Going Solo

This past week has been one of frustration, some sadness, and maybe even a little relief.

I missed my long run this week and felt terrible and in an agitated state until Sunday when I managed to squeeze it in. So, keeping on my schedule is critical as I move forward on the training.

Last week I started over with my training schedule to begin a new marathon training program with my running partner. Last year he really pushed hard and screwed up his knee, and has been trying to recover since. Throughout last fall and winter we've been running, and now that marathon trading has begun anew, his leg has been in considerable pain despite stretching and icing and braces, etc.

Yesterday he finally told me he's giving up on the marathon this year. I am saddened yet relieved that he will get a chance to recover fully and hopefully begin fresh in later months.

Now I am here, needing to truly find my track and get my distances every day. The next couple months will be extremely challenging and hot here in Chicago, so hydration and nutrition are key to conditioning!

Thinking

All week, I have the distance run on my mind. The distance is what I work for each week with all of my other, shorter runs. Tomorrow is 10 miles. Shouldn't be bad, considering I did 14 last week. Each run is different though. Sleep now, run next.

Strength+

Strength conditioning is the next element in conjunction that I need to incorporate each week with my training. Last year I hit "the wall" around mile 23. I felt like a broken machine, and something had gone haywire in my core and the power wouldn't translate to my legs. It was devastating to say the least, that after all of my training I still didn't have enough to run the entire way. To compensate, I walked a minute and ran three until I was near the finish.

So this year, along with better nutrition and cross training, strength training will be a primary focus. Here's a link to a good intro to some marathon strength and conditioning exercises:

http://m.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-14177-0,00.html

I plan on doing these on Sunday morning along with a bike ride to keep working on lower body. I will also add some resistance band work in there and call it good. Twice a week plus basketball as my cross training exercise plus four days of running will keep me more than busy this summer...PLUS I've got two daughters to watch all day.

To end on more of a fantasy note, I find myself daydreaming about running gear! Some think about cars, others about clothes...well I get all fuzzy thinking about the Nike+ GPS watch and The Stick running massager! Not to mention that the newest Brooks Glycerine 10's just came out! It's all just a pipe dream and bells and whistles of I don't put in the work though. Keep on keeping on!

On another note

Cross

I'm starting to look for different activities to integrate into my running. A basketball clip on Tuesday nights is a great option at the moment, and I really am going to begin this silly DVD program as well, combined with running times a week, that should really get my butt into shape. I also plan on really ramping up my biking and resistance bands on the off days to build more core and overall tone. Ugh, I get tired thinking about it, but it shall be done! Now I need to plan our my nutrition every day so I don't end up eating cold pizza at the end of the day and partially negate my efforts for the day.

Basketball last night was great. Playing the game really took my mind off the exercise and I enjoyed exercising with other people and just focusing on strategy and form rather than distance and time. Basketball is also great for speed bursts and short cuts and complete body movement rather than finding a stride and drilling only my legs. After the first game, I was gassed and needed to rest. I found it laughable that a marathon runner is tired after a 15 minute game of basketball, but the all out sprinting and start/stop really worked me down. So I will be making the 45 minute drive each Tuesday to play ball. More updates on my new running schedule soon!

First half plus

Thanks to my running buddy, I continued to run through the winter months. I took about three weeks off after last year's Chicago Marathon to simply recover and allow for a little rest after the grueling training and marathon final.

Over the winter, I ran on the treadmill a lot, but it was so mild for the most part that we ran outside nearly every other day! While we stuck to 3-4 miles, it was still great running and something I had never attempted before.

Thanks to this extra time hitting the road, I've become a stronger runner and my lack of a winter break from running is now paying dividends on my current training. I started my training very early this year, while most training programs begin this next week. I just finished my first half marathon run (actually 14.2 miles) tonight and I feel great. Others are striving for 5 or 6 on their first long runs, but this was a strong motivator for me!

I am not sore in this run, but my nutrition and hydration intervals need to be synched to the marathon course. I love a couple if podcasts as of late:
1-Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me
2-Car Talk
3-The Dan Patrick Show
4-RunRun Live

All of these keep my mind focused and move at a refreshingly quick pace. I just realized that if I played one of each consecutively, it would last the duration of my marathon run...hmmm.

Anyway, the run tonight was great. I started before sunset and got to watch the sky darken and the moon rise. There is something great about running during the transitions of the day, whether it be from night to morning or evening to night. I felt strong, and could have done more, but after 14, I want to really watch myself and not do too much this early into training. It is just pleasing to finish this so much earlier than last year and to also f eel the confidence with successfully completing more than half of a marathon.