It's Go Time!

Today, the journey to 26.2 miles begins ... again.

My training for the 7 Bridges Marathon gets underway today. And the workout for today was tough: a rest day. (Tough because I WANT TO RUN.)

Rest day aside, training for my second marathon has now commenced, and I can't be more excited about it.

I've spent the past few days laying out my training plan, mapping out when my long runs will be. Let's just say, it's going to get interesting.

You see when it's time to start doing the 18-, 20 and 22-mile runs, it's a very busy time for me at work. Home football games with noon kickoff times and a 2-plus day trip to Kansas City mixed in will make things interesting. 

But hey, I done this before. I trained for and ran my first marathon during the spring sports season. Working around a baseball schedule and a week-long trip to Sioux City, Iowa, through some kinks into my training plan. Yet, I survived and made both my goals for the Knoxville Marathon: I crossed the finish line AND did so in under 5 hours.

For the 7 Bridges Marathon, I'm using the same plan I used for my first full. It's a the seasoned-runner marathon plan found in Bart Yasso's book "My Life on the Run." It's an easy plan to follow, and it really helped me get ready for my first 26.2-mile jaunt.

During my training for my first full, I focused primarily on getting the miles in. I did a good amount of hill work because the Knoxville Marathon isn't nicknamed the KnoxHills Marathon for nothing. Again, the only goal I had for this race that I was dead set on was to finish. 

This time around I intend to focus even more on hills as well as add more speedwork and tempo runs. While the 7 Bridges Marathon is not close to being as hilly as Knoxville, I want to do the hill work to build up stamina and endurance. The speedwork and tempo runs? Same reason. I'd like to boost my stamina in being able to run farther at a better sustained pace.

For the 7 Bridges Marathon, I have three goals. They are in order:

1. To finish.
2. To PR.
3. To finish in 4:45 or faster.

In all honesty, I'm not that obsessed about what my time for this race yet. I really want to enjoy the run. I want to absorb all I can of the beautiful course I know the 7 Bridges Marathon will provide. It's in Chattanooga, Tenn. How can it NOT be a gorgeous run?

One interesting twist with my training this time around is my running with my bride. In addition to logging my training miles, I still plan to run 2-3 days a week with my bride as she continues her running journey. After 3 months of running with her and posting numerous days of double runs, I feel my body can handle this workload. It's all about planning and listening to my body. 

Lastly, I am adding more core work to my training plan. I don't know the exact science of it all, but I figure a strong core can't hurt me in running 26.2 miles.

Anywho, here's my training plan for this week:

• Today (Monday): rest and core work.
• Tuesday: 4 easy miles and core work.
• Wednesday:  4 easy miles and core work.
• Thursday: 6 miles of hill work.
• Friday: rest and core work.
• Saturday: 7 LSD.
• Sunday:  4 easy miles and core work.

It is my hope and desire to post updates at the beginning of each week with what the previous week held and what lies ahead for the next. 

So, won't you join me on this journey as I gear up to cross the 7 Bridges!

Happy running!