It's a six week program to get you to the point of being able to do 100 push ups consecutively.  Right now I can do 8 (yes, 8, REAL push ups, I could do more on my knees).  I think that will be a great addition to my runs 3 days a week and pushups are great for arms, shoulders, chest, and core strength, which is good.  Through that process, or maybe when the 100 push ups challenge is complete, I'll add some more specific abdominal work.  But as I tend to enjoy ab-specific exercises about as much as I love jell-o (ie. not at all), I'm going to admit to delaying that torture slightly.

Third, cross training.  I signed up for my first sprint triathalon (.25 mile swim, 17 mile bike, 5K) which scares the snot out of me. One of my projects for the brief interlude between Old Job and New Job next week is to purchase a bike rack, pick up the high school wheels from the parents' house, and take that hot pink puppy for a spin.  I may need some new tires or other gadgetry, but I think she'll do just fine for the race.  I'll also order a "real" swimsuit since all of mine are aesthetically pleasing but not really suits meant for swimming (lounging with big sunglasses, yes).  Part of the trick, and another thing I'll do next week on one of my free mornings, will be to lay out the marathon training schedule and pencil in cross-training for swimming and biking.  This will be tough, but doable, and could be helped by the fact that the new job is gloriously across the street from the Greenway.  So once I'm settled, I could potentially ride to work on pretty days, which would be a great way to enjoy the sunshine and rack up some mileage.

Fourth, get a handle on weekend indulgences.  This is just a creature of summertime frivolity, and not one I'll worry about too seriously quite yet.  By the beginning of August or so in 2009 I'd developed a rule while training that I'd have alcohol one night a week and by September and for the month leading up to the race, I never drank.  That was perfectly comfortable and I plan on doing that again.  I do love sitting on patios in the evenings with friends having a glass or two of wine.  But that could easily happen two, three, sometimes four nights a week in the summer.  It's okay to indulge a bit now, enjoy this early summer sunshine, but after 4th of July I'll start seriously paring down such indulgences.  They won't help me lose the weight, and they're just not necessary for my enjoyment of good company.

Fifth, and most important, it's time to get the game face on.  I've been running off and on recently, some pauses for injuries (neck, stupid stupid stupid Red Rover injury), some pauses for being out of town, lazy, whathaveyou.  Marathon training is always a priority.  It has to be, because otherwise you find yourself mid-August having never run more than 11 miles.  I love that required structure in my day and I also love that post-run, post-accomplishment feeling that makes a long dinner with friends or a stroll around the lake feel that much more decadent.  But if I'm serious about the race, serious about doing better than last time, I need to not only commit to myself that it's a priority, but I need to communicate that to friends.  It's always hard to feel like a wet blanket, to say you can't meet for brunch on Saturday because you need to run 15 miles, but my friends and family are lovely folks and they'll support what keeps me happy and healthy.  I just need to be articulate in my priorities and firm in my resolve to stick to the program.  It'll all be worth it when I get lots of hugs at the finish line.

And, the underline beneath it all, and the Truth destined for permanence on my right foot after the race: Hebrews 12:1.