Winter Running

Well, I have been getting outside more lately. My last treadmill run was... well, I can't remember and I think that's a good thing! No snowstorms, arctic wind gusts or sleet lately, so outside running has been more reasonable. Almost fun even, but not quite. The frigid fingers and lips kind of put a damper on the enjoyment. Today I did a fartlek run and it was great! Saw lots of other runners at the park and that's always encouraging. Fellow runners are always so friendly.

Today I realized as I was running one thing I will miss about winter at the park once warmer temperatures come back - the tranquility. It is so peaceful in winter. There are very few people using the trails, nobody at the beach, no barking, no screaming, just quiet. With a blanket of snow, any noise is dampened even more. The scenery is also just beautiful.

It's back to work on Saturday. I plan on figuring out a schedule for running and cross-training today. With the new gym membership, training will have to be more structured since the gym is 20 minutes away. It is very close to work and the park where I run, so it shouldn't take much effort to work out times to go before and after work to minimize driving.

With the marathon less than 5 months away, I also need a semi-structured marathon training plan. That's second on my to-do list today. I plan on using Runner's World's Smart Coach tool to get a basic framework for training and then I'll tweek it to suit my specific needs. For one thing, it only goes up to 16 weeks and I have 20 weeks before the race. I need to tag on another month of training.

Along with the excitement for the marathon that I've had since before I even registered, I'm also starting to feel a little nervous. The anxiety I will use as motivation to keep training hard so I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'll be ready when I step up to that starting line in May. Bayshore, I'll be ready for you!!

Honey Stingers - Bad, Motivation - Good

Honey Stingers = YUCK!!! So much for that idea. Now what!? Maybe I'll try Swedish Fish. hehe!

Had a motivating thought today. I'm not so much the type that needs fluffy stuff like this, but here it is anyway... I ran into this guy (Mark) on the Paint Creek Trail today who was running at about my pace. We started chatting and it turns out he is running the Turkey Trot this Thursday as well. He mentioned he'd run it in the past so I asked how many people usually participate. His staggering response was 10,000!!!! YEEESH! This'll be the biggest 10K I've done. I told him I was hoping to get a PR in the race, so he said to try to get as close to the front as I dare, even moving up past my expected pace or I could kiss my PR goodbye. That got me wondering if I'd be disappointed if I didn't PR in the race and I realized that I wouldn't. The reason is that I can still vividly remember when it was terribly difficult to run a mere 3 miles at one time!!! This was less than 2 years ago! Now I can do 15 (and probably more) with little trouble. Anything I accomplish in a race at this point is amazing considering how far I have come!!

Just run...

Edit: Just registered for the Martian Half-Marathon in Dearborn in April. It's about 6 weeks before Bayshore so it should be a good gauge for what to expect for the "Big One"!! Plus the race shirt is so ridiculous, I just had to participate. Ha! To see it for yourself, visit the race's website: Martian Marathon