Tag Archives: marathon training

MCM Training: Day 2

So, um, I’m a little excited about marathon training right now.

Since leaving work last night, I’ve run a total of almost 10 miles. I ran the 4 miles after work yesterday and then I met Jocelyn bright and early this morning for another 6. I was *supposed* to do four miles of hills, but I knew I wasn’t going to feel like trekking up to the park before work, and I’m not going to be able to run after work, so I was happy to tag along for Jocelyn’s 6.

We live really close to each other but this is the first time (but hopefully not the last!) we’ve met up to run.

We met exactly one block from my apartment (WOO) and ran the mile to the West Side Highway, two miles down and turned back. I’m waiting for my new Garmin strap to come, so I ran with my phone again and didn’t look at it and just went by Jocelyn’s pace.

Which I would not categorize as “comfortable.” We were definitely pushing it, but not so much so that I couldn’t hang on. I mentally estimated we were running less than an 8:30 mile, but when we turned around, Jocelyn said we’d run 3 miles in 24 minutes. Or basically almost raced a 5K before 6:30am on a Wednesday morning. So clearly we’re going to start a Wednesday am 5K race series, if you’d like to join.

We slowed down a bit on the second half, but still kept under a 9:00 pace. So not quite the “4 miles hills” on my plan but still a solid workout.

As we ran back, I told her I was trying to keep up with her, and she said the same of me.

Lessons learned: let someone else wear the Garmin, run with someone who will push you, maybe break your watch, believe in yourself a little more, actually do your damn hill training.

The Pre-Run High Is a Thing, Right?

I just finished my first Marine Corps Marathon training run!

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Minus that hour I spent refusing to get out of bed this morning after staying up too late last night at another Junior League meeting, I was excited all day to run. I even really wanted to sneak out at lunch, but that’s not really an option for me. But good lord did I want to go as my coworker and I went to pick up lunch. If I hadn’t been wearing 5-inch wedges and a skirt, she might have had to restrain me.

I’m pretty sure I was rocking the world’s first pre-run high today. I printed out my training plan. My creepy coworker who sits next to me and reads my blog aloud (Hi Izzy!) and I talked marathon for a while–she’s doing NYC, and it’s her first! Marathon was seriously on the brain.

I brought clothes to work so that there was no way I’d change my mind once I got home. I changed clothes and pretty much skipped out of work. These days I mostly run in the mornings (which is shocking to me, too), and any time I run at night, my lower back is SERIOUSLY tight when I start after spending all day sitting at a desk. I usually just suck in engage my core and stretch my arms up and it goes away, but it’s an annoying way to start. I ran east to the East River from my office and realized that E. 29th/30th is not the best spot to get onto the East River path, and I ended up running through Bellevue. Oops.

Per my plan, I was supposed to do 4 miles at an “easy” pace. The plan identified “easy” as 10:04. I had my phone in my Spibelt and pulled it out a few times to check my distance, but mostly ran by what felt easy at the time, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was keeping right around a 9:00 mile…even if I wasn’t supposed to.

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I was definitely in a bit of a funk a little earlier this spring, but with lots and lots of endorphins from marathon training and my exciting new Junior League responsibilities, I’m pretty sure all that’s turning around.

Let the games begin.