Its a big day for me tomorrow, I am signing up for my first FULL Marathon, the Walt Disney World Full in January of 2015. When I sign up for a race, ie PAY for it, I have every intention of training for it. But you know what they say about intentions – the road to hell is paved with good ones. While I start off with good intent for each race, I seem to have fallen into a pattern when it comes to training for longer races the past year or so and here is what it looks like, I DO NOT advise one to follow this method.
I’ve noticed recently after EVERY race I am thinking “this is not how I planned things to go” and I know it all go backs to my training. I start off with a plan, then I get lazy, I don’t eat right and well things slack off. I have noticed when I am actively posting my training runs in Daily Mile – which is free by the way, I stay on track. For some reason I stopped using that so I put it back on my sidebar.
This 26.2 with my pace has had me freaking out truth be told. Once I decided I was going for it, I was in, but scared. And then as is so prevalent in the running community, support came out of the woodwork. After the support, came the comfort of realizing I just need to:
I have 2 online friends to act as my training coaches – they will check in with me to be sure I am doing my runs and advise as needed. I am BACK on daily mile, it gives them visibility. Plus its fun to cheer friends on and have them cheer you on too.
Over this past weekend, I toyed with the idea of doing Goofy Challenge which is the Half Marathon on Saturday and the Full Marathon on Sunday. Lets be honest, I got caught up in the medal hype and keeping up with friends, but after some frank advice AND looking at the budget for this year, decided I am focusing on my first full marathon. Of course when you ask running board friends if you should go for the max, the VAST majority will say GO FOR IT……a brave few will give you both sides. In the end, I decided $360 in race fees alone for the weekend, was not worth it to me and my true intent of the full was seeing if I could do it. I wanted to stay true to the original goal and truth be told save the $$. So sorry for the flip flopping my friends and thanks to those who laid it out fully so I could decide. I am still in awe of you Goofy Runners and maybe someday I can be up for it…but I see this full as a one and done for me.
So to keep from falling in the How Not to Train trap, I have the following plan in place.
1. Asked 2 Extremely Encouraging Runners To Keep An Eye On My Training
2. Following Jeff Galloway Plan
3. Joining a Running Group to Help Keep Me Accountable and Get those Long Runs In
4. Reaching out to others at my pace who are experienced to keep me motivated
5. Looking at my Diet to Give My Body the Healthiest Fuel Possible
6. Tracking my Runs On Daily Mile.
7. Cross Training to Build Up Strong Body
That is my plan. No Flip Flopping any more. I am in for the Full Marathon and focusing on finishing in the upright position, with no chaffing please.
So my credit card is on the ready for tomorrows runDisney WDW Full Marathon Registration tomorrow at noon EST.
Who else will be there that weekend and how do you train for your longer races? What do you do to stay on track?
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