Week Sixteen: You CAN run!

Since I started training for the Seattle Marathon, people have been constantly telling me, "I wish that I could run like you, but I can't run." I'm thinking, well why can't you?? Unless you have some kind of medical condition that will not allow you to run, you CAN run. The key is to start slow, I can't stress that enough, you have to start slow. Before I started the slow progression of training for the marathon, I honestly couldn't slowly jog more than two miles at a time. Now I plan to run 16 miles on Sunday and I am confident that I can comfortably make it through the entire run. However, it took me 16 weeks to get to this point; I didn't build this high level of endurance overnight. So you have to be patient, your body will appreciate it.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when deciding to go from couch potato to road running is trying to take on too much too fast. If you've never seriously ran before, it's not a good idea to go out and run six miles on a whim, even if you feel like you can. Your muscles, joints, and body in general are not going to be ready for it; therefore you will probably experience an uncomfortable amount of fatigue, soreness, and you may never feel like running again. Plus, you'll be back to couch potato because you won't be able to move the next day! You are also putting yourself at risk for injury because, like I said, your body simply isn't in condition to just start pounding the pavement. Running is hard on your body, so you have to adapt slowly and progressively.

Below is a 12-week plan for a beginning runner. This plan was created by Matt Fitzgerald (an elite runner) and is featured in his book, "Performance Nutrition For Runners." I am not, be any means, taking credit for developing this plan. This plan will help you build endurance, strength, and was designed to aid in weight loss. To maximize this plan, I would also recommend reading the book, which gives extremely beneficial nutritional advice to runners at all levels. You absolutely have to maintain a healthy diet to reap the benefits of running.

Week One
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs, Wed: Strength train 20 min., Thur: Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 10 x 1-min. jogs

Week Two
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 35 min. w/ 12 x 1-min. jogs, Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Walk 35 min. w/ 12 x 1-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 8 x 2-min. jogs

Week Three
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 40 mins. w/ 8 x 2 1/2-min. jogs, Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Walk 40 min. w/ 8 x 3-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 35 min, Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 4 x 5-min. jogs

Week Four
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 40 min. w/ 10-min. jog, Wed: Strength 20 min. Thur: Walk 40 min. w/ 12-min. jog, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 20 minutes

Week Five
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 20 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 20 min., Fri: Cross-train 40 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 24 min.

Week Six
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 24 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 24 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 28 min.

Week Seven
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 26 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 26 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 32 min.

Week Eight
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 24 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 24 min., Fri: Cross-train 40 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 24 min.

Week Nine
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 30 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 30 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 36 min.

Week Ten
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 32 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 32 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 40 min.

Week Eleven
Mon: Off, Tue: Run 35 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 35 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 45 min.

Week Twelve
Mon: Off, Tue: Run 30 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 30 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 40 min.

*It's extremely important to take Mondays off. Your body needs an adequate time to recover. Not allowing yourself to properly recover can cause fatigue and injury.

*Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs means that you incorporate 1-minute long jogs 8 times during the 30 minutes.

*Cross-training is non-impact exercises such as cycling, elliptical, swimming, etc.

*When you strength train, you should focus on working your core, thighs, hips, glutes, calfs, and lower & upper back. These are the main muscle groups that you work when you run and building these muscles will help prevent injury.

*Again, I highly recommend buying the book if you are going to try this plan. It is extremely important to practice good nutrition while training. Proper nutrition is key!

Only 9 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Sixteen (not to be confused with part of the beginners plan)
9/21 - Rest day
9/22 - Run 4 miles
9/23 - Run 7 miles on a hilly course
9/24 - Rest day
9/25- Run 5 miles
9/26 - Run 5 miles
9/27 - Long run - 16 miles

Total miles for the week: 37

Week Fifteen: Happy movin' feet!

