cancer · ovarian cancer · running

Marathon training begins!

likeafinevino

Guys, the Chicago marathon is only 165 days away!!  Okay, yes, that’s 6 months, but seriously, I need all the time I can get to train for this thing!  I put together a training plan that’s going to take 24 weeks.  The first four weeks will be just getting back into training mode, since my running hasn’t been very consistent since last year when I was training for my first marathon.

Will I be doing anything differently from the first round of marathon training?  Most definitely yes!  I’ve learned some things since the last time, so here are the things that I will be changing:

  1.  My nutrition – Marathon training will not be an excuse to eat all the food (and drink all the beer!)  I plan on sticking to a whole-foods, plant-based diet to help my performance and recovery.
  2. Using run/walk intervals during the entire program – Currently I’m using 1:30/:30 or 2:30/:30 intervals for my 3-mile runs, depending on how I feel, but these intervals will get shorter as the runs get longer.  I’m planning to use 1:00/:30 or :30/:30 intervals.
  3. Staying hydrated! Much of my training is going to be in the summer heat, so I just ordered a hydration pack and I’m going to make sure I stay hydrated!  During the last marathon training, there were runs when I let myself get dehydrated, and I also got severely hydrated during the actual marathon race!  I want to try to avoid that as much as I can this time around.
  4. Using Jelly Belly Sports Beans – I discovered these late in my training last time and they are awesome!  They really help to increase my energy and my stomach tolerates them.  I’ll be stocking up on these things!
  5. Cross-train, cross-train, cross-train!  It’s so easy to get fixated on running when you’re training for a marathon, but cross-training really does help, I think.  I plan on doing a lot of biking with my husband, along with Beach Body 21-Day Fix workouts to strengthen my core, legs, and arms.
  6. I’m going to relax and have run!  I’m going to be doing the fricking Chicago Marathon, one of the biggest marathons in the country.  It’s going to be insane, I’m running with a friend, I know others who are going to be running and we’re going to be celebrating like crazy when we finish.  I’m going to have family and friends there for support.  Seriously, it’s going to be so much fun and yes, it’s going to be hard while I’m doing the actual race, but I’m going to try and just savor each moment as much as I can.

I’m still fundraising for the charity that I’m running for, Imerman Angels.  Several of you have donated – thank you so much – but I still have a ways to go!  If you could spare a few dollars to help support this wonderful cause, I’d really appreciate it!  Having support when you’re going through cancer is so vital, and Imerman Angels provides support for so many people fighting cancer.  One of the mottos during Kayla’s fight with cancer was “No one fights alone” and no one with cancer should have to fight alone!  Please show support by sending a donation at the link below:

http://imermanangels.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=2624

 

8 thoughts on “Marathon training begins!”

  1. Great plan!!! I use 30:30 for my long runs and that works nicely for me. I love the Sport Beans. They are small enough for me to chew easily 🙂

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  2. I use :30/:30 for long runs also. At first you may think that’s too much walking, but when it’s 100 degrees outside you’ll appreciate it 😉 I hope the vest works out for you, and I can’t wait to follow along with your training!! ❤

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  4. Dates and jelly bellys are good too! One training run that I had, I ate gummy bears. Daniel left some at my house!haha I trained during the summer for RnR St. Louis marathon, which is terrible. I only missed one training run due to it being 85 degrees at 8am and still in the 90s at 8pm! It was a 16 mile run. I actually broke it up into 2 runs which was still hard. One thing summer training did was make marathon weather in Oct much easier to handle. So I think summer training is an advantage. Another think I learned was that during the marathon, I drank too much water. I don’t know if I did it because all training says take all the water you can or I was looking for that walk break that I do during water stops…but the pee pees hit me pretty heavy! I’ll be more careful next time and take water as I need it. I don’t sweat much so it has to go somewhere! 🙂 I love forward to virtual training with you! See you soon. 🙂

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    1. Matt Frazier from No Meat Athlete talks a lot of about eating dates for nutrition during runs. I’ve tried them and they’re okay, but I really feel like the Jelly Belly sports beans give me the most boost of energy. I’ll have to find some vegan gummy bears and try those, though! As far as pee breaks during the race, I’m going to take as many as I need! This is not a race for me, it’s a journey. 🙂

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