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September continues to fly by, and I have now entered my 9th week of training for the Philly Marathon.
Since 8 weeks have passed, I thought it would be a good time to check in on my progress as I’ve been training for my very first marathon. Maybe there are some things that I can do better these last couple of months before the big day comes! I appreciate any insights and advice from you experienced marathoners!
I’m linking up with Hoho Runs and Miss Sippi Piddlin for the Weekly Wrap! It’s a great way to see what your favorite health and fitness bloggers are up to each week I’m also linking up with Erika, Patty, and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run and Susie, Debbie, Lora, and Rachel for theRunning Coaches Corner!
Halfway through marathon training already?! Time to check in and see how it's going! Click To Tweet
It is hard to believe I have been training for the Philadelphia Marathon for over 8 weeks, meaning that I’m past the halfway point! It has been quite an adventure going through this training period, and I’m glad to say that I’m still going strong! The scorching summer heat is finally gone for good (knock on wood), and I’m looking forward to training in much cooler and more comfortable weather.
I’ve been working with Coach Kristy and I have been following the training plan that she created for me. I’ve been working with her in some capacity since early 2014 and it’s been great to not have to worry and just follow the plan.
When I first started training with Kristy, she set me up for running 3 days a week. My easy runs were at 11:30 pace, long runs at 11:00 pace with hills, and I had a variety of either hill repeats, tempo/fartlek runs, or track work. While the summer heat made it difficult to reach my paces, I found the plan to be extremely manageable and I was able to be very flexible with planning my midweek runs. For the past 3 weeks, I have finally graduated to running 4 days a week, which is much more in my comfort zone.
Since running the Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon a couple of weekends ago, Coach Kristy has made some adjustments to my training plan moving forward. My training runs have shifted to about 15 to 20 seconds slower than previously and my marathon goal pace is now 10:40 instead of 10:20-ish. I can’t really complain since I’ve never run a marathon before! I think these targets are much more achievable for me.
While marathon training has taken up a big chunk of my life, it’s not nearly as time-consuming as I imagined it would be. Isn’t that funny? Since I was running 3 days a week for so long, marathon training didn’t seem that challenging compared to my last 2 seasons of training. Of course, my long runs now are much longer than they were a few months ago, but I’m very pleased with my progress!
My energy levels have been surprisingly very good. I’ve been getting enough rest each night and I haven’t had too many days where I was completely exhausted by the time that I went to bed. I changed my fuel from Clif Shot Bloks to HoneyStinger chews and while it’s still awkward to access them while running, they seem to be working really well.
I’m also really happy that cross-training has been going so well. Between yoga, barre, and the occasional planking challenge, I really do feel balanced and very fit!
While things have been going great with my training runs, there is always room for improvement. One thing that I really need to work on is my time management. I know, I just said that things haven’t been that bad…but I have to admit that marathon training has become a huge priority, often at the expense of other obligations. I haven’t missed a single training run over the past 2 months. While that’s great, I think I’m missing some balance in my home life.
In addition to that, my nutrition habits have NOT been up to par. I haven’t been cooking like I should, and I have gone out to lunch a few more times than I should have. Since we’re approaching a new month, I’m looking to recharge and get back on track. September has gone by way too fast!
But overall, I think at this point of training for the Philly Marathon, I feel like I’m in a really good place.
Monday 9/19: While it was tempting to run the day after the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon, I opted against it and allowed my body to rest!
Tuesday 9/20: 3-mile run in the evening in my neighborhood. It was a little spooky running at night on my own, so I think I need to re-read one of my posts about running safely in the dark and buy some lights and reflective gear!
Wednesday 9/21: No workouts – I wasn’t feeling well when I got home so I took it easy.
Thursday 9/22: 5-mile run – 4 miles at goal marathon pace of 10:40. It was challenging to get a comfortable feel for the pace, but I did a decent job. The weather was pretty hot and humid so I was surprised to be a little too fast!
Friday 9/23: Hip hop yoga class as part of the ZOOMA Cape Cod Yoga and Fitness weekend…my recap will be posted soon!
Saturday 9/24: Morning beachside yoga, followed by a group 10K run as part of ZOOMA. The weather was perfect and it was great running with other women!
Sunday 9/25: 15(!) miles in beautiful Cape Cod. This was my longest run ever, and with the amazing views, cool weather, friendly passersby, and relatively flat topography, this was a really nice run and great for my confidence. I even finished my last mile in a sub-11 pace (woot)!
I’m extremely happy with all of my workouts in Week 8. Being able to practice yoga twice in a week was wonderful, and I seem to be getting stronger and more comfortable over time. The marathon pace run was challenging, but I was glad to get it done. And the 15-miler was so intimidating, but I went in with the right attitude and had a great time! I love being able to run in new places; it gives me life!
I’m going to give Week 8 an A+! It was a busy week but I took care of business with no excuses! It doesn’t get any better than that!
If you’re training for a race, how has it been going for you so far? What areas do you think you can improve?
