Have you  been missing the run? Me too. I miss those long-winded but inspired posts I was writing after 15-milers but guess what? They are making come back — at least I think. I’m about 10 weeks away from marathon #6 so things are going to start getting interesting again.

More interesting than before, if you ask me, because I’m actually going to do speed work and tempo runs this time around. You can see my plan hanging on the fridge above! Can you believe I’ve never trained with even so much as a watch? I’ve never known my average speed or had any direction whatsoever. I’m hoping a more focused angle will help me easily chop a measly 11 minutes off my PR and reach the fated 3:59 finishing time.

This morning, I ran 2 miles with Back on My Feet, drove and pounded out four more to the sight of an absolutely gorgeous sunrise. I’m not joking when I say I was wondering if this is what heaven looks like — for real. I stole this photo from B.Pan photography, who took it this morning because my measly iphone pic did NOT do it justice!

I consulted Glenn on a few questions I had for training because he is a really hard worker, dedicated trainer and someone who has improved by leaps and bounds in his running in just a few years. He’s also training for his first full Iron Man so he is truly bad ass.
I asked him how many tempo runs v. speed work runs he does, as I’m experimenting with it right now. His answer: 

The key really to performing well is being consistent in your training and not missing workouts as well being disciplined enough to schedule rest days and stick to them. Don’t skip those mid week semi long runs that come back to back…they are really valuable for teaching your body to run efficiently while fatigued.

The second question I had was this: Should I train at a 3:45 goal time, instead of 3:59 to ensure that I actually meet that goal come race day. He answered: 

I don’t think you need to take another 12 minutes off your goal to “be safe” at breaking 4. You could be setting yourself up for injury or disappointment when you can not nail those workouts at 345 goal.

You could tweak the times I little on the current 357 plan if you want. I really think you will be fine especially since you have never done any Tempo or Speed work.

Stay consistent and do the workouts as scheduled…adjusting to rest when it is needed and you will do great.
Thanks Glenn! This is him, finishing a half-Iron Man earlier this year:


So, I’m committed. I’m doing it. But I can’t tell you how hard it is to run 8+ miles on a treadmill (more than one day especially!) with nothing much to do. At my gym, there are TVs but at my apartment it’s just one boring news channel. But it’s so much more convenient to just be at home! Oh, first world problems! You can only read so many magazines. Anyway, I’ll stop whining now 🙂 


Of course, there are fears — such as, will I actually stick to the plan wholeheartedly? To be honest, I don’t want to run a marathon unless I’m fully prepared as I was for Baltimore. It’s only 2 months, though, I can be that dedicated. Another issue is that on days that I do long runs 12+ miles, I always feel slightly sick the rest of the day…which is kind of a bummer. I think I probably run them too fast, which could be the problem. 

In the meantime, I’ll be reading these (the book proposal book is an entirely different story!): 


I’ve got 14 miles on the schedule for tomorrow. Must remember to go slow, enjoy the moment and be inspired. Also, thank God for my working legs and I’m thinking of praying for a different person every mile. Might as well multi-task, right?
FREE: Simple Faith Practices for Busy MomsYes, please!
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