Training Plan

Made my training schedule today for the 10 mile. Post honeymoon, I have 7 weeks to train. I'll be peaking at 36 miles per week with a 10-mile long run the week before the race. I currently run with my Vibram Sprints, but I will be investigating the new Vibram Bikala's, which seem to be designed more towards running on asphalt.

TC 10-mile

I registered for the Twin Cities 10-mile lottery on a whim and SURPRISE: I'm in! I'll be running the 10-mile race, same day as the marathon. Guess that means I have to get a training schedule ready. Can't train too hard over the next 3 weeks as I'm getting married and have other things going on. Post-wedding/honeymoon it's time to buckle down, though.

The only burning question I have at the moment is: how do I attach a chip timer to my Vibrams???

I. Will. Go. Running. Today.

As the semester is finally winding down and all I have left before graduation are 3 papers, I will go running today! I put my vibram five-fingers on to wear at work and the soles of my feet are screaming to beat down the road.

I will go running today. And it will be glorious.

Marathon Postponed

I've decided to postpone my first marathon until further notice. Turns out working 45 hours a week plus attending class full time doesn't leave a lot of time to run. At the end of a long day I just don't have the energy or motivation. I don't want to push myself too hard and end up hating running and I also don't want to to go to my first race unprepared.

It's a tough decision but one that needs to be made. A marathon in the fall may be more realistic since the summer holidays leave plenty of free time for training.

Taking back the night

One of the greatest frustrations as a woman runner in the winter ( at least for me) is the lack of daylight hours in which to run. By the time I finish a day at the office or in the classroom the sun is already receding below the horizon transforming my running routes to dark and unsafe environments.

I typically don't run at night by myself...it's dangerous and stupid. This, however, leaves me at the mercy of my fiance's schedule - on nights when he has class I simply can't fit in the miles I need in the small space between class ending and a reasonable sleep schedule.

So, I've come to the decision that I must be able to run at night by myself. If I get on the road first thing when I get home I can have light for at least the first portion of my run (is it wrong to think that darkness during the second half will give me negative splits?) To make this come about I'm going out to purchase a container of pepper spray and some way to keep it strapped to my wrist to take with me while running.

This may be a stupid decision. The more stupid issue is that I even have to worry when I'm out at night, but that's not something I can fix.

Winter-time training

So this whole crappy weather + 3 jobs + full-time classes thing is really hindering my running. I'm contemplating whether to postpone my marathon because of lack of training time.

But then I wonder, how am I going to train during law school? Arguably I won't be working during my first year so I will have a little more time than I do now.

I need to find time to run. I'm currently a week behind in training. I haven't run since the 6-miles on Friday...and I was supposed to run 8 on Sunday.

Just put one foot in front of the other until you're done

The beautiful thing about running long distances? Once you're halfway, you can't give up. It's similar to getting a tattoo-once you start you can't stop.

With a long run, odds are half of your total distance is no longer than a distance you've run before-so you can do it. It's AFTER the halfway point that you get tired and want to give in. However, you only have 2 options: keep running or walk. And if you walk it's going to take you a lot longer to get home than if you run. And in the winter, you'll get real cold, real fast if you walk.

This is why running outside in the winter is a good idea. You'll always finish your run.