Training Update
So I haven’t blogged in awhile, well at least a post that is. I have several blogs I am working on that will be posted later. So I figured I would update what marathon I have chosen and how my training has been. I decided to go with the Omaha Marathon. I picked this one for three reasons: 1, location location; it my home town and I can really spend the time I need training and getting ready instead of driving around. 2, I am going back to Europe. My husband and I have decided to go visit friends in Germany in October, so the date of the marathon worked out. 3, The actual date of the marathon September 27 works well with my work schedule. I would have liked a few more weeks training , with this marathon I have three days off before race day. Usually it doesn’t work that well, and having to work 12 hour shifts those days off will be vital to my performance.
So how has the training been going. I have been logging the miles, I got off to a slow start as far as high miles go but I did get in quality training and cross training with lots of biking miles for a base but the base running miles are low. I have read where it is recommended to have a 30-40 mile a week base. I struggle to get in those kind of miles some weeks. Now I know it all depends on the person and I feel I am an injury prone type runner. I am a victim of shin splints since my high school running days. So to run a 40 mile base seems high to me and my pour shins. I know the elite run upwards of 100 miles a week, yikes. Well I am in the 30 miles but not much higher. But I am healthy and my shin are good and I feel I have no “junk miles” in there. Although I wish I could put in some high mile weeks, it might get me closer to a BQ. But since I have not raced a marathon in over a year I decided to go for the goal of breaking four hours. I have just finish reading 4 months to a 4-hour marathon by David Kuehls. In the book in highlights training plans and the focus in slow long runs and fast track sessions at goal pace. For a four hour marathon goal pace being 9 minute miles. Well the rest of the training log doesn’t seem taxing enough to me. It has a long run day and a track day and one to two 40 minute jog days. Only one actual rest day and two days for cross training or resting. Well I have looked at these training plans and others and constructed my own. the biggest problem I am still having is training on work days. Is my body benefiting or hurting when I go for 40 minute runs when I get off of work. Is 12 hours of work on my feet considered a day of cross training some what that I should be resting? Then the other problem I face is I don’t always work the same days I some times work over time, some days are harder than others etc. I don’t feel like a good runner taking three running days off, but then because i work three days in a row I don’t have much in me by day three either.
So I have made it up to sixteen miles for my long run. I have eight weeks left. I wish I could get in more track time. I have been doing tempo runs and hills in every run I do. But not much track time. My tempo runs and long run times are good and I feel strong with the exception of my last long run. The heat has been a challenge but I have lucked out compared to typical heat index temps this time of year. I hope thats not a bad thing, meaning August will be too hot. This is the month of hard training and lots of miles then September starts the taper. I hope to get in 18 miles, then either 2-20 milers or one 20 miler and one 22 miler, as well as tempo runs and a track workout each week and one cross train day in the pool. I am going to write in my training plan and try not to shift from it too much. For me I can not write out a 4 month traing plan and stick to it. I work one out and change it based on how training is going then when I hit 2 months to go then I will stick to that. It works with my weird hours and social life.
So hopefully I will get my other posts up soon and be able to keep readers updated on training as well.