Sunday, February 10, 2013

I'm All About the Research

I'm getting excited about race season starting up again!  Just 3 weeks until the first 5K of the year!!  And of course there are 11 weeks left before my first 10K of the year - the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon Event on April 27.  As I have the past two years, I'm running the 10K distance in this event.  (They also hold a 5K, half-marathon and full-marathon.)  (Yes, I wimped out and registered for the 10K, not the half.)

I found a training plan on the Athleta web site and spent some time this evening tweaking and transcribing the plan into my Training Log (thanks again, Heidi & Ben, I'm using that thing DAILY and I love it!) to follow my normal weekly workout schedule.  Here is the base plan that I started with:  Training for a 10K


I sort of tweaked it from an 8-week plan to an 11-week plan.  One of the alterations I made was to extend the long runs in the last few weeks, similar to how I trained for the We Care Twin Cities 10K last September.  I really felt great on race day after conditioning my body to run slower, for longer distances.  I got myself "used" to going 7 and 8 miles, and that made the 6.2 on race-day feel fast and easy.  I want that again!  (Plus, can't hurt for training for that half later in the year.)

I picked up this book at the library a couple of weeks ago and have been really enjoying it.  I'm about 2/3 through it now, and I'd like to look back through in the next few days and review what I've gotten from it... sort of a little review I guess.  So you've got that to look forward to.  In the meantime, here's a little sneak-peek:


Photo from Amazon.com

She had me right from the start.  Check out this passage (which begins on page 1) (Really, page 1, she had me!):
Listen to those millions of women runners.  Listen to their quiet breaths as they talk in predawn pairs before the rest of the family wakes or with their group of friends on Saturday morning before lattes.  Listen  to the lessons and the laughter, the questions and camaraderie they share to the rhythm of stead footsteps: “I feel so much stronger… “ “I’m ready to take on a new challenge…” “I never thought I could, but now…”
Women develop a special sorority on the roads.  The bond is based on an understanding of the empowerment that comes with running, full realization of the capabilities of mind and body, appreciation of how far they have come, and a knowing wink that says how much is yet to be gained.  Running, in short, is growth.  Movement.  Progress.  To run is to feel alive.  And so they talk and share – and run.  Singly and in groups, swiftly and slowly, they run.
Now, the whole thing isn't this flowery, it's really quite practical, but those two paragraphs really grabbed me and I've gotten a lot of great tips along the way.  She also includes training plans for beginners, intermediate runners, and for those training for a 10K, half, and marathon.

Okay, now that's about all I have to say for today.  Seriously, three posts in one day?  What is up with me??
Must be the weather.  It's been raining and windy and cold all day.  It's my "rest" day as far as the workout schedule goes, and I even made the hubby walk the dog.  I did a little housekeeping but otherwise, all I've done all day is watch TV and blog.  I gotta admit it's a pretty great way to spend a rainy day.

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