4 Months Until Boston
My race is 4 months from now. It’s raining and cold, the usual dreary Seattle Winter weather, and I am regretting telling my friend Michelle that I’ll do 8 miles with her. I’ve had a cup of coffee and I’ve got my GPS on, but I just don’t want to go out there in the cold, dark rain.
There is no cheating when it comes to marathon training. It is the ultimate test. I’m not a gifted marathoner. The marathon is a tough distance for me, as I’m better built for shorter races. Suddenly, I find myself feeling a little nervous. I have to follow my training plan which includes running 4 days a week and doing 2 days of strength training.
If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know that I am doing The Resolution Series as part of my training. The support of an organized run will help get me to my goal. Michelle is training for the Western States 100 Mile Ultra. Andrea is training for The Boston Marathon as well. We are all doing the Resolution Series. We’ll support each other through our fitness goals, getting in some running together.
Michelle and I got in 8 miles today. If we hadn’t made the committment, both of us wouldn’t have ran today, at least not 8 miles. We stretched a bit and stopped at Starbucks, the usual reward at the end of a run. I am glad we went!
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 12/22/2007
- Time: 08:00:00
- Total Time: 1:09:40.00
- Average Heart rate: 161
- Max Heart rate: 170
- Calories: 650
- Distance: 8 miles
- Average Pace: 8:42.5/mile
Although I got a late start, I’ve been a serious runner since 1994. I ran my first marathon in 1995 on my 30th Birthday. It’s been my goal to run the Boston Marathon since then. I missed qualifying by 12 minutes that year. I needed to run 3:40 and ran 3:52. Running in the most prestigious marathon, is the ultimate for most runners. The fact that you have to qualify, only fueled my competitive juices.
Over the next 9 years I ran 6 more marathons. I love running so much that I became a 
4 comments:
Good job you guys! I think the hardest part of a workout is the first 50 feet - getting out of bed and starting the workout. What a great feeling to finish!
So you think having to run 8 miles today was bad? Try 22!!! Hubby and I are training for the Goofy Challenge Jan. 12-13 and this weekend was the last of our back-to-back runs (11 yesterday, 22 today). We were NOT thrilled to see the weather this morning. Fortunately it cleared up about halfway through.
As for the Resolution Run, unfortunately I have to work on New Year’s Day, and truth be told I’m not keen on having to trek down to Steilacoom (even as part of a carpool). Lame, I know. But perhaps I’ll participate virtually!
I hear you regarding lifting. It is certainly not as much fun, but I find that once I get started, I don’t want to stop. It isn’t so much that I am having fun and want to keep going, but rather that there is always another machine nearby I haven’t done yet!
Good luck in your training, and I hope you are able to find some joy at the gym.
Cold, damp, and dark . . . but only 16 or so weeks from a trip to the other side of the country to run the race of your dreams. Heck, even I feel motivated at the thought, so you must be absolutely on fire!
I hope you have a great run & stay clear of any injuries for the whole of the next four months - it’s going to be great.