Tag Archives: Marathon Training

15 Miles …. in the Snow

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13

Week 13 of Lansing Marathon training closed out with a 15 miler.  Actually, if we are going to be honest, it should have been 17 miles but I knew I was by no means ready for that so I improvised!  As with all things in life, sometimes its more important to cover your ass improvise than it is to actually follow directions.  The last three weeks have been slow due to Ragnar recovery, the flu and my bum foot.  15 miles was plenty.

As it is, my weekends tend to bear the brunt of any training and life schedule so by the time the weekend hits, I’m trying to make up for whatever I couldn’t fit into the normal work week.  This week was no different, Friday night I hit the treadmill for a short speedier run, then did some core/strengthening work that the doc ordered.  I was also trying to break in a new pair of Brooks Ravenna 3s that showed up on my door step last week.

      me_core-ball work               Brooks Ravenna 3_ball work    

Then Saturday was long run day; however, hubby had to work in the morning so the run was broken up into 3 segments.  5 miles on the treadmill while screaming at the kiddos at the designated training pace (9:15ish).  Then hubby arrived home, I dried off and changed clothes to immediately head outside.  I had 5 miles on deck with a buddy, we were close to my training pace of 9:15 but I was starting to die out cuz I apparently wasn’t fueled properly so lagged the last mile.  I returned to my car to refuel only to realize I didn’t have any of my normal fuel, the AdvoCare Rehydrate Gel.  I dug into my bag of tricks to find an alternate fueling option, then took off on my own for the last 5.  By this time, I pretty much felt like crap.  The 5 on the treadmill felt okay but I could tell I was dragging a little cuz it certainly wasn’t as easy as last week, the middle 5 felt tough on the snow covered path.  Not a lot of snow but enough to screw up my already damaged foot strike. 

OPT_snowy_1-26-13

me_snowy run_1-26-13

And well, let’s just not talk about the last 5 or the fact that the alternate fueling option caused digestive distress which resulted in my having to abandon the trail in search for a bathroom.  By the time I returned to my car, everything hurt including my pride.  However, nothing could take away the fact that I still covered 15 miles, in the dead of winter, when I would have rather been huddled on the couch drinking beer cuddling my babies.

So it may not have been a marathon training win but it was still in the done column.

“Run”Way Fashion for a snowy day with temps in the low 20s:  Athleta Reflective Relay Tights (in Tall), Under Armour Mock compression base layer, Brooks Infiniti Hybrid Windshirt (on sale for $62), regular socks with Brooks Ravenna 3s, lightweight Manzella Sprint Gloves & Athleta Base Miles headband.

image     image      image        

Brooks Ravenna 3_snow image  image

As the temps decrease and the wind picks up, then I add more layers (pants over tights and tech shirts over base layer, possibly tall compression socks, hat in addition to headband)  but this type of gear will get your thru most cold winter runs.  Winter isn’t the time to skimp on good gear. You don’t need a lot, just a few key pieces, then wash them by hand & hang to dry for tomorrow!

Happy running, regardless of the mileage, don’t be afraid to get out and hit the trail even when the conditions aren’t perfect.  Just take it easy so you don’t slip and if its icy instead of snowy, hit the streets or stay inside.  Don’t mess with the ice or you’ll regret it for months.

** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

How To Train For a Marathon…..

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17

A marathon is something that some hold sacred while others toss the word around like it’s nothing, no big deal.  The truth, it is a big deal.  It is a big undertaking.  It is a commitment.  I know I’ve talked about the marathon, and what you can expect, in my Interested or Committed post.  However, I wanted to revisit it again to put a fresh spin on it since the spring marathon season is staring us down.

mar·a·thon

1.  long-distance race: a long-distance footrace run over a distance of 42.195 km (26 mi 385 yds)

2.  difficult undertaking: a lengthy and difficult task, event, or activity

3.  endurance test: a test of endurance, especially in a competition

If you want to run a spring marathon, or any marathon, you first need to commit.  This means registering.  If this is your first time, or you “possibly” have had a bad experience in the past, then I understand your fear hesitation but really put your money where your mouth is and all of a sudden it will become real. 

$$ Spent = Commitment

chicagomarathon pic

After you blew the money on the registration, now get on your favorite social media account and tell the world.   Yes, tell everyone you know that you registered for a marathon!  Be proud and soak up that moment when everyone says your crazy amazing.  This will make you accountable.

Public Announcement = Fear of Public Humiliation Accountability

Now that you are committed & accountable, it’s time to think about training.  There are a bunch of plans available.  You can spend as much or as little as you want.  Some people go directly to a coach but most start browsing the net.  Three tried and true options for training plans:

  1. Hal Higdon – By far the most popular source for training plans.  Free.  Easy to use.  Variety of training options.  18 weeks of hell fun.  I’ve used a variety of his plans on numerous occasions.  I always have the promised outcome, a finish.  Win, Win. 
  2. Train Like a Mother:  How To Get Across Any Finish Line – and Not Lose Your Family, Job or Sanity – Very popular with the #MotherRunners.  $9.99 for the book which includes 9 training plans for all distances for beginners and advanced runners alike.  Entertaining.  Not all about running.  Catchy title.
  3. Run Less Run Faster – A Runners World publication.  $11-16 for the book.  Popular with injury prone runners.  Three key runs per week.  Detailed training plans for each of the Boston Qualifying times.  Challenging.  Encourages 2 cross training days and provides specified workouts for various cross training activities.  Detailed strength & stretching plans.