What a crazy/busy week!! I went from having only a few things to do, to having a million things to do all at once. Work has really started to pick up as we're working on building a new website. Unfortunately, I don't have the smarts to do the "cool" stuff when it comes to building the site, so basically, I've been copying and pasting content for three days straight. I think I'm actually starting to feel ill from staring at the monitor for hours on end. However, I'm the type of person where, if I start a project, I like to keep going until it's finished. If I stop, I lose motivation. I have the same mindset when I run. Most runners, when doing long runs, take periodic walk/water/snack breaks. I think it's actually recommended by elite runners to do so. BUT, I'm stubborn and like to do things my own way. When I do for my long runs (13 miles has been the longest so far), I do not stop. Stopping is failure to me; I will push myself to the limit. If I am not blacking out, bleeding or need serious medical attention (none of which have ever happen, ::knock on wood::), I see no reason to stop. However, I do take water and gels with me so that I stay fueled. (I'm not totally insane!) I just drink/eat them while I'm still running. I'm that person who you see running in place at red lights looking totally ridiculous. I feel silly doing it sometimes, I know that people are staring, but I got to keep those feets a-movin'!
So far, this non-stop technique is working for me. I don't feel burned out at all. Every week, I'm adding miles and my runs are starting to feel more natural, especially my hill runs, which I used to dread. I'm still having trouble running in warmer weather and, of course, this is the one year that Seattle's hot weather is never-ending. This is first time I've ever truly wished for summer to hurry up and be over. But please, no rain, just cooler days.
My next race is the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Half-Marathon in the first week of October. In lieu of the Oktoberfest festivities, they hand you a pint of beer at the finish line. Gotta replenish your carbs after a run, right?

Only 10 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Fifteen
9/14 - Rest day
9/15 - Run 7 miles
9/16 - Run 8 miles on a hilly course
9/17 - Rest day
9/18 - Run 6 miles
9/19 - Run 6 miles
9/20 - Tempo Run
-2 warmup miles
-3 miles at 5k pace
-1 cooldown mile

Total miles of the week: 33 miles

Week Fourteen: Reaping the benefits

As I'm making my way through this massive running journey, I've learned some incredible facts about how running can benefit your health. There really are more benefits to running than just improving the shape of butt and thighs! So, I thought I'd share.

Here are a list of things that running can do to improve your health and overall wellness:

-Improve cardiovascular health: lowers blood pressure and helps your arteries maintain elasticity. This means that running will significantly lower your chance of ever having a heart attack or stroke.

-Slows down the aging process: runners are less likely to experience bone and muscle degeneration as they age than people who are more sedentary. When we run, our bones and muscles become stronger in response to the physical demand; therefore consistent running means that you will maintain bone and muscle strength even as you age.

-Psychological benefits: believe it or not, running makes you happy. It does this by releasing endorphins, which are hormones that give your body a sense of euphoria (i.e. "runners high"). Running has also been proven help alleviate stress.

(Have I convinced you to start running yet? No?? Keep reading.)

-Helps fight disease: running has been proven to reduce the risk of some types of cancer, most notably, breast cancer. Running has even become a treatment option recommended by doctors for people at risk for developing osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension. Running also raises "good" cholesterol levels (HDL), can reduce blood clots, and boost your immune system.

-Improved coordination: running may seem like it would involve much less coordination than other sports, however, there is most definitely coordination involved in running. This is mostly true for road runners and trail runners who are often running on uneven terrain (among other obstacles, i.e. rocks, pot holes, tree roots, people who don't care if they drive on the curb as you're running by...). Runners who are consistently training on these types of surfaces will learn to control their body to avoid tripping, stumbling, and, of course, swiftly jumping out of the way when that crazy driver jumps the curb that you're about to run by on. (I've learned from experience that during rush-hour, people don't care what they run over. I've had some close calls. The mentality: "Felony? Whateva! I gotta get home NOW!" I might-as-well consider myself a possum during these hours.)

-Weight loss: running is one of the top physical activities you can perform to lose body fat. 60% of runners begin running to lose weight and, let me tell ya, it works! It works because running burns more calories per minute than any other cardio exercise with the exception of cross-country skiing. It's simple to understand: the more calories out, the easier it is to lose weight.

Now, to reap the benefits of running, I'm not suggesting that everyone should get off their couches and start training for a marathon tomorrow. Rather, adding just 1 - 3 miles to your daily routine will help improve your overall health and wellness. If you are a beginning runner, it's best to start slow in order to prevent injury. Try doing intervals of 10 minutes of slow jogging followed by 10 minutes of walking for 30 - 40 minutes. By consistently doing this, you will slowly begin to build your strength, stamina, and endurance. Once you feel comfortable with this routine, begin adding more minutes, less walking, or more distance to your routine.

And in case you were wondering, I got the facts above from creditable running websites and the book "The Runner's Body." I'm not just making this up as I go along.

