Marathon Training Week 1
Welcome to week 1 of marathon training! If you click on the activity links after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.
Day 1 | Monday, June 15: Cross-train for 30 minutes
I had my mind set on doing the 30 Day Shred and walking for 30 minutes, but I just wasn’t feeling it when I got home. I felt sad and worn out. So Steven and I walked two miles together, made dinner, watched Bride Wars, and went to bed “early” (10:00 PM).
Distance: 2.00 miles | Time: 29:48 | 1: 14:36 | 2: 15:09 | 3: 00:02
Day 2 | Tuesday, June 16: Run 3 Miles
Oops. This was supposed to be a “comfortable” pace, with specific instructions not to “push the pace.” Well. I think Erin and I were just having too much fun! We took off, and started chatting, and I knew I was going faster than I should, but I didn’t want to slow down (even though my body did). I will work on going slower. And wow. It was SO FUN to do this midday lunch run with Erin. It totally made my day! I noticed I was super hungry the entire day though, even after dinner. I will have to handle that better in the future.
Distance: 3.07 miles | Time: 26:42 | 1: 8:26 | 2: 9:11 | 3: 8:27 | 4: 00:36
Day 3 | Wednesday, June 17: Run 5 miles
Ugh. This was not my run. I felt exhausted from only getting 5 hours of sleep, and was also crazy hungry all day, even though I brought more than enough food to work. To try to pep myself up for my run, I read Runner’s World articles on their website on the train ride, and ate some pomegranate Luna Moons when I got home.
My goal was to start out slow then speed up in the end. As you can see in my splits below, that didn’t happen. I felt lethargic, somewhat dizzy and thirsty (even though I drank A TON of water during the day) the entire time I was running. I felt like my muscles never “warmed up,” despite the sun being out and a 70°F temperature. Boy, was I a sweaty mess. I. Just. Felt. Awful.
FAIL run.
So what did I learn? Start out super, super, SUPER slow if you plan on speeding up in the end, and especially if it is hot outside. And maybe I even need to bring water with me on a run of this distance when it is so hot. Oh yeah, and make sure I have food in my stomach, because running when you are hungry like that SUCKS.
Even though I felt like I was running slower than I wanted, when I looked at my heart rate on the Garmin website, I realized I probably shouldn’t have pushed it any further. I was at my maximum heart rate for most of the run.
Now, if I could only figure out why I felt like I was going to puke after I tried to eat my taco salad at dinner time. Hey, at least feeling sick got me in bed at 9:00!
Distance: 5.00 miles | Time: 47:57 | 1: 9:28 | 2: 9:18 | 3: 9:29 | 4: 10:09 | 5: 9:29 | 6: 00:01
Day 4 | Thursday, June 18: Run 3 miles
I was determined to make this a better, slower run – “comfortable” like the training said. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid 70’s (although, like Wednesday, it was supposed to be raining), so I took my Ice Mountain water bottle with me. And I got to run with Steven! He hasn’t been running much lately because he is still recovering a hip injury from the half marathon. He ran the first mile with me, and the first half of the third mile.
So, how did it go? I felt almost as crappy as on Wednesday’s run. The sloshing water bottle annoyed me. I felt like I was going too fast, even though nothing was in pain. I just felt uncomfortably hot. I felt like the sun was melting me, I was so sweaty again. The humidity must have been 2000%. Okay, not really, but Steven brought up a good point – that the humidity probably WAS high since it was supposed to rain. I checked when we got home – humidity at 73%, dew point at 67°F.
I’ve gotta learn how to run in the heat, since I usually run in the evening on weekdays.
I was supposed to do strength training after this run. Um yeah. No.
Data likes to rub up against my sweaty legs when I get home and try to get me to take him outside. Nice try, cat. The first thing mommy has to do is take a shower…
Where ever did Data learn such language? Has he been hanging around that bird?!
… after she eats half of a vegan banana muffin, that is!
Steven made these! Recipe here.
Distance: 3.01 miles | Time: 28:10 | 1: 9:23 | 2: 9:27 | 3: 9:17 | 4: 00:02
Day 5 | Friday, June 19: Rest
Day 6 | Saturday, June 20: Run 5 miles at marathon pace
This was my first run at race pace – the pace I plan to run during the marathon. Since we ran 9-minute miles at our half marathon, I am really hoping to run the same at the full and keep the race under 4 hours. I realize this is incredibly ambitious though, so I may have to adjust my goal as I progress through training.
I was nervous about this run since my last two had been so hard. I made sure I was out of the house by 6:00 am. It was already bright and sunny (it was the longest day of the year!) and halfway through, I had to stop and drink some water, and pour some down my front and back. I could tell the temperature was rising just in the hour I was outside! It was 69°F, with a 67°F dew point and 90% humidity. Can someone please explain what all of this means to me?