Training Plan = Success

You’ve spent your $$, you’ve told your friends, you picked a plan. It’s easy from here on out.  Just follow the plan and trust in your training.  Don’t freak out if you miss a workout here or there because you do still need to maintain your REAL LIFE.  However, for the most part, be a task master and just do what it says.  Follow along week by week and don’t peak to far ahead so that you aren’t overwhelmed.  Clean up your food intake cuz it’s possible the training will make you feel as if your starving extra hungry.  If you don’t have the metabolism or mileage of Marathon Mike, don’t eat ice cream for lunch like he does ….. won’t work for you, or me!  Keep your food intake clean by drinking your water,  eating your fruits & veggies, and focusing on lean proteins and whole grains. Oh yeah, and alcohol will dehydrate you. 

Balanced Diet = Healthy Weight

The last, and possibly most important, ingredient in successfully training for a marathon is rest.  Don’t be crazy; get some sleep.  Your body will be doing amazing things.  It repairs while you sleep.  So if you want to be as successful as possible, you might need a few extra ZZZZZZs.  Don’t feel bad about it.  Sleep.

Rest = Repair

I could go on forever but I won’t. 

Any other tips you want to share about marathon training?

** Happy Training ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **

Trust Your Training Plan

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17

A lot of my friends & F’N Runners are currently in the midst of the heavy training miles for the 2012 Chicago Marathon.  Everyone is hitting their miles and making amazing progress yet their confidence is not boosted with the completion of each long run.  Instead they are filled with doubt.  They are doubtful they will finish, doubtful they are running enough, doubtful they will be fast enough to make the cut-off, doubtful that they can even make it thru next week’s run because the run this week went so poorly. 

I’m want ALL OF YOU to know that you will make it thru the next run, and the one after that, and the 20 miler.  We will get your nutrition in check and find out what works for YOU in order to get you to the start line with nervous excitement rather than doubtful dread.

chicago-marathon

You are certainly not alone when you look around and wonder if you are going to make it thru the training.  This is absolutely normal!  At this point, you are starting to hit the high miles and it’s not easy.  I remember getting back into my car after many a long run wondering how I could possibly get thru the next bump in miles.  Yet, I did it, each and every time.  It doesn’t get easier when  you have more marathons under your belt, you just know to trust the training plan.  Trust the training plan YOU picked.  Think about it for a minute, you picked a plan for a variety of reasons but basically because you thought it was “somewhat” manageable for your life.  You probably downloaded it from the internet, right?  How many other people have used that same plan before you?  You probably downloaded a plan from a well know website, right?  How do you think that person or that website got so popular?  Well, it wasn’t because the people who ran the plan before you didn’t make it thru the training,  couldn’t manage the next bump in mileage, didn’t finish their race.  They did finish and so will you!

So take a deep breath, stop panicking and trust in your training plan.  Here are a few things to consider:

  1. If you are having excessive soreness & fatigue after the long run, consider an ice bath.  Nobody wants to take one but they do help.  It is the fastest way to cool the muscles and decrease swelling.  Everyone does it differently but I sit in the empty tub, start the cold water, plug the tub and immediately dump in the ice.  I use a lot of ice, a heaping full 8×8 pan, no less.  Let the tub fill to the top of your hip bones and sit for as long as you can.  I usually shoot for 15 minutes between fill time & sit time.  I take my phone, check Facebook, brag about my AWESOME long run, let everyone know I didn’t die, send out a few tweets about how my training partners totally ROCKED THE RUN, etc.  Basically be prepared to distract yourself from the cold water.
  2. Don’t forget to use a Post Workout Recovery Drink that helps you get back your lost nutrients immediately after the run.
  3. If your “on the run” nutrition plan is not working, change it.  Now is the time to nail down what works for you.  Remember that what works for Suzy may not work for you, so talk to several people to get various ideas.  Keep trying, you’ll figure it out!  If all else fails, keep things very bland both the night before and the morning of the long run.  I like to keep it simple with a bland pasta dish with very little protein or fiber the night before, then a banana in the morning of the run.
  4. Consider getting up a few minutes early to drink a cup of coffee or have an energy drink that will get your blood and intestines “flowing” pre-run.  This could help avert an awkward run into the bushes for an emergency pit stop!
  5. Weather makes a difference!  By this point in the summer, you have probably realized that when it’s really hot out, its just not safe to run your normal pace.  In addition to adjusting pace, you will need to adjust your fluid intake.  Consider a hydration belt, handheld or hydro pack and plan ahead to drop water along your route.  Buddy up for the water drop and run so that you will have various places where you can expect icy cold water without having to do all the drops yourself!  I would also recommend dropping more than you need in case another runner, who is not as well prepared, needs to “borrow” some of your supply.   If you see this cooler on the trail, help yourself; I always bring extra!cooler
  6. Know that the higher temps and high humidity will result in more sweating.  The sweat flushes salt out of your system so go a little heavier on the salty foods the day before the long run.  Consider salty snacks, salt tabs, electrolyte drinks or a salt packet on long runs/race day to put a little salt back in your body to avoid water poisoning.
  7. Know that you and Suzy probably aren’t using the same training plan, so don’t go out and run 10 miles with her because that is what she has on her schedule.  Commit to the plan you picked and DO NOT feel guilty.  You will both be standing in front of the same finishers screen wearing the same shiny new medal!

image

Don’t stress; “You’ve Totally Got This”!