Only 11 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Fourteen
9/7 - Rest day
9/8 - Run 4 miles
9/9 - Run 7 miles on a hilly course
9/10 - Rest day
9/11 - Run 4 miles
9/12 - Run 4 miles
9/13 - Long run - 13 miles (halfway to marathon distance!)

Total miles for the week: 32

Week Thirteen: Melissa - The event planner

I am the leader of the Health/Wellness Team at my work and on Wednesday, we held a company-wide health fair featuring information on ergonomics, fitness, dental care, nutrition, and even hypnotherapy. I was the main organizer of this event, so this week has been a bit stressful for me. This was the first event that I've ever organized, so I was extremely nervous about how it was going to go. The typical fears were running through my head non-stop, such as the vendors canceling, going over-budget, not getting set-up on time, etc. Then, of course, the biggest fear of all- nobody showing up! So I just kept telling myself, "we're providing free food, everybody loves free food, people will come for the food..." (think Costco on free sample day). BUT, much to my relief, the event turned out to be an outstanding success (and not just because of the free food). What a relief! I've been getting constant positive feedback from people that I don't even know. It's such a great feeling to know that I am capable of successfully putting on such a large (large by my standards) event.
On top of organizing the health fair, I've also been been busy doing my normal job (don't exactly know how I'm managing to maintain composure), so I haven't gotten a chance to put to much time into blogging this week. My brain is full to the max! I am so looking forward to this three-day weekend.

Peppercorn's first race time: Paws In The Park 5k: 42 mins (pretty good for a pup only 5 1/2 months old, she had a great time!).
She will also be doing the PAWSwalk on 9/12/09 with Team Terriers. If you want to walk with me and my team, just let me know and I'll give you all of the info. It's free to join.

Only 12 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Thirteen
8/31 - Rest day
9/1 - Run 4 miles
9/2 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
9/3 - Rest day
9/4 - Run 4 miles
9/5 - Run 4 miles
9/6 - Long run - 10 miles

Total miles for the week: 28

Week Twelve: Status update

Furthest distance ran so far: 12 miles

Newest race time: Lake Union 10k - 53:41 (finished 11 out of 163 in my age group)

Note: This was probably one of the most amazing races that I've ran thus far. The course was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and best of all, my training really proved to be paying off. This course had some killer steep hills, but I blazed up them almost effortlessly. I used to constantly complain about hilly race courses, but this time I was taking the hills on with a vengeance! I've been consistently training on hills for about three weeks now and I'm really starting to notice a vast improvement in my lower body and core strength.

Me after 12 weeks of training.
Lake Union 10K

Height: 5' 4 1/2"
Weight: 116 lbs

Note: I'm honestly not trying to lose weight. Like I'd mentioned before, I'm eating an ungodly amount of calories everyday, sometimes up to 3100. Marathon training is one of the only programs that you can follow where you can truly eat (almost) whatever you want and still lose weight. However, even though I do consume a lot of food, I do try to keep it healthy. Eating lots of junk will cause you to feel lethargic and that's the last thing I need when I'm training to run 26.2 miles. I recently decided to completely eliminate artificial sweeteners and any food or drink that contains any type of corn syrup. I'm also trying to eat more organic and natural foods. As a result, I am no longer hypoglycemic and I have way more energy. So, between the positive food choices and running like a maniac, I've never felt healthier in my whole life. I like it.

Body fat percentage: 18%
BMI: 19.8

Only 13 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Twelve Training
8/24 - Rest day
8/25 - Run 3 miles
8/26 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
8/27 - Rest day
8/28 - Run 5 miles
8/29 - Run 5 miles
8/30 - Long run - 12 miles

