I have fallen victim to some messed-up thinking. I somehow convinced myself that anything less than a marathon was not good enough. There have been several moments since I started running where I have said that I will never run a marathon again. However, I have never said that I did not want to run a half marathon again. In fact, I have always really enjoyed running half marathons. I am terrified to push myself in a marathon because of the distance, but I enjoy pushing myself in the half. Despite the fact that I have consistently enjoyed running half marathons, I have never actually trained for a half marathon. I have always run half marathons as training runs for something bigger. But, if you think about it, half marathons are pretty big, too. They are also much easier to recover from, meaning that I can do more of them in a shorter period of time. I spent weeks thinking over and creating a schedule for myself, and I finally finished it up today. You can now find my schedule here and through the link on the right side of the screen. I have decided to use the Run Less Run Faster program to train for my run. If you take a look at my schedule, you will notice that "running less" basically means that I will run only 3 days per week, while cross-training two days and resting two days. It may be less running, but it is definitely not easier. I am hoping the program jump-starts and improves my running, while helping me prevent burnout. As I move through the program, I will let you know if I am accomplishing that goal. I plan on running a few local, small half marathons and short races, along with the Austin Half and Cowtown Half, before my program culminates with the brand-new Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon next March. I chose that one as my final race because it boasts a "flat" course, meaning that I have a good chance of accomplishing my goal of breaking 2 hours in the half marathon. All the fun begins tomorrow. Here's my goal schedule for the week (I will give you a report on my runs next week):
- Monday - Spinning (1 hour)
- Tuesday - SPEEDWORK - 10 - 20 min. warm, 5 x 800 @ 3:55 pace (400 meter Rest Intervals "RI"), 10 min. cool
- Wednesday - 1 mile warm, 2 miles @ 8:39, 1 mile easy, 2 miles @ 8:39, 1 mile cool
- Thursday - Spinning or Swimming (1 hour)
- Friday - Rest
- Saturday - 7 miles @ 9:09 pace
- Sunday - Rest
I am ready for the journey to begin, and I hope you will follow me, encourage me, and keep me accountable.
Uh...yeah...that's messed up thinking! But you know it and sounds like you're getting on track to enjoy running again. Oh, the joys of being an overachiever! I'm imagining all the fun you had creating a new schedule. :-) Can't wait to hear how this training goes. I don't really having the goal of running faster, but running less sounds fun! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think a marathon is either a lifestyle OR something you can say "Been There, Done That" about. It's one or the other. By running a marathon, you've accomplished something so many people couldn't even dream of accomplishing. It's amazing...I think the point of running is enjoying it. If you don't enjoy it, then why torture yourself. I'm excited to see how your training goes. I'm considering the Dallas Rock N Roll 1/2 too...sounds fun!
ReplyDelete