Tag Archives: Marathon Monday

Marathon Training: Week 2 

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Last week started out as a strong training week. I was feeling good and picking up my pace. I’m still taking it easy and keeping all my runs around 3 miles and running 4 times a week. Coming back from a month off, I want to make sure that I am injury free 10 months down the road when my training will be at its peak.

Sunday was another story. I went for an evening run on the treadmill and it was hard. At 0.63 miles I felt like I couldn’t go on. I had to take a walk, listen to my body and decide if it was a mental thing or if my body just shouldn’t run. I started feeling a chest pain and thought, I’m going to walk some more. The problem is, if there is another runner on a treadmill beside me, I just want to keep going. I’m competitive like that even though they have no idea if that was my easy run, fast run or long run day. I decided to run at an easy pace and just make it to 2 miles and call it a day. At 2 miles, I was still dragging my feet but I could maintain the steady easy pace so I kept pushing until I hit 2.75 miles and I sprinted for the last 0.35 mile. 

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week when my body said, “Speed work, what’s that again?!”

I hit the indoor track for a speed run and that is when I could feel myself out of running shape that I was in during the 2015 racing season. I knew I was going to feel it after taking the month of December really easy, but I didn’t think it would be as hard as I took it. I went into my usual 5:00 min/km pace group and felt strong for the first few laps.

And then it ht me. I really had to go to the bathroom. In all my years of running, this has only happened to me about 3 times.Then I thought – what if I have to go during a marathon? Will I have to go into the bushes like other runners? I couldn’t get my mind away from my busting kidneys. For the first time in my group running history – I sprinted to the bathroom during a run.

I came back feeling relieved and ready to run and determined to get as fast as I once was. I know this is going to take time and it won’t be an overnight process. The next 10 months are going to be filled with running and I don’t regret the break. I’m going to have to work hard but my body will be back to where it was in no time and running longer distances than ever before. Once I started to get a pasty mouth, I knew I also need to get A LOT better at hydrating. This has always been my downfall. You should always finish your runs strong and the last 200m I am happy to say were my strongest thanks to my beauty of a pacer Michelle. She knows when I need that extra kick of motivation and just has to say, “can you dig deeper and go a little faster for this one?” I didn’t even respond and just picked up the pace.

In 5 weeks, I’m determined that this pace will start to feel easier again.

Monday: 2.5 miles @ avg 9:03/mile

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday:  3.21 miles @ avg 9:05/mile

Friday: 3.2 miles @ avg 10:00/mile

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 3.1 miles @avg 10:49/mile

Weekly miles: 12.1 miles

January miles: 15.2 miles

Marathon Monday: Week 1

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With a new year brings new goals. Saying, “this year I am going to run a marathon” has always been a statement that I have been scared to commit to. You really have to know that you are ready to run 26.2 miles. I promised myself that I would only start training for a full marathon once I have successfully finished a half marathon and felt strong at the end. I knew if I was completely gassed at the finish line, there was no way that I would want to do add on 13.1 more miles. The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon was my turn around point. I felt strong the entire way through the race and ran my fastest half yet. 

What has also held me back from running a full marathon was my kidneys. In simplest terms, my kidneys aren’t 100% and together they pretty much make one functioning kidney. After an 8 hour surgery in grade 2 and constantly going to the hospital for monthly check ups for years, I was scared that a full marathon would be too hard on my body. Loosing all the sodium while running and adding extra proteins can be hard on the kidneys. I went to a kidney specialist and after drawing 6 viles of blood and some testing, I was cleared to run as long as I was following a gradual running plan, only taking protein drinks after long runs and properly fuelling my body. 

Im feeling the strongest I ever have and 2016 is the year that I’m going to run my first full marathon. I haven’t decided which race will be my first but it will be in the fall. I’m giving myself a good amount of time to train with longer races throughout the year. 

 

I took pretty much the entire month of December off of training to properly recover and recharge my body. I’m taking my training back to the the beginning and slowly build myself back up to long distance running. I’m incorporating speed runs, easy runs, tempo runs, hill training and weight training into my regime. If I’m doing this, I’m doing it right and injury free. I have to eat more and drink more water, which can actually be a struggle for me. 

Week one of my training was short since I’m beginning from day one of January and Sunday was my rest day. 

Week 1:

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 3.2 miles at 9:13/mile pace on the treadmill 

Sunday: Rest Day 

Total Miles: 3.2