January 17, 2012

Madrid Marathon Training Week 3

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.

There it is, Madrid Week 3. So far, I'm feeling really good about this race. 13 weeks go to!
13 weeks till I'm back in Spain! Ahh!!!

3 comments:

  1. Getting through long runs in the winter always makes me feel like bad ass. Great job!!!

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  2. Running in the cold is SO hard - you're right, it's the prep of getting ready and the first mile or so that are the killers. After that it's actually quite nice because you don't really overheat.

    Good luck and congrats on not missing any workouts this week!

    xxx
    Jenna

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  3. I'm also doing the Madrid Marathon :-) Good luck :-)

    ReplyDelete

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