Marathon Training - Week 3 Completed

It has been a very mild winter here in Michigan and that has definitely helped my training. It's been great for running the roads, although today was a bit snowy but not too slick. I've lost just over 15 pounds since mid-January and have slowly watched my mileage and pace per mile increase. Last Saturday I completed a long run of 9 miles. This week was a step-back week and I logged 6.82 miles at a pace of 8:48 per mile. Wednesday and Thursday of this week I pushed myself to runs of 5 miles @ 8:26/mile and 3.62 miles @ 8:17/mile. I've been feeling great and really enjoying my runs. Next week I will begin incorporating some weight training into my plan. S0 far this year I have run 112.44 miles!

Marathon Training - Day 1

I've decided to use Hal Higdon's Novice II Training Guide found in his book Marathon! and on-line at www.halhigdon.com. I used the Novice I Guide when I ran my first marathon in 2008. This one has more mileage and will be a little bit more of a challenge. It also fits beautifully with my calendar because it lines up with a 1/2 Marathon in Gross Ile on March 25th. Today was an easy 3-mile run - I extended it to 30 minutes and totaled 3.36 miles at an 8:55 clip. Not too bad considering the road conditions. Tomorrow is a mid-week "long" run of 5 miles! Weather tomorrow is supposed to be upper 30's - should be perfect!

Snow!

Beautiful run this morning - although a bit chilly at 18 degrees. Went out for an hour long run and logged 6.51 miles. The countryside was incredible - the trees were blanketed with snow. Last week I picked up some duenorth traction aids for my shoes and they worked perfect on the icy and snow covered roads. Great deal at Walmart for only $13.00. They have 6 tungsten carbide spikes, rather than the springs on other ones like YakTrax. Definitely felt more comfortable where there were stretches of dry payment. I've used the spring type ones before and always felt like I was sliding when on regular pavement. Two more weeks of building up some mileage and then beginning the Hal Higdon 18 Week Novice II Marathon Training Guide. Feeling great!

I don't know where I'm going, but I sure know where I've been...

thanks to my Garmin Forerunner 305! Susan bought this for me for Christmas last year and it has been a great tool to help with my running. In the last year, I have run over 1100 miles including races of 25k, 13.1 miles, and 5k! I would recommend a GPS watch to anyone who is getting serious about running - but, if you are just getting started, there is a great site to track your miles on at www.mapmyrun.com. Check it out!

Today I ran for 1 hour and totaled 6.25 miles at 9:36 pace. I ran for 20min, 15min, 10min, 7min, and 4min with a 1min walk in between. Taking a walking break is a great way to build up mileage and get your body used to working for a longer periods of time. I have a slight pain in my left foot, so I took it easy. Hopefully icing it and with a day of rest tomorrow, I'll be ready to go again on Monday and some speed work on Tuesday.

New Year, New Me!

As promised in my last post, here are my goals for 2012.

1. Run my second marathon - I am already signed up for the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City set for Saturday, May 26, 2012. I am using the 18-week training schedule Novice II from Hal Higdon's book Marathon and found on his website www.halhigdon.com. Actually weekly training per the schedule begins the week of Jan 29th - but I will be building up mileage in preparation. Looking forward to conquering this distance once again!

2. Eat an apple a day - the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables will be helpful in training for my marathon - so what can be easier than setting a simple goal to at least eat one apple a day? That's my goal and hopefully it will help me focus on eating healthier all day!

3. Read one book per week - I'm going to try and keep track of each and every book I read just to see how many books I actually do read this year. I will also add the books of the Bible to this reading list - good for me and my spirit!

4. Give up pop for 2012 - I almost made it through all of 2011, but gave in after almost 7 months. I'm committed in 2012 - no pop!

5. Plan weekly meals - good for my wallet, waist, and time management. Looking forward to cooking with the kids and planning healthy meals!

6. Go see Dave Ramsey Live - signed up for May 5th in Grand Rapids. Although I've been applying his methods on our finances for years now, I've never seen him live and am looking forward to it! I hope to eventually help others become debt-free too! If you want me to sit down and help, let me know!

7. And, last, I am going to keep the kitchen clean every day! My goal is to have the counter cleaned off, dishes done, and everything cleaned up by the time I go to bed every night or first thing in the morning. One day at a time!

That's it for now - I'll be back with updates on my goals, as well as ideas for running, saving, budgeting, and eating all year!

New Year, New You?

Time again for New Year goals and resolutions? Have you already put pen to paper with a list of items to change or challenge you for 2012? Did you outline a 12-month step-by-step progress chart to help you along? Let's be honest (and just review my former blog posts to verify), keeping and maintaining New Year resolutions is almost as easy as winning the lottery - the odds are not good.

I used this blog last year to try and keep me accountable - and it worked for about 4 months. As I stopped being responsible to my goals and plan, my accountability to this blog faltered. So, my first post this year is to expose myself to my failures of last year - and, then, like so many others, start all over again!

Below are my goals from last year, tomorrow I'll post goals for 2012. Happy New Year!

1. Run my second marathon - Fall 2011
I did not run my second marathon in 2011. But on December 1, I signed up for my second marathon and will be running the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City on May 26, 2012. I did have some running success in 2011 including a personal record of 2:17:46 at the 25k 5/3 River Bank Run and a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon at Ludington (1:53:33).

2. Lose 30 pounds in preparation for running season - Jan-Apr 2011
- Interesting, I came pretty close to this goal, but June and July with it's bachelor parties, weddings, reunions, etc - pretty much gave it all back.

3. Go one week each month without watching TV
- This was an admirable goal, and, although it wasn't exactly achieved, it did help me place focus on things bigger and better than the most recent episodes of Glee, How I Met Your Mother, and The Office.

4. Read one book per week
- I don't believe I read 52 books last year, although I may have. I read some great books - absolutely loved the Game of Thrones series.

5. Give up all soda pop for 2011
- I admit, I drank a Diet Pepsi on our family vacation at the end of July. I also had a McDonald's coke in September the day after a pretty big MSU tailgate. November and December saw me break down quite a bit. But, overall, I greatly reduced my soda intake and will start all over again in 2012.

6. Plan weekly meals every Sunday
- Another admirable goal and one that benefits us so much, it should be easier to keep. The cost savings of groceries and time make this a no-brainer! More focus on this for 2012.

7. Make six extra mortgage payments this year
- Started out very strong on this goal, actually reaching this goal in May. Ended up making 7 extra mortgage payments in 2011! Very happy and will place focus on this again for 2012