Tuesday, April 20, 2010

A New Goal for 2010: Running a Marathon

I have set myself a new goal for 2010.  I want to run the 2010 Tucson Marathon on Dec, 12th.  In my very first issue of my new subscription to Outside Magazine, they had an article about running a marathon that included a 30-week training program designed by a guy who has run 111 marathons himself.  It is designed for people starting from absolute scratch (that's certainly me), and culminates in running a marathon.  I read that article on Saturday, and decided I'd give it a shot.  If nothing else it gets me running, and in a best-case-scenario I run in and finish a full marathon... something that if you had asked me a week ago I would've said I'd never accomplish.  I'm still not sure I can, but there's no harm in trying.

Starting 30 weeks before Dec 12th means my first day of his program is May 17th, but I'm starting a little pre-program routine today.  I figure it'll give me a little something to warm my body up with, get back into the rhythm of stretching, running, etc., before I start his training program in earnest.  I talked to my roommate, who is planning on joining the Air Force Reserves and needs to start running himself, and he is on board with me.  He has no idea when he'll be going to basic, and so has no idea whether or not he'll sign up for the actual marathon, but he's willing to train with me as long as he's around, which is nice.

So, wish me luck!  I have no idea how this experiment will turn out, but it will help me reach my 2010 weight-loss goal, as well as all the other benefits from getting in the kind of shape it takes to run a marathon.  And as always, thanks for reading!
Posted by Kyle at 4/20/2010 09:00:00 AM
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2 comments:

  1. sweet goal, dude. i basically did the same thing a couple years ago- started from scratch and culminated in running a 50k about 7 months later. it wasn't a fast 50k, but i did finish, and that was the main thing for me. stick with the training and you'll surely complete the marathon.

    might i suggest combining your training with your goal to hike the az trail? i found road running incredibly boring, not to mention very hard on the joints. trail running is a better workout for your core and leg muscles, infinitely more interesting and beautiful, and much easier on the knees. i had originally planned to complete a road marathon, but then fell in love with trail running and switched my goal race to a trail 50k.

    good luck in training. remember: it doesnt hurt to walk once in a while, just always keep making forward progress.
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  2. I am definitely considering trail running, but for now I'm going to stick by the road. I run on dirt when I can, at least that's a little easier on the joints. Also, I don't really know if I could do a trail marathon, or if there is even anything like that out here, as hilly and steep as most of our trails are.

    But, I ran my first mile of training today! Did it in 9:48. I'm pretty happy about that, I'd like to keep up a 10 minute mile pace through out training if possible. (This equates to a just over a 6 minute km pace.) We'll see if I can keep it up on longer runs.
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