Another Year

Well it's been a few weeks because I have been trying to work through a hard decision to pull the plug on training for Grandma's Marathon this year. I am already registered and have paid for the privilege. However it is just that, a privilege to run and train for a marathon and sometimes you have to make hard decisions.

My training this year has been very good, I haven't missed a workout and have been progressing as planned. However this late summer my wife will be expecting twin girls. As she progresses, I realize that my 16+ mile Saturday morning runs are harder on her then they are on me with having to wake at 6:30am to care for our 20 month old boy. I also know that as we get further into the summer and her pregnancy, she will most likely go on bed rest. I will not have the support needed to run a marathon and she will not have the support that she shouldn't have to ask for.

Being a runner is a wonderful thing. It will be with me through having children, it will be with me while I raise my children and hopefully it will be something I can pass on to my children or at least its principles of patience, consistence, determination, planning, reflecting and freedom.

This will be a year of maintaining, half marathon's and 10K's. I will have to focus on family, work and look to next year for another marathon and someday Boston.

Training week six

This week is starting out right. Saturday I ran nice 14 mile run at a comfortable yet steady pace. I had a couple short recovery runs Sunday and Monday. Tuesday, tempo run of 10 miles in an 1hr 10min. Miles 2-4 in 14:20 and miles 4.25-7 @ a 7min pace. I felt strong through the end of the tempo sessions and finished the last few miles at marathon goal pace (8:10pace)or a little slower. Today was a easy 5 miles on the treadmill and upper body weight training.

Long time gone

Indeed I have been gone a long time. I just currently finished week 4 of my 16 week training schedule for Grandma's Marathon, scheduled for June 21st in Duluth Minnesota. This past week was my best week training with a total of 41 miles. As far as the prior 3 weeks I will give a run down on miles at the bottom of the post, however work has been busy, but I should be more balanced good forward to get in all my workouts.

The coming weeks I am aiming to increase my milage so by the end of May I will have 3 , 60+ mile weeks. My strategy this year is to consentrate on more good miles and pick up some speed workout toward the end of the longer weeks and into June. Hoo Ahh.

Week 1 - 27 mi
Week 2 - 28 mi
Week 3 - 21 mi