Nike Women’s Marathon 2009 – My Training Plan

Oh Lord. Every time I look at this blog, I sort of sigh. It’s always so long between posts. But, since blogging is part of my real job at SeenON.com, it’s hard to muster much enthusiasm. However, as my training for the Nike Women’s Marathon starts to pick up, I’m sure there will be more injured toes, more sore muscles, and more training triumphs to blog about.

So what sort of training plan am I using? Last year for the Chicago Marathon, I more or less took plans from a bunch of different sources and made up my own. This year, though, I am going to more or less loosely follow the Nike Intermediate training plan, located here, and the Lasso intermediate training plan I just found in Runner’s World. Lasso’s is less running overall, which makes me happy, but I like the consistency of the Nike plan.

Regardless, I am going to try to do a few things differently this year. First of all, I am going to try to strength train more often in the first half of the training. This will include some upper body strength training (pushups and the like) as well as some hard hill runs in the middle of the week. I am going to leave the speedwork to the second half of my training plan so I don’t get bored.

In general, I’ll be logging about 25-40 miles a week, which is only slightly more than my normal current training. (Usually 3-4 runs during the week from 4-6 miles, and another 9-12 miler on the weekend.) The main difference is going to be the strength (a challenge when I get super-tuckered in the middle of marathon training) and the hill work. (Unlike Chicago, this marathon will be hilly!) I will be doing my long runs with the Nike group at Marina Green like last year, and keep up my post-run dips in the SF Bay. I’m not sure if I’ll set a goal time this year or not – probably will decide when I get some longer-than-14-mile runs under my belt.

I haven’t run longer than 13 for many months (probably since Chicago) so I am looking forward to the challenge. But first, a fabulous trip to Thailand and Cambodia, where I will probably not run all that much.

 

Got in to the Nike Women’s Marathon 2009! and other updates…

Wow, I really haven’t posted for a long, long time. I can’t believe I haven’t even updated about my finish in the Chicago Marathon last October! Well, in case you are wondering, yes, yes I did finish my very first marathon. It was a pretty respectable time – 4:15 – but not the under-4-for-my-first-marathon I had been hoping for. (Unrealistic as that may have been.) The kicker was the day we ran, it was literally 90 degrees on the course. At mile 8, I thought I was going to die. At mile 10, I gave up expectations of an under-4-hour finish. At mile 15, I almost kissed the angel with ice-cold sponges. At mile 21, I put a big chunk of ice in my hat and let it melt down my face. At mile 24, I did the same thing – but the ice went into my sports bra instead.

My race number is now posted on my office wall, streaks and all. And my toenails have just finally recovered. Just in time for me getting into the 2009 Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco on October 19!

My credit card was charged over the weekend, which is how you know you got in. Having trained with these girls all summer and early fall in the Presidio and beyond for my Chicago marathon debut last fall, I am super-excited to get to run the actual race on my home turf. With the free training, the race practically runs itself. And it’s gotta be cooler than 89 and humid. Right? Right?

More updates to come as my training kicks into gear later this Spring…

 

Another 14 miles and endless unpacking

Short and sweet since I am writing this from my iPhone… Went for a great 14 miler again yesterday then had a crazy move. Went pretty smoothly though and we are trying to organize. Feel like I should have run longer but no time. Hope all those stairs make up for it!