Total miles for the week: 31

Week Eleven: Extreme conditions & True dedication

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!! That's what I was thinking on Monday afternoon when I could barely muster up the strength to run four miles, yes four measly miles! Big problem, BIG PROBLEM. How am I ever going to run 26.2 miles when I suddenly can't even run four?! Ok, calm down, breathe, there must be some kind of reason behind this. I'm not injured, so what could it be? Oh...yeah...it was 88 degrees!! Heat exhaustion clearly got the best of me.
Seattle weather can really be tough on a runner because it varies so often. Last week, although it was raining, it was a comfortable running temperature, which I think my body had adapted to. Therefore, when I went from running in 60 degree weather last week to nearly 90 degree weather this week, I think I shocked my body. I felt like a melting candle forcing myself down the trail. After I had finished that run, I literally felt like I had run a marathon even though I just ran down the street and back. Why didn't anyone who saw me call 911?? (Ok, that's an exaggeration, it wasn't that bad.)
Conclusion: the sun is a fabulous thing that I cannot possibly get enough off...except if I'm training for a marathon in it. The irony: last week I was complaining about the rain, this week I'm complaining about the sun. There's no winning! Or is there?
Since Wednesday was predicted to be another record breaking heat day and also happened to be the day where I was to do my six mile hill run, I had to come up with some kind of solution to beat the heat (other than cheating and running on a treadmill in an air conditioned gym). If I couldn't run four miles on a flat trail in the sun than there's no way in hell I could run six miles up hill in the scorching heat. So what was my solution? Run at 5:00am, yep, that's right, 5 o'clock in the morning. And I thought running in the rain was insane. Ha! Luckily, I am a morning person (even though I still consider 5:00am to be a part of the night), it wasn't overly difficult for me to pull myself out of bed and hit the road running. In fact, it was actually quite surreal. The sun hadn't quite risen yet and the sky was glowing delicate shades of turquoise and pink, and the Seattle air actually smelt fresh. There also weren't many cars on the road, I didn't have to wait at any cross-walks, and it was a perfect 58 degrees out. With these ideal conditions, I just got lost in my thoughts, enjoyed the rarely seen early morning illuminations, and ran my six miler with ease. 5:00am is the perfect time to run, except the fact that it's 5:00am. Although the experience was much more pleasurable than I had anticipated, I probably won't be making 5:00am runs a habit mainly because it's important that I get enough sleep so that I won't burn out. I have sleeping problems to begin with, so I'd imagine that cutting my sleep short on a regular basis can't be a good thing to practice while training. However, getting up and running at 5:00am has proven to me that I am truly dedicated to this sport. I have never before woken up at 5:00am for any other exercise routine, unless you count packing my suitcases to go the Las Vegas as exercise.

Only 14 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Eleven Training
8/17 - Rest day
8/18 - Run 4 miles
8/19 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
8/20 - Rest day
8/21- Run 5 miles
8/22 - Run 5 miles
8/23 - Long run - 9 miles

Total miles for the week: 29

Week Ten: Where'd the sun go??

Last week I took a much needed vacation....or more like just a little break from life; a time to chill out. But of course, it being my usual luck, I picked the only rainy week that we've had all summer to take time off. Summer had completely left Seattle the instant my vacation started (and conveniently started back up as soon as I got back to work). It was rainy and gray almost everyday. This was also the week that I started my more intense marathon training. Instead of upping the miles last week, I upped the intensity of my workouts in order to build muscle while also building endurance....in the rain. Anyone who knows me well knows that I despise the rain, let alone running in it up hill for six miles! It's amazing what I'll do to avoid being rained on so it took an unbelievable amount of will-power to not just go to the gym and hop on the treadmill. (The treadmill doesn't give you the same workout as road running does though). I also had to remind myself that the Seattle Marathon takes place in November when it will most likely be raining...last year it snowed! I've never ran in the rain before, but now would probably be a good time to start getting used to it. As cars were driving by, I was imagining the people looking at me and thinking, "why is that crazy person out there in the rain running up that huge hill?" Well at least that's what I used to wonder when I would see people trudging along in the pouring rain while I was in my nice, warm, DRY car. This was before I was a runner. I now understand the madness. It's all in the name of hardcore fitness and taking any measure to prepare your body to reach the finish line of a 26.2 mile race. Not finishing is not an option with me. However, I must admit, at times when I am at mile 10 and I feel like my knee caps are about to fall off, I wonder why I ever decided that this was a good idea. That thought is merely temporary though. After my runs, I always feel fantastic, tired, but still fantastic no matter how hard the run was. Running releases endorphins; endorphins are what gives off that so-called "runners high." Therefore, exercise is a proven, natural, mood enhancer. No prescription needed. Plus, it makes your body look great, which (to me) is also a natural mood enhancer. :)

Only 15 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Ten Training
8/10 - Rest day
8/11 - Run 4 miles
8/12 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
8/13 - Rest day
8/14 - Run 4 miles
8/15 - Run 4 miles
8/16 - Long run, 7 miles

Total miles for the week: 25