Marathon Monday: Weekly Recap

Monday: rest day

Tuesday: 3 mile run outside

Wednesday: 5 mile run outside

Thursday: light weights at home 

Friday: rest day

Saturday: 6 miles on the treadmill + stretching

Sunday: 30 minutes cross train on elliptical + abs and arms

Since my marathon training started late, I know I'm not quite where I should be with my mileage. But, I figure what I have is better than nothing. I'm quite proud of myself for pushing myself harder during my runs and making myself run a little farther with less breaks in between miles. I think it's starting to help because during this morning's run, I had an excellent 5k time. Maybe I'll start to log my mile times too on here to help myself see how I'm improving.

I'm also proud of myself for getting up early in the morning and doing my runs before work. It's been nice to get it out of the way and not have to do it on my lunch hour. I did run outside after work last Wednesday, which I'm not a fan of working out after work, but hey at least I got my mileage in. I'm trying not to push myself too hard because I don't want to get injured and so far so good!

Today I actually met up with a trainer at the gym. When I mentioned to her that I was training for a marathon, she mentioned to me that she wanted to get together to give me some tips. Today she showed me some single leg movements that will help with my stability and balance. She really showed me how my right leg is stronger than my left which I never knew before! She also was able to pinpoint where I was most tight in my legs. 

She was super helpful and gave me some pointers on what strength exercises I should do for my legs as well as some stretches to help me out too. It was super helpful and insightful. We decided we're going to get together once a week up until my marathon to work on my legs. It's been a few years since I worked with a trainer, and this will be a bit different for me since I'm not trying to tone up or lose weight rather gaining strength so I won't get injured.

Once interesting thing she taught me today was that I have a tight IT band. It's a muscle that starts up by your hip and goes down past your butt, thigh and ends near your ankle. She told me one of the biggest things for me is to get this muscle loosened up. She said people who have desk jobs have tight IT bands  (points to self) - that's me! She showed me how to use a medicine ball and use it the same way you would use a foam roller on your butt so roll it out. WOW! Once I started rolling, I really felt how tight it was which I never knew before. After rolling it out for awhile, my legs felt so good! I'm going to start doing it on a daily basis and hopefully my leg muscles will start to loosen up! 

Marathon Monday..The Training Begins

Allow me to interrupt my wedding recap for a new weekly special I'm going to be including on my blog. We all know that running, fitness and exercise are something I'm passionate about. Well, about a month ago, I stepped out of my exercise comfort zone and did something I never thought I would do..I signed up to run a marathon.

Ever since I started running, a marathon was a thought I always had in the back of my head that I might one day do. However, I would think of how exhausted I am after running a half marathon and thought there was no way I could ever run another 13.1 miles after that.

But once I got to thinking about it, I decided I really wanted to challenge myself. This is something I only want to do once and now was a better time than ever.

At the beginning of June, I signed up for the random draw lottery for the Nike Women's Marathon and Half Marathon in San Francisco. After signing up for the lottery, I had to wait a month to find out if I made it in. I was excited to hear if I made it in, but another part of me knew if I didn't make it in, that was ok too.                            

Photo from Nike Women Run Series Facebook page

After a long time waiting, I received the email saying I got in. 

Am I nervous? Duh! I know that I'm the only one holding myself accountable for training for this race. It's going to take a lot more commitment on my part. I know there will be days I don't want to run because I'll be tired or the weather won't cooperate. But I'm going to try my hardest to stick to the schedule I've made myself

Am I excited? Heck yeah! I've never pushed myself this hard physically before. I'm proud of myself for trying something new and I know I'll learn more about myself as I prepare for the race.

Why did I pick this race? I always said if I ever did a marathon, it had to be a memorable one. My husband and I have never been to San Francisco so it'll be a nice weekend away. I also like how this race is catered specifically to women and the Tiffany necklace you get at the end isn't a bad reward either!

So, enter Marathon Mondays. I think this will be a good way for me to keep track and hold myself accountable as well as I train these next few months. I'll be sharing my workout plan and other ways I'm helping myself to prepare for the race.

And of course, here's to new tennis shoes and a cute running outfit!