Sunday, May 30, 2010

Week 2

Pretty relaxed running week; weekly total was 26. Long run was 8 miles, ran with my training buddy on Friday instead of the Saturday group run. The weather is heating up but I feel I am slowly adjusting to it.

The bottom of my heels are bothering me a little, have been since the Cellcom HM. After doing some research, I think it is "heel fat pad syndrome" where the fat pad of the heel becomes bruised. I am going to the Good Feet store this week to buy some heel inserts for my running shoes. Other than this small problem, I am feeling great!

This week I also created my online fundraising page. http://www.firstgiving.com/diannamalkowski1. My goal is to raise $1750 for God's Littlest Angels, an orphanage in Haiti.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

First week

This week was my first week of marathon training. Overall it was a little strange because I ran less than I have been lately because I am coming off of running some HMs. It gave me the feeling of the first week of a new semester in school and feeling frustrated because of the slow start. I actually ran a little more than my plan called for out of habit.

First group run 5/22/10: Met Molly and Amy a little before 7AM in the Pick and Save parking lot. There were more runners present than I expected- about 60. Promptly at 7AM we were off. The six miles went by quickly and were pretty easy. We ran about a 9 minute mile. The weather was overcast, in the 60s, no wind (perfect running conditions).

One week down, 17 to go!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Tomorrow is the big day

Tomorrow is the big day- my first of 18 group training long runs! I have been looking forward to this day since last fall. Tomorrow is the day I can finally start preparing to become a marathoner.

Here is my running history: While I have exercised almost daily for over ten years, I started running seriously three years ago. The reason was not because I wanted to, but because my elliptical was back in our old house, and we didn't want to buy a gym membership. So I started run/walking in our neighborhood for three miles. At the same time, my sister who has ran several marathons, talked me into training for a half-marathon. I trained for about three months and ran my first half-marathon September 2007, which was also my PR at just over 1:50. Fast-forward three years, and I now have five HMs under my belt. I even ran until my 7th month of pregnancy (speed-walked the remainder)and started running again three weeks after my c-section and competed in a 5K five weeks postpartum (and beat my husband)!

My daughter, Eleanor, will turn two a month before the marathon. I enjoy being a "mom on the run" and run more now than before she was born. Running gives me energy, a positive outlook, balance, clarity, happiness, a healthy body and mind, and friendship. I do 85% of my running before my daughter wakes up in the morning. That way, my running has very little negative impact on my family. My husband has graciously agreed to watch Eleanor every Saturday from now until September while I do my long run.

This is how I will become a marathoner: I developed this plan by researching several programs including Hal Higdon's. Being a working mom, I need flexibility so here is what I came up with.
  • Monday-Thursday: will run 3-4 times depending on my schedule. Will do: One to two "regular" runs of 4-5 miles. One "hill" run alternating weeks with one "speed" run of 4 miles. One "mid-week long run" of 5-8 miles.
  • Friday: rest/walk/yoga
  • Saturday: The Long Run! Will range from 6-20 miles, based upon the Pacesetters training schedule. (http://www.pacesettersrun.com/fcmtraining.htm)
  • Sunday: rest/walk/yoga
Minimum mileage: 19
Maximim mileage: 43


Some may wonder why I want to run a marathon. So why do I? That is a hard question to answer. Curiosity, I suppose is the main reason- to test myself, to see if I can do it, to see what the training feels like, in particular to see what a 20-mile training run in August feels like, to see what race day feels like, to see what crossing the finish line will feel like.

It is hard to explain how amazing even running a half-marathon feels like, so I can only imaging what training for and running 26.2 will feel like. Here is my journey, enjoy. I know I will!