The Early Worm Gets Caught by the Bird

Another EARLY morning run. I knew I wouldn't be able to run during the day . . . and despite myself decided to do it in the morning versus at night after the girls go to bed.

I'm amazed at how awake I feel after I do that. And, for those who don't know, I am NOT a morning person. But get up and going, a Clif bar (Yes, always Chocolate Brownie), and a run...then finish it out with an iced coffee and a shower....seriously, I feel much better than if I had gotten more sleep. Odd. It's also really nice to get it out of the way - I don't have to worry about something getting in the way of my run later in the day.

That's it - nothing earth shattering...just an observation.

Marathon Training, Take One

I've officially completed week one of my training program. 17 more weeks doesn't seem like much time AT ALL to get to 26 (point two!) miles. . .

I've already altered it a bit, running five instead of doing the cross training on Sunday. I think that will be a week to week decision depending on how I'm feeling. Given the choice, I'd rather get in 5 days of running, but I am hyper aware of how an injury will throw off training. We'll see.

I still need to figure out how I'm going to manage the group run. I love the West Stride group, but I know I'm going to need to train with people who are going the distance. This blog will be a good measure of just how big a procrastinator I am...

HBTM.

Back in the Saddle Again

OK, as I think I've admitted, I've been dogging it a little bit since the half marathon. Coming off of that dedicated training, my workouts since then have been a little lackadaisical, especially my willingness to skip a run...or two...or three.

Well, as of Monday, I am 'officially' on a new training schedule (hopefully) culminating with the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25th in D.C. I'm registered, flight/hotel booked...the whole nine yards, so it's time to knuckle down!

Lately (the past couple Wednesday and Saturday mornings) I've been trying to do just that by joining group runs with West Stride, a running store I think I've mentioned in a previous post. If not, they're just awesome. Laid back really nice people with a ton of knowledge. Everyone I've talked to there has a serious running pedigree, and yet is able to offer sound advice that isn't elitist or deprecating. (And they had free waffles and bacon after the run last Saturday for Father's Day - that's how you hook me for good!)

This is the first I've tried running early on a weekday - the run leaves at 6:00 AM on Wednesdays - and I'm amazed at how good I feel going to work afterwards. (after showering of course.) I was afraid I would be sleeping at my desk by 10:00. I'll definitely keep going with that, but I'm not sure how I can keep going with the Saturday run as I get into the miles on the weekend. I guess I could run with them and then just keep going, but that means losing the group when I'll need it the most. I've also considered joining a marathon training group, but we'll see.