First goal: Run a marathon

It’s been on my list since I ran cross country in high school, but has never happened. I actually signed up for one some years ago, but we moved or something, and I didn’t end up training for it. That seems to have been the pattern- I’m injured (horrible shin splints), working too much to train, studying too hard to train, pregnant, nursing, recovering from a miscarriage, living at sea level (the marathon I’m running is in the mountains), or a combination of the previous reasons. This year I seem to be doing ok: no shin splints, I’m not working or in school, I’m not pregnant or nursing or recovering from a miscarriage, and I’ve moved back to a higher elevation. This is the time!

Last September I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon with my friend R. We trained with Team in Training and raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (go to http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/ to learn more and donate). It was very hot the day of the race, but we had a blast. I decided that the half is a good distance, but I still had to run a full marathon at least once so I could cross it off my list. I haven’t run much since because we moved just as I was coming off my (long) recovery period. We went from warm, sunny weather to freezing, snowy weather. I was used to walking 6 miles a day, 3 times a week, but that habit died quickly when faced with frigid weather. It’s finally warmed up and I’m exercising again, and it feels great!

One of my training partners and I

Cross Training for the Marathon

I’m actually also training for two sprint triathlons that will take place before the marathon. I figure some good cross training should help me get in shape and avoid injury. They’re 500 M swim/12 mile bike/3.1 mile run. The first triathlon is June 7, and that’s the iffiest one- I haven’t swum laps in forever (and I'm not a real strong swimmer to begin with), and it’s now less than a month away. I’m going to have to work hard and pray for the best. The biking and the running I should do ok on- I’m training with DD in our bike trailer and our jogging stroller. Come race day, I’ll have a lot less resistance/weight to carry around, and that should help my endurance and speed. The next triathlon is in August (there’s actually one in July, too, but I’ll be out of town then), and I should do a lot better in that one. Then the marathon is the middle of September. After that, there’s some 5K and 10K trail runs and road races I plan on doing. Once winter comes, though, we’ll have to see if I can keep training. I need to: I can’t go November to April without exercising- it’s just not good for me physically or mentally. I may have to get some exercise equipment and workout indoors. I’ve been wanting a Bowflex Treadclimber, but they're on the expensive side. Hopefully when nasty weather comes again I'll find one on craigslist.