Marathon Training is Underway!

In my first blog post back in January, rather than leading you to believe that I was going to be recapping my "Couch to Marathon" journey for you, I let the cat out of the bag immediately and confessed that you were joining my journey in the middle of the action...or, in literary terms, in media res. Over the last six months, if you've been one of my dedicated readers, you've read about my adventures as a former competitive athlete, a smoker, an overeating obese individual, a person arriving at a crossroads, a dieter, a runner, a road race competitor, a husband, a father, and so on. To this very moment, however, I don't think I've really shared anything about a marathon...which at the end of the day pretty much flies in the face of the title at the top of this web page.

Well, all of that is about to change, as this week marks the first week of training for my first full marathon, which I will be undertaking at Walt Disney World on January 12, 2014! As this will be my first 26.2-mile trek, I am embarking on a 29-week training plan (28 before and then a cool down week following the event) that is actually a hybrid of a Jeff Galloway and a Hal Higdon schedule. If I were planning to run/walk the marathon, I would probably stick with Galloway for the entire time; but since I'm planning to run the entire distance, as well as all the training distances, I decided to employ some Higdon training when I get to Week 11.

Before I give you the Week 1 schedule, however, let me first tell you about my "official" July weigh in, which was positive...

Weight - 182.0 Pounds

Total Loss in June - 4.8 Pounds

Total Loss since January 2012 - 93.6 Pounds!


And here are last week's workout results, as well as the Week One Marathon Training Schedule...


June 24 - June 30

Monday - 4.00 Mile Run (10:31 Pace)
Tuesday - 4.30 Mile Run (10:39 Pace)
Wednesday - 3.00 Mile Run (9:53 Pace)
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 5.10 Mile Run (11:16 Pace)
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - Family Run of 2.77 Miles

Total Distance on the Pavement - 21.86 Miles (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)


Marathon Training - Week One (July 1 - July 7)

Monday - 5.00 Mile Run (11:14 Pace) - COMPLETED
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps) - COMPLETED
Wednesday - 4.11 Mile Run (10:36 Pace) - COMPLETED
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 5.5 Mile Run
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - Family Run

So I am off and running (yes...the pun is intended) with my marathon training, and I am actually very excited about the next 27.5 weeks leading up to the Disney marathon. I know that some of the training will be difficult, but I also know in my heart that the hill is worth climbing!

I guess it goes without saying, then, that I am enjoying and will be continuing to enjoy my journey.

Until next time, be sure to enjoy yours...