Monday, July 14, 2014

Who is officially running the Detroit Marathon!


Hello Everyone! 
I hope you had a great weekend filled with fun, family, and some relaxation. Our weekend (especially Saturday) was jam packed! On Saturday morning I got a long run in with my favorite running group and then we had a tour of the Big House (Michigan's football Stadium), went paddleboarding (more on that later!), and went out to eat at our favorite pizza place in Ann Arbor. 
Sunday was productive and mostly filled with prep for the upcoming week. It was the first Sunday in a while that I started to dread the upcoming week and really did not want the weekend to end... but it was still a good day.

Enough weekend recap ... Let's delve into marathon training and my personal marathon experience for a bit.

I have run 8 marathons -- so you could say I am a bit addicted. 
I have done the following races:
  • Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (Fall) - Love this course! Flat, takes place in November so usually nice and cold, and on a Saturday! I have run it twice!
  • Indianapolis Marathon at Fort Benjamin Harrison  (Fall)- I would not recommend this course to very many people. It is a small race, and the second half is pretty boring
  • St. Louis Go Marathon (Spring) - It was 80 degrees the day I ran this race, so my time was horrible, and the course was actually a lot harder and hilly than I thought
  • Cincinnati Flying Pig (Spring) - I got my PR on this course! This course is hilly and pretty hard, but I loved it. There was great support and the course really showed you Cincy and its suburbs
  • Chicago Marathon (Fall) - I did not love this course and race as much as everyone else. I thought it was too crowded and cramped. It is very flat though!
  • Boston Marathon (Spring) - This course deserves a whole novel! I have a love/hate relationship with it because it is so hard (I have done it twice)! I will say that if you get the opportunity to run it ... you have to do it!
B ran the Flying Pig too - like our bibs?
Since I graduated college in the Spring of 2010 - I have run one marathon every Spring and Fall season. That sounds kind of intense, but I have taken some marathons more "seriously" in regards to my training than others. I usually always sit down and make a training plan, but for some marathons I have been a lot more relaxed about hitting all of my weekly runs -- but for others I have tried really hard and worked in some workouts too. My PR was at the Cincinnati Flying Pig in May 2013, which surprised me because I was not very rigid about my runs and it was a crazy time in my life - I was in the middle of planning our wedding (June 2013), moving, and finding a job. I think this shows that a "good race day" can make a big difference and I felt really good that day. I also felt like I focused on having a positive attitude during this race, and running is 96% mental!


With my friend Emily after the Chicago Marathon
I am excited for the Detroit Marathon this Fall, because I want to put some time and effort into my training and really give it my all! My plan is to run the Detroit Full Marathon this Fall and then take a little bit of time off from full marathons ... maybe race a few half marathons and 10Ks (give my body a little break from the 20 + mile long runs).
This weekend I had a little bit of a shock when I sat down to work out a training plan for the Detroit Marathon and realized it is only 14 weeks away! Wowowo! 
The good thing is that I have been running consistently, so I am not worried about being in shape - I just need to start upping the distance and running with a purpose instead of going on random runs. 

For all of my past marathons, I have based my training plans around Hal Higdon's free training plans. I usually make modifications, but I like his format and his long run distances. 

Here is my rough training plan for the Detroit Marathon on October 19th.


For this plan, I went off of Hal Higdon's Advanced Marathon Training Program.
I want to start by saying that I have run 8 marathons and I feel like my body is used to the pounding and torture I put it through .... and I can handle high mileage, but I would not recommend running this high of mileage to any beginner! If you are interested in help with your own training plan (for any distance), please contact me!!

To explain the plan in a nutshell -
Sundays and Tuesdays - Run easy and lower distances - I have to admit ... sometimes it is hard to go out and just run 3 miles... sometimes I will do 4 or 5 on these days. I always strive to keep it easy though so my legs get a chance to recover
Mondays  -  Run at an easy pace, but I will run higher mileage (this gets a little hard because I always run in the mornings and have to wake up extra early for the extra miles- but I have amazing runner buddies that wake up crazy early and get my butt out of bed too!).
Wednesdays - Workouts - either a hill workout or a tempo run or occasionally I am hoping to motivate myself to do a track workout. I could see some of those 800s becoming tempo runs and I am ok with that! More info on tempo runs and other running specifics at a later date.
Thursdays - Rest days
Fridays - Longer runs and some Fridays I will try and pick it up a bit and run at my marathon race pace. I will do this on my higher mileage/more intense weeks.
Saturdays - LONG runs! I try and meet up with an amazing group in Ann Arbor called PR Fitness for my long runs!
Indianapolis Marathon - one of my favorites!
In this plan I am doing two 20 mile runs. There is always a big controversy over running more than 20 miles and I have to admit, I think I am in the not over 20 mile "long run" camp.
I feel like getting in a 22 or 23 mile long run does more harm than good. I do not think the extra miles will help at all and it will just tear down your body even more. I have done both in preparation for a marathon and I think I will stick to running 20 miles as my longest run. In the race, you run the last 6 miles with your guts and your mind anyways!


Well - this post is getting long, as you can see ... I love running and talking about running. I plan to do many more posts on running and racing in the future! Also, I will check in occasionally and let you guys know how the training is going (and you guys can hold me accountable for doing the weekly workouts!).


But how was your weekend? Also, any races or big events coming up for you?

2 comments:

  1. Hi Julie! I came across your blog and read the entries you've written so far and really enjoyed reading them! I'm not nearly the runner that you are but I do enjoy learning about fitness. I ran my first 5k in spring 2010 and then after a couple of years off ran the St. Louis Go 10k last fall 2013. I'm about to start training for a 10-mile race in Minneapolis this fall and am really excited! I'm slowly working my way up to a half marathon, which I hope to run next year. Looking forward to reading more of your blog! Good luck with your marathon training! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christy - so good to hear from you and thanks for reading! A 10 mile race sounds awesome (good distance!) and great build up for the half marathon - Do you know which one you are considering trying next year? It is always fun to travel for races too!

      Delete

Disclaimer

I am not a registered dietitian (yet). My blog is simply a snapshot of my everyday life. The views I express are mine alone, based on my own experiences, and should not be taken as medical advice. Though I am a certified fitness instructor, the workouts I post may not be right for you. Please speak with a medical professional before making any changes to your current routine.