Do you  have a specific training issue/question?  If so, comment below and the readers will try to help you out! 

If you have any training tips that can help calm the nerves of our beginner marathoners, I’d appreciate your sharing!

** Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz ** amanda@tootallfritz.com

Interested or Committed?

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14

As the new year fast approaches, I have been hearing lots of chatter amongst runners about what 2012 will bring.  There is a lot of peer pressure encouragement of some to make this the year to attempt the marathon distance.  So, in case this is YOU and you are feeling the pressure, let’s just break it down a bit so you can decide if you want to commit.  There is a big difference between loving to run and committing to a marathon.  I certainly don’t want anyone to lose the love for running because of peer pressure committing to a marathon.  

  • Most Training plans are 18 weeks
  • If you are “thinking” of running the 2012 Chicago Marathon on October 7, 2012, training will start the week of June 4th.
  • 18 weeks is a LONG time to train, if you keep a 10 mile base, you can jump into the beginner plan at week 5 and make it a 13 week training plan, thus commencing the week of July 2nd.
  • You CANNOT skip the long runs.
  • You will be tired and hungry.
  • Your social life will suffer from lack of alcohol early bedtimes.
  • You will be proud each week as your mileage increases.
  • You will be in disbelief that although you crawled to your car barely made it back last week that you managed another mile or 2 “this” week.
  • You will learn to love ice baths.
  • You will get acquainted with Toe Protectors.
  • You will learn about nutrition and what your body needs to recover.
  • You WILL be able to run 26.2 on October 7th even though you will never have covered that distance previous to that day.
  • You may cry, hyperventilate, vomit, crap your pants have to make a pit stop, get chub rub, lose a toe nail or three …..but you will never be prouder than crossing the finish line.
  • You will swear that you will NEVER run another marathon.
  • You will be on the start line with all your friends on October 6, 2013. 
 
Here is the Hal Higdon Beginner Marathon training plan.  I don’t know many people who would need to start at this point, but it’s an option.    Check out Hal Higdon’s site  HERE to browse his other options, or just show up and run what I run and you’ll get there. 
 
Week
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Sun

1

Rest

3 m run

3 m run

3 m run

Rest

6

cross

2

Rest

3 m run

3 m run

3 m run

Rest

7

cross

3

Rest

3 m run

4 m run

3 m run

Rest

5

cross

4

Rest

3 m run

4 m run

3 m run

Rest

9

cross

5

Rest

3 m run

5 m run

3 m run

Rest

10

cross

6

Rest

3 m run

5 m run

3 m run

Rest

7

cross

7

Rest

3 m run

6 m run

3 m run

Rest

12

cross

8

Rest

3 m run

6 m run

3 m run

Rest

Rest

 Half Marathon

9

Rest

3 m run

7 m run

4 m run

Rest

10

cross

10

Rest

3 m run

7 m run

4 m run

Rest

15

cross

11

Rest

4 m run

8 m run

4 m run

Rest

16

cross

12

Rest

4 m run

8 m run

5 m run

Rest

12

cross

13

Rest

4 m run

9 m run

5 m run

Rest

18

cross

14

Rest

5 m run

9 m run

5 m run

Rest

14

cross

15

Rest

5 m run

10 m run

5 m run

Rest

20

cross

16

Rest

5 m run

8 m run

4 m run

Rest

12

cross

17

Rest

4 m run

6 m run

3 m run

Rest

8

cross

18

Rest

3 m run

4 m run

2 m run

Rest

Rest

 Marathon

I personally adapt a version of his advanced plan and then fit in what I can.  I would be running more than this on the weekends but never rarely fit in all the miles during the week.  I also am a big proponent of rest days.  After I run a 20 miler, I will rest, not run a 3 mile recovery run on Sunday or Monday.   This may be why I will never BQ but my body needs that.  I do it for fitness and to push my limits.  This means that some days I walk cuz I feel like it need it.  I will probably walk some during the marathon, especially if it’s hot.  My personal goal is to cross the finish line. I know others have more concrete goals and that is okay but this is an excruciating difficult distance for me so an accomplishment in itself.  I know it’s much easier for some than others and I hope it’s easy for you.

Look thru the training plan here, browse the net a bit, and then make your own decision as to whether you want to commit.  As with anything, if you want it, you and only you have to MAKE IT HAPPEN.    I’ve made my decision, how about you?

Happy Running,                                                                                                                  Amanda – TooTallFritz