More on my training program

Easy run, 7km.

On this crispy cold sunny day I learnt one thing: it's better to feel cold for one km than too warm for the rest of the run. Even though the temperature was barely above freezing, wearing a wind jacket and the thermal underwear shirt was NOT a good idea because I couldn't take off the jacket and run with just the shirt. Always make sure you can strip down to a t-shirt, if necessary.

With more help from Chris from the Galloway organization and also from Joanne (Run For Endurance, check her blog for useful tips), I was finally able to make up my mind about my training plan.
Running a marathon is not something to be taken lightly. I have the uttermost respect for the distance, and in fact I also fear it a bit, so I want to make sure that I can get to the start line well prepared, and to the finish line without injuries. "Run only" successful programs all include strength training and pretty high mileage, to which I can't commit right now. The Galloway program, on the other hand, is a three days per week, low mileage program, with an incredibly high rate of success.
I will follow this approach in the coming weeks, and I will try to find that missing feeling by running without breaks for the last quarter of each long run, which is what I would like to do during the marathon: regular walk breaks until mile 20, then run to the finish.
And if this really doesn't work for me, up until 18 weeks before June 2nd I can still switch to a run-only program like Hal Higdon's, and in those 18 weeks I will have to run 4 times a week.

Galloway test run

Long run: 13km

Even before I signed up for the Stockholm marathon, I was considering adopting the Galloway approach for my long runs because I liked the idea of being able to run long distances without suffering from injuries and/or excessive fatigue. My very first attempt at running with walk breaks though was a complete failure because I didn't follow his recommendations at all, I just ran for 2km and walked for one minute. It was a disaster, possibly the worst workout I've ever done.
The second attempt went much better, I used a 4:1 ratio (4 minutes run, 1 minute walk) for all of the 8 miles of that workout, but in the end I didn't feel any better than after my previous longest run, 10km without breaks. Again, my decision on whether to adopt the Galloway approach or not was postponed.
That's when I signed up for Stockholm.
I spent quite some time sketching a training program, but then I started having doubts about it and I sent an email to Jeff Galloway himself, even though I was not really expecting a reply. About a week later I did get an answer from somebody in the Galloway organization: Chris Twiggs, National Program Director. Chris had clearly spent some time writing down a kind and thoughtful reply, and this alone made me want to go for the run/walk/run method, but not before another test... and that's how we finally get to today's run.
With my best time on a single mile I used Galloway's prediction formulas (see Magic Mile) to calculate my marathon pace and my run/walk ratio. Since I wanted this to be a test run, I picked the ratio that was in between the one recommended for my training (1:1) and the one recommended for my race (2,5:1), so that was 2:1. As for the pace, I still don't have very clear what they recommend, so I decided to pace myself based on the heart rate rather than on the timer.
How did it go? Well... I should check this tomorrow, but now it's 12 hours after I finished my run and I don't have any special complaints other than perfectly normal muscular fatigue. Maybe my left knee is a little bit funky but we'll see tomorrow. So I think I can safely say that the post-run is better, but was the run itself also better? Honestly... no. I didn't feel the elation of last week, and even though I'm trying hard to find some more words to describe what I didn't feel, I think that says it all.

So what do I want from my whole marathon experience? Do I want to feel good while running it or afterwards? I'll have to think about it some more, and in the meantime I'd love the input of anybody who read this.

Messed up run

8km Tempo Run: warm up, 5km tempo, cool down (in theory)


10:20am, and I was not ready to go out yet, because of other commitments that kept me longer than expected. Doubting I'd be able to run 8km (and shower) before having to pick up my daughter (at the latest) at noon: should I run this afternoon with both kids? should I shorten my run? should I try to run it all anyway and hurry afterwards?
In the end I decided to shorten warm up and cool down, and still try to run 5km at a challenging pace for a total of 6km. But also this plan B was shattered into pieces, because I started like a rocket for 1km (only 10 seconds slower than my Magic Mile pace, to make it clearer), I slowed down to 10 seconds slower than my best 5km pace for most of the run, and I bursted in the last km. Well, I could see that as a slow cool down, but that would be a lie.
And then I realized that I had forgotten one little detail again... food. I was really not in the mood to eat much for breakfast, but I had planned to get some quick calories in before going out for my workout... which I forgot. Low sugar run = bad run.


Lesson learnt: run it, don't rush it.

I wanted to post a picture of the mug I got from my husband for my birthday, but I didn't manage to do it last week so here it is:

"I'd rather be running now"

"Friends on your side 

The wind in your face

The freedom of running

And the finish already in sight"

Knee pain

Easy Run: 5km.

My knees were hurting quite a bit yesterday and on Sunday, after the long run, and considering that years ago I've had problems to both (torn meniscus on one side and sprained ligament on the other), I was a bit concerned. This morning, however, everything felt fine and I went out for my easy run with no worries.

And it was exactly that: an easy run. Unlike my other weekday runs though, at the end I didn't want to continue, I was good with just 5km. I guess I am still recovering from Sunday after all.

Singing in the woods

Long Run: 12km

I was looking forward to today's run, finally increasing the distance again after being stuck at 10km for one month, and I was not disappointed. This was my longest run ever, if we don't count a 12.8km with regular walk breaks (4:1), and it felt goooooood!
I ventured out in the woods for the first time, I have biked these paths a couple of times but I had never gone running so far from home.

It's fuzzy because I continued walking but I still like it :-)
(I only walked to take this picture and a few times to drink, no regular walk breaks)

I was running with the ipod, and I developed a perfect test to make sure that I don't go too fast: if I can sing, then it's a good pace. It's good I don't have any Whitney Houston songs in there :-p

As I was approaching the virtual finish line, I saw my husband and kids waiting for me. I hope I can have this smile on my face on June 2nd, at the end of the marathon!

 

Birthday Run

7km Speedwork: Warm up, 2x(1600m fast + 800m jog), cool down.


I woke up this morning to a beautifully decorated living room, a delicious breakfast, some presents and the smiling faces of my husband and kids wishing me a happy birthday. Now if that's not the perfect start for a birthday, I don't know what could be! Let's add an overwhelming amount of messages on facebook from friends and family and a beautiful bunch of flowers from my in-laws and the picture is almost complete for the morning... 
I said "almost" because my workout was also tuned in with the fantastic day: I ignored the paces in my program and went with the general recommendations: warm up, fast, recovery, fast, recovery, cool down. I even walked for two short segments during my recovery periods, and I think this helped in achieving a faster pace for the second fast mile (I even took 5 seconds off my best Magic Mile). All in all, it felt good and I could have easily continued. 
Maybe I need to make my weekday runs longer, or is it a good thing that I'm always left wanting more?

Doubts

5km easy, with kids. 


Beautiful day for a run, too bad I only had to do 5km! It was supposed to be an easy run at a slow pace, but I decided that I didn't want to listen to my (well, actually my husband's) Garmin and I listened to my body instead: I started running at a comfortable but good pace, and after a while I checked and discovered it was about 40 seconds faster than what I had in my plan. I continued with that pace until the end because it felt good.
I have a theory that I need to investigate further: if I start up too slow, then I find it very difficult to speed up to a faster pace, whereas if I already start faster (but still in my comfort zone) then I have no problems keeping it up until the end. 


On a different note, I'm not sure about my training plan anymore. The long run schedule is supposed to be designed for a beginner adopting the run/walk/run approach, but is that also good for somebody who wants to run the whole distance? I find the Galloway approach interesting, but something is keeping me from following it all the way. Next June 3rd I want to be able to say that I ran my first marathon, not that I ran/walked it...