APPARENTLY I AM MARATHON TRAINING AGAIN

Operation "Recapture This Feeling" is on!

Well, that really snuck up on me. So I finally officially registered for the Vancouver, BC marathon. It seems far out, but really May 4th is not that far away. I opened a calendar and counted the remaining weekends until the race... 17! I trained for the Portland Marathon for about 24 weeks. So if I started today I would have a month and a half less training!

The good news is, my fitness between when I started training for Portland and now is very different. I have that mileage base in my legs and a twelve mile run is routine now, not out of the ordinary. So I don't feel too panicked at this point. I could go out and run a marathon tomorrow, not fast or well, but I could do it. I ran sixteen miles a couple weeks ago and felt great afterward. I just ran fourteen hilly miles this weekend and that wasn't a problem either.

Honestly, right now I am basically already doing the first two months of my marathon plan anyways. When I started training last year I added a third weekday run to the mix (I had just been running Monday and Wednesday for the most part). That third run is now a permanent fixture in my week and I am glad to have kept that up! Also, my long runs are now between 12-16 miles, which are just routine at this point. Basically all I have to do is start peppering 18 and 20 mile runs into my weekends and I'll be back in "training mode."

Two changes I'd like to make this time around are: 1) More speedwork. Portland was solely about getting the miles in my legs and finishing strong. Mission accomplished. Now, I'd like to improve upon that time, so I'll need to make sure to get some fast runs in. Every week I'd ideally have a tempo run and either fartlek or interval run. 2) Better recovery. I can't let the longer runs on the weekend affect my weekday training like they often do. I've noticed I feel SO much better after a long run if I do some sort of activity afterward instead of just laying on the couch. Playing a round of golf or going for a walk make a world of difference in how I feel Monday. So, my goal is to get a light jog/walk or some sort of activity in after my long run to loosen me up for the week.

I'll post my official plan here soon. I probably won't obsess over it quite like I did with Portland, as I know the routine now and I am confident in my abilities to get ready for the Vancouver Marathon. The key is to once again get the mileage in my legs so I can run the whole 26.2 strong. The nice thing about training for a spring marathon is the weekend long runs shouldn't be too hot, which will be ideal for training.