Planes, Trains, and Running Shoes

I never had any intention of running a spring marathon. The idea of running through a cold New York winter was just not something I was interested in. My plan was to focus on strength and cross-training, and maybe a late spring half before gearing up to train for the New York City Marathon.

Somehow, a certain Redhead and I got wrapped up in the excitement of the Marine Corps Marathon and registered for Madrid together. Shortly after Ally and I walked away from the Rock n Roll Marathon Series booth at the Marine Corps Marathon Expo, I realized...of course she wanted to sign up for a spring marathon. She lives in Dallas...where the temperatures for the week ahead look like this:


While I live in New York, where the temperatures for the week ahead look like this:


Yea. Let's talk about Saturday when I'll be doing my 12 mile run during this "light, wintry mix" while Ally is gallavanting through the sunshine.

Running in the cold takes a lot. It takes will power and determination and 25 minutes to get dressed so that I can put on spandex, 2 pairs of socks, a pair of leg warmers, a thermal shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a jacket, gloves, a head band and a hat. It takes me suffocating on the subway and then freezing my sweat off for that brutal first 1/2 mile. But then, the realization sinks in that I must really want this if I'm out here running 9 miles through Central Park on a day when the wind chill factor is 11 and snow flurries are falling on my nose. And it's that realization that is going to get me to that sub-4 goal I've been coveting since my marathon career began.

At least I have a cute new Lululemon top to wear from The Pilot. Too bad I have to throw 17 more layers on top of it before I leave my apartment.

I'm still running 4 miles per week and right now? I don't think I'm going to change that. I like spending my off days cross-training and strength training and building up my strength. I feel so much stronger in these last 3 weeks than I ever have felt in a training cycle and I can directly attribute it to the non-running workouts I've been doing and my dilligence in planning my meals and eating right while still allowing myself to treats like a few beers with friends, an ice cream sandwich or nutella hot chocolate after a run.

I'm still in the early stages of training meaning I'm focusing on 2 easy runs per week with one hill workout and one long run. Next week is meant to be a recovery week before dropping down to 1 easy run per week and adding in some goal pace runs. This is perfect for helping me see where I'm at in order to build a strategy for my next race, the Cowtown Half-Marathon in February. But until then, here's what I'm looking at this week:

Madrid Marathon Training: Week 3
Total Mileage Last Week: 23
Missed Workouts: 0
Trouble Spots: None!
Planned Mileage This Week:

Monday: 5 mile hill run
Tuesday: 3 miles easy + Lower Body Strength
Wednesday: Yoga
Thursday: 5 miles easy + Upper Body Strength
Friday: Cross-train + Lower Body Strength
Saturday: 12 mile run
Sunday: Rest Day

Goals for this Week: Keep it up!
Current Annoyances: The weather.
Things to Keep in Mind: Consistency is key to marathon success. Progression runs aren't meant for hill workouts. Try to focus on maintaing pace instead of pushing the pace until I start incorporating speed work into my training.