Only 4 miles

I haven't blogged in a week and that is mostly because I have only completed one 4 mile run this past week. Most of you know that we will be moving this July and thus currently much of my "free time" which was running time has be usurped by tasks to get the house ready to sell or rent--whichever comes first. I have been going to bed each night exceptionally late for me (between midnight and 1 am) which causes me to skip the run due to just being plain tired.

We plan to put the house on the market come May 1st and so I am hopeful that once we get the moving "to do" list finished and the house is ready to be shown that my time to run will return. In addition, the classes that I teach each week will end the middle of next month, which will free up an enormous amount of time for runs. So, there is still hope for me and all the while, I will continue to run. Life makes the training difficult, bit that is part of the challenge.

I have made some progress in the planning department. I have selected the program that I plan to follow to meet my ultimate goal of running a marathon. For the past 17 weeks I have been sort of combining information from various sources. Most of the time I have been following the great Jeff Galloway's guide which lays out a very basic plan. (2 training runs per week 30-45 mins and one long run per week) The long run increases by one mile per week. This has been a great guide so far and I have been able to work up to 7 miles in my training. So, you may be wondering why I am switching programs.

Well, I need a bit more structure (not that much of a shocker) than what the aforementioned program offers and I believe I have found it! I have to admit that the title The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer drew me to the book (Author: David A Whitsett). An excerpt form the back of the book:

The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer is based on the highly successful marathon class offered by the University of Northern Iowa, which was featured in a Runner's World article titled "Marathoning 101." The class has been offered five times over 10 years, and all but one student finished the marathon. That is approximately 200 students -- all first time marathoners and many with absolutely no running background. This book follows the same 16-week, four-day-a-week workout plan.

I do not think that I could have found a more perfect training guide than this book. It was written for the nonrunners of the world! I plan to start the 16-week training program come June 4th. That is actually 20 weeks before the marathon, (yes I counted), but I may need the buffer time with the move this summer. Another very important date is coming up in just a week----April 30th is the day that I make it official. I will register for the marathon.

I also recently watched an hour long special on NOVA about a group of nonrunners that trained as Team Nova for the Boston Marathon. The documentary follows them through the training and it is very interesting. You can watch it online if you desire www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ and scroll down to the "marathon challenge" under the heading recently aired.

So, although my feet have not been in my running shoes please know that my mind has been focused on the task. For now I am going to get back to/continue to get in the training runs during the week (3) and a long run every other weekend instead of every weekend. That would put me reaching 10 miles in early June which is also the 20 week mark before race day. It is somewhat strange to think that the past 17 weeks of running have merely been a warm up before the "real" training program begins in June. I am just glad that I planned 40 weeks to get ready for the marathon. I will need each and every week...that I know for certain.

Quote for Week 17: “I think I can, I think I can.”