run a marathon

so i’ve been running mainly on a treadmill because michigan sucks and i don’t fancy slipping in the snow and hurting my knees. when the whether isn’t total shit i’ll do a long run outside, but my short runs definately have been on the machine. i ran for the first time in weeks outdoors because i was in florida for the weekend. i found it very difficult to run 4 miles on a treadmill, it just sucks. when i went outside i ran 8 and felt awesome. i’m still super sore from it but i can’t beleive how much better my concentration is because of all that time spent on the treadmill. my pace was faster to and more consistent. when i run on the treadmill i always keep the incline at 1.5% so i think that helped. my goal is to do 5 on 2.5% incline in less 45 minutes. right now that would probably take me over an hour. i am slow slow slow. i wish i wasnt so slow. but oh well. after my 8 miler i am totally pumped for the half marathon april 1st. i don’t think it will be a problem at all, especially since i have 1 weeks still to do it. my actual marathon training doesnt need to start till june, i’m doing a 16 week thing the “non-runner’s marathon trainer”, or jeff galloway.

completed 6 miles..havent done 6 since thanksgiving. it was hell running through the foot of snow on the ground. I’m starting to resent people who don’t shovel the sidewalks in front of their houses. blah. I hope the snow melts by next week, so i can get some accuracy on the pace i’m keeping. The snow was so deep i had to slow down a whole bunch, all the slipping made my knees pretty sore today. After the run i wasn’t very tired. I scammed one of my friends to run the 1/2 marathon with me.hopefully she won’t bail.

So theres a Martian Marathon in April, and with it a half marathon…So I’m gonna do the half April 1st. I’ve been slacking really bad lately, but i’ve gotten at least a couple runs for the past two weeks. totally not training, but i’m fixing to get back in the game. 6 miler planned for sunday, then pizza and christmas tree stuff with family. woohoo. i think races are totally importent to keep me going and knowing i have an obligation to be in shape for the next race. I think i’ll do a 10 k in february, it’ll be brutal, but so was the turkey trot….
The Jeff Galloway program seems most condusive to my goal, which is to finish alive

So the 5k i signed up for turned out to be a 10K and damnit i did it!!! i was looking at the course when i went the day before to pick up my race packet and i asked somebody where the 5k course was. “this isn’t a 5k its a 10K” and i said “nooooo i signed up for a 5 k though….” “well looks like your gonna run a 10 k tomarrow”... “shit, i guess i am” so now i know i can run 6.2 miles in a whopping 73 minutes. i guess my long run next weekend needs to be 6+ miles now. still havent received my marathon running guide book, I’m excited to read it. I ran my 3 miles route a few minutes faster and it felt totally easy compared to the turkey trot 10k which occured in ungodley weather conditions (17 degrees, windy, snowy hell, more running then i’ve ever done) compared to a breezy 65 degree monday 3 miles run. i love michigan’s stupid finicky weather. how does it go from 17-65 degrees in three days? i have no idea. next step is a half marathon in the spring which i ahve no doubt i’ll be able to accomplish. who knew? still need new and better shoes, my knees are still killing me. though i feel i adjusted the way i land on my right leg which seems to be helping.

its funny how my 5k times are better now then they were when i was 16 and 30 pounds lighter. one week and a half till my turkey trot. I think i can get my time down a few minutes in a week. plus my loop i run is really hilly, i think the turkey trot is going to be pretty flat. not that 27 minutes is anything to sneeze at, but you must understand that before i could not run a half miles when i started running. so any improvement is exciting. I didnt start timing myself till today. my best time for a 5k in highschool (7 years ago) was 27 minutes, to be there now a lot fatter and mrmoe out of shape is strange. keep on trucking….i staerted a running log and its really a good way to keep motivated, its nice to have written proof of your progress. also keep a food log, which totally keeps you on track. I recommend everyone with a weight problem thouroughly documents there food, exercise and reasons why you didnt exercise. sorry i got side tracked….my kneee pain has quit. I think my problem was i was starting out too hard and not giving myself enough time to heal and progress. its a lot easier to run when i’m not in pain. I think i’ll be able to run a comfortabley 10K in the early spring. I hope the winter weather does’t discourage me from running, that’ll be the test.

yay…my first 5k since highschool, its been 6 years since i ran a race, i’m so excited!! and i got a friend to do it with me! the turkey trot in detroit on thanksgiving! i am really happy about it!!! I ran 3 on saturday, walked 2. then 2.5 on tuesday and it was way easy, my knees hurt so i didnt want to push it. I’m shooting for 3 tomarrow, 3.5 friday,saturday or sunday i’m going to run 4ish. i need new shoes, the ones i bought hurt my knees and rub on my foot. its weird when i ran cross country i was never excited about races. I actually think my times are better now, even though i’m like 35 pounds heavier then i was when i was 15. i wonder how many miles it will take to lose 25 pounds?

So i put out a post on myspace to see if anyone wants to train with me. I didnt expect any repsonse, but now i have two running buddies. we’re gonna meet up on saturdays to do long runs and keep tabs on each other!! I think with a support system this should work. :)

haha… as i was writing my last entry a jogger ran past my office window

okay… i have 1 year to complete this goal. theres a marathon in 2 weeks in Detroit (where i’m from) i want to run it next year (obviosly 2 weeks is not do-able). my friend’s grandpa used to run marathons. he said take it slow and don’t worry about times for now. I have crappy knees does anyone know if glucosamine will help? i used to run cross country in high school and never had this problem. 5 years later and i feel like an old lady! my docotr said my knees are fine. any work out regime suggestions? i can run 2-3 miles right now, so i’m not in terrible shape…..

so since i’m basically sedentary i should probably start with a 5k first? realistic goals….I can run a couple miles, definately not 26. anybody know why a maraton is a number like 26.6 or whatever the exact distance is. how did “they ” arrive on this number