Overall, I stayed within my goal of finishing in 45 minutes, but as you can see, I need to work on my pacing.
During the last mile, I felt a blister starting to form on the outside of my left foot. I think I jinxed myself! I was just commenting on Beth’s post about shoes and blisters that I NEVER get blisters. Darn darn darn.
Distance: 5.00 miles | Time: 44:10 | 1: 8:39 | 2: 8:44 | 3: 8:45 | 4: 9:02 | 5: 8:58
Day 7 | Sunday, June 21: Run 8 miles
The training program advises the runner to do their long runs “anywhere from 45 to 90 seconds per mile slower than their marathon pace,” which would be 9:45-10:30 minute miles for me. Phew. I felt reassured knowing that I was supposed to take this run nice and slow. And I was successful in doing that.
I got up early (6:30 am) and went to the Nippersink Forest Preserve, which is less than a 5-minute drive from our house! I felt like I needed a change of scenery from running in our neighborhood.
The shrubs were not this high when I was here a month ago!
This forest preserve has an inner and outer loop, both about 1.25 miles in distance.
Quite a few people showed up to fish while I was there.
Again, the heat caught up with me by the end. I wore our hydration belt, and was still dehydrated when I stopped running. I think I need to stop at the car and rehydrate with even more water during these longer runs.
This is what I like to do after I get up so early to run:
I love to nap with Data!
Data is tired from, uh… sleeping all day on Saturday?
Distance: 8.00 miles | Time: 1:18:38 | 1: 9:59 | 2: 9:44 | 3: 9:58 | 4: 10:06 | 5: 9:49 | 6: 9:52 | 7: 9:44 | 8: 9:22
Week Summary: 24 Miles
The heat made this a tough week for me. I felt like it just came out of nowhere. Even though I diligently keep myself hydrated throughout the day, I still found myself fighting symptoms of dehydration during my runs. So, I am going to continue to wake up early to run on the weekends, and bring lots of water with me.
I realized I really need to focus on my pacing and follow the program. If I am supposed to run “comfortably,” I need to run comfortably! Otherwise, I could potentially mess up the rest of the weeks runs and risk overtraining.
Writing about running is addictive! I now understand why people have blogs solely devoted to it! Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what would make my weekly recaps better!
P.S. Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I know you’ll read to the very bottom of this. Thanks for sending me emails each week with the typos you found on this website! You’re always watching my back, ha ha. Seriously though, thanks for putting up with all of my craziness and supporting my “interesting” hobbies over the years. I love you!
Themocracy
I quite enjoyed reading about your first week of marathon training. You are wise in trying to determine what went wrong during the runs that felt more like “junk miles”. In my experience, I’ve found that there is no one training plan that is a one-size-fits-all and often times you have to customize it to fit your lifestyle, experience and/or abilities. Training in the hot (and humid) weather really sucks the pleasure out of training for a marathon. However, you should remember this one thing: The minute you complete your first marathon, you not only join a very exclusive club, but you will feel more powerful and proud of yourself than probably any other time in life. There’s no cheating the miles. You either make it 26.2 or you don’t. The first challenge is making it to the start line. I think that is actually the hardest part because the marathon itself is such a high, it will be over before you know it. Good luck in your training, guard against injury and most of all, have fun!
Yay, congrats on your first week of Hal’s program! That heat was brutal, so props for getting through all those hot runs!
I think it was a great first week! Ugh, the heat coming in is not good for anyone’s marathon training! Boooo. (My half is on July 19th and it’s just starting to get hot here.)
Dang. Sorry about the blisters. Hoep I didn’t jinx ya.
Thanks for writing about your first week, and being honest abt it! I dream to run a marathon one day, too, and I love the experiences you share with us and your advices! Please take care though! The heat these days are unbearable!
i am SO IMPRESSED with all of this. marathon! EEK!
I never run, and I found this blog interesting. Sounds like you know exactly what you’re doing. I also loved the cute Data pictures! I like all the pictures actually.
What an awesome first week! Ugh, this weather makes running ten times harder. The humidity reallllly gets to me. The good thing is that training in it will make your actual marathon seem “easier” since it won’t be this hot and humid (hopefully?!).
That preserve is breathtaking. It’s so nice to change the scenery now and then with running – makes time go by faster, too. 🙂
The humidity and the heat were definate factors this week but you are learning more about keeping hydrated and are making progress. Keep it up!
YAY for making it thru your first week of marathon training!!!! bless your heart, you look so hot!!! you look much more content when you and Data are napping!!! :o) awww, i liked the “shout out” to your dad!!!!
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[…] I decided to run another 5K, I’ve been totally on schedule with my training. Unlike poor Kim, I don’t melt in the heat…I thrive in it. And that’s partly because I am just […]
Great job on week one. This weather has certainly made it difficult to run in.
