Running long
I’m pretty passionate about the things I do. I don’t like to start something and not finish it. Or, more precisely, I don’t like to tell others about something I am doing and then not finish it. I’ve probably discussed a few of those here such as my quest to build a new door tag decoder. I promise I will get back to that as I still see a need for one.
Anyway, I have taken on a new “hobby” and that would be running. The goal I have in mind is to run and complete my first marathon this fall. I am now a little more than midway through an 18 week training program and still going strong.
I’ve always been interested in staying in shape. I was seriously into mountain biking up until the time we had our son. Having children changes everything. For several years after he was born, I was lucky to get my bike out twice a season. I started to run on a casual basis to keep in shape. It took less time and equipment than biking. Shorts, a t-shirt and some sneakers and I was out the door and around the neighborhood for a half hour or so. I tried to go once a week giving it up when it got really hot and really cold. A couple of years ago I had some heel pain that slowed me down and made me have concerns about keeping it up as a regular thing.
Or, so I thought. Sometime last fall I decided to start planning to take on the challenge of completing a marathon in 2008. I kicked off the plan the first week of April 2008. The basis for my training has been the 18 week novice program outlined by Hal Higdon in his book Marathon: the Ultimate Training Guide. There are many books and plans to get you there. This one looked good to me so I went with it.
Prior to starting the 18 week plan, I spent about 10 weeks building my “base” level of fitness. My goal for those 10 weeks was to be conditioned enough so that week 1 of the program would not lead to my downfall. Like all weeks of the program, week 1 involved running 4 days (Tue, Wed, Thur and Sat); more often than I had ever previously run in a single week.
I started with one 3 mile run in that first week and slowly added more days through the “base” training period. At first I was always resting with an off day in between runs but slowly added running back to back days. I also gradually increased my mileage buy only once did more than 6 miles in a single run.
And, here I am today in week 12 of the 18 week program. I am still enjoying it very much and look forward to my long runs on Saturdays. Last Saturday I ran 16 miles.
Overall, it has turned out to be a large time commitment that I could have easily predicted but failed to. I am now running over 4 hours per week. Obviously, that puts a dent in the time I have to do other things like write blog entries and respond to email. My wife seems to be understanding this new obsession of mine and has not had any problems picking up the slack around the house. I can’t express how much I appreciate that.
So now the cat is out of the bag and you know what else I’ve been up to. If things keep going well I hope to post more about this endeavor as I go along.
Hey man keep up the good work. 3 years ago my wife was involved in a really bad car accident, after months of rehab she took up a moderate running schedule, after weeks of training she completed her first 1/2 marathon called the Indy Mini. She has since done numerous others and now competes in a series of Adventure races which include biking, oreintering and kayaking. We too try to get a good ride in every now and again. Take care. Chet
That’s AWESOME! I just turned 40 in June and have taken Tennis back up after about a 10 year hiatus (business, then a son). I’m currently playing 2-3 times a week for 2-3 hours each (3 sets). I’d like to get to 4 days a week, but with the seasons changing soon, I’m going to be looking for other things to keep me in shape…
Good for you keeping your commitment, I look forward to hearing more and cheering you on (from afar) when you take on your first marathon!
Good luck!
Anton
@Chet: that’s great about your wife. Those adventure races sure sound interesting. And, like a lot of work!
@Anton: That’s a lot of tennis! I’m trying not to think too far ahead but in the back of my mind I am wondering what I will do to maintain this level when winter comes. When I was big into biking I would use a stationary trainer with an old mountain bike. It was effective at keeping me in shape but boy was it BORING. The older we get the harder it is to rebound after a period of inactivity even if it is just a few winter months.
Funny, it was 40 in June for me, too. It was a big part of me deciding this was the year. Its definitely helped me to feel younger!
I don’t remember you mentioning this when we met in June at Carlisle. This suprises me since it should have been apparent to you (by the beer gut and bird legs) that I too am an advid runner! Actaully I have not done any races this year, but am still running and plan to do some this fall. I usually do 5k, 10K, or 5 Milers. I also do the Annual Philadelphia Broad Street 10 Mile run and have run the Philly Distance run (1/2 Marathon). All I can say is best of luck to you in your taining and your race. Just know that you are in the most competitive age group bands in running (the 30-40 year olds). There are tone of participants in this group and the competition if fierce so don’t be discouraged if you don’t finish in the top 25% – good for you if you do though! Next natural thing for you would be a tri since you are already a biker – you just have to learn to swim! Been there, done that – ONCE!!! Haha
@Tim, I do remember that when I joked about the ice cream I saw you eating you mentioned that you would be running when you got home that night. I almost mentioned my running interests but didn’t because I had not yet ‘officially’ started my marathon training. I started that the week after Carlisle.
I am pretty hard on myself so the point about finishing relative to those in my age group is a good one. I keep telling myself that my goal is to simply finish but I do find myself testing my limits to see just what I am capable of. That’s OK at short distances but I need to be careful at such a long distance. For example, I breezed through 16 miles a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday, I did 18 and it felt like I was going to die. I really struggled for the last few miles. They took every ounce of effort that I could muster. I can think of several differences between the two outings and I really need to be careful to prepare correctly and pace myself properly. I have to keep telling myself that I am competing against myself as much or more than anyone else.