So, my 16 week training for the 2011 Chicago Marathon officially starts this week. My theme for this year is “4 hours or bust.” I really want to train to break the 4 hour mark in this year’s marathon. To put it in context, last year, for my first ever, on a miserably hot day, I ran a 4:50:something. Yikes. But I’ve learned that I need to have an intimidating goal to work toward in order to stay motivated. So, 4 hours or bust.
I’ve posted my training schedule (see the page link above), which follows the FIRST training program. I followed their system (minus the cross-training) for my May half marathon and was excited to see how it really helped me get faster (this is a relative term, of course).
That being said, I’m still not convinced that I’ll follow this system for the marathon. It’s maybe a little too aggressive for my current base (up to 20 milers in the 4th week!!!!). So, I’m looking at creating a hybrid of this with another plan or going with this other plan altogether.
Here are my goals and thoughts for this year’s marathon training:
1) Develop the discipline of getting up early to get the workouts in. I don’t want my training to be a burden to my family. I also don’t want to run at night. It’s time to become an early riser for once in my life. So tonight, I’m setting my alarm for 4:30 am. Yikes.
2) Lose 19.7 pounds to reach my goal weight of 175, which would make my BMI no longer “overweight.”
3) Run three days per week. Cross-train by riding my bike two of the other days.
4) Strength train three days per week (simple, equipment-less stuff): push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. (Might need to add an excercise or two to strengthen the muscles around my left knee).
5) Join a friend and mentor of mine to run with Team World Vision. I wasn’t going to run for a charity this year, but I really like the idea of having my running be about more than me. My friend is seeking to raise $7000 for clean water projects in Africa by getting 700 people to donate $10 each. He’s invited me to help him toward that goal, so I’m signing on. (I plan to share more about this as I get more figured out.)
6)Whenever possible, share the miles with someone. I ran a few miles this past Saturday with a few guys from our Austin run/walk club, and it’s amazing how much easier it is to run when someone is running with you. (Lots of thoughts for a future post here…). Those long runs get especially lonely, so I’m going to try to find some guys I can run with every now and then through the process.
7) Remember that it’s the process, not the race that really matters and makes the difference. Each day I have the health and the opportunity to get out and move, I will be thankful. I won’t get down on myself for a slow run or for not hitting all my goals for a workout.
So, join me on the journey toward my second marathon…I better get to bed!
Dan, in real Life 