Carol – Thanks for your encouragement! I am trying to think of the heat and humidty as an extra challenge that will make a (hopefully!) cooler October race a little bit easier. I know that after that marathon high is over I will either be signing up for another or swearing I’ll never do it again! (Then probably sign up for another later)
Mica – Thanks 😉 I know you were probably struggling with the same thing all week!
Holly – Thanks! These heat is really slowing a lot of us down, isn’t it? I hope your 7/19 half turns out to be unusually cool! 😉
Beth – LOL! I don’t think you did. I popped it, as well as the blood blister I got on the end of my toe. I hope that is the end of that. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…
Sophia – I am happy a “non-runner” enjoyed my LONG LONG post. Don’t worry about me! I am going to be drinking water by the galloons soon!
Alice – Thanks 😉
Jen512 – Thanks! I thought it was funny that 3 pics of Data showed up on a post about running! Hee hee.
Holly – That is what I am hoping! *fingers crossed* I feel so lucky to live by all of the forest preserves and be able to do something different! I really like running in “nature.” 😉
Christina – Thanks! I just checked out tomorrow’s forecast – 90 degrees! Yikes!
CourtneyInControl – I was more content then. Hmm, how did you know? Ha ha ha.
Tony – Thanks. I was really hoping the fact that I lost weight from last summer would make it easier to run in the hot temps, but I think it is going to be hard no matter what!
Those muffins look really tasty! I may have to try out that recipe! Did you leave out the chocolate chips in yours?
Ok, I wasn’t going to comment on your running blog, I figured that I would read and learn. But then I saw Data and figured I should at least leave an aww! He is so cuddly!
Julia – Oh my gosh, they were SO GOOD! We did leave out the chocolate chips, because neither of us care for that combo 😉
Gina (Mannyed) – LOL. Thanks 😉 I will Data his aunt Gina sends him a hug and a snorgle! 😉
One week down…seventeen to go! The nice part about fall marathons is that it will hopefully be cooler when you actually race! (Keyword: hopefully.) Off to a good start!
Great job on week one of marathon training!!! I hear you on the heat…..I almost DIED a couple times out there last week. I did my long run of 10 miles by the lake on Saturday……cooler near the lake, yeah right!!! In any case, I think that training in the heat is good practice in case marathon day is really hot.
PS. Napping with the kitty is my favorite thing to do after a long run, too : )
congrats on week one!!!! the heat definitely makes running tough but you still had a great week! keep it up girlie!
Susan – I bet that 17 weeks is just going to fly by! And I am crossing my fingers for cooler weather! Who knows though, with the way the midwest is!
nancypants – Thanks 🙂 That is what I keep saying to myself “This heat is good training. This heat is good training.” But… it doesn’t really make me feel better when I am running! Ha ha. And that lake effect doesn’t mean much if it’s already in the high 80’s! I plan on many naps with Data 😀
aron – Thanks! I am looking forward to the heat as a challenge… remind me later that I said this… 😉
Great job on week 1! The heat is a huge challenge, especially now that it came out of absolutely nowhere! It will slow you down, make you feel like crap somedays but it will also make you a stronger runner. Good luck!
Jamie – Thanks! I needed your positive encouragment for my 5-miler tonight in the high 80s! Ha ha! Maybe I will borrow your mantra when I am running “this WILL make me a stronger runner!”
Regarding your Day 3 run, I had a heart rate graph like that on a 4-mile run in the heat and I happened to be seeing my doctor shortly after that. I asked her about it since my heart rate normally levels off rather than continuing to climb and she said that it was most likely a sign of dehydration. FYI.
We’ve had 100+ degree days most of this month I think, so I kind of chuckle when you talk about the heat. 🙂
Wow! I am completely in awe of you. This marathon week one is incredible! You have been running SO MUCH! And yeah, the heat is INSANE and almost unbearable. I run at around 6ish usually at night and it is still so freaking sunny and hot and humid and sweaty! Blech!!!
Ren – That is interesting. How is your heart rate related to your hydration level? Maybe I will have to look into that. Are your 100 degree days humid? I think I could take that if it wasn’t humid.
Shaina – Thanks! I think the humidity is what is killing us! I guess that is what we get though, living in the midwest 😉
I didn’t research the hart rate / dehydration relationship, I simply took my doctor’s word for it. Which is a bit out of character for me but probably is an indication of how much a like my current doctor as compared with some past doctors.
It’s pretty humid here. Not Houston-humid (ugh!), but certainly not dry.
Hmm… I guess I’m wrong. Looks like today’s max humidity is forecast to be 44% — much lower than I thought. And now that I think about it, I guess I haven’t been having that swimming-through-the-air feeling.
Ren – I am usually skeptical with doctors (everyone?) too. It is so refreshing when you find one you feel like you can trust! 44% humidity sounds good to me! Of course, I am sure it’s not like that every day there 😉