Chevron Houston Marathon Week 14

Saturday, October 3, 2015

My first week training "on my own" went really well. There were no classes to attend and I was 100% responsible for my cross training. You'll be glad to know that I got up, went to the gym and worked on core muscles (I did what felt like a million different types of core exercises) and I always added a little walk just to warm up all over. 
God bless Texas! It was cooler this week! Here's my happy face after "hill" training. 
With 105 days to go, I have decided what my race day strategy will be. I will be running intervals during the 2016 Houston Marathon! My running mentor told me I would like it and some of my running buddies told me it's a great strategy. For the past 2 long runs I used intervals and I felt awesome. 
My average time is a bit faster than usual and my energy level is MUCH higher when I finish. When I calculate all the numbers, I believe that this strategy will lead me right into my PR at Houston. 
The goal for the next 16 weeks is to be faithful in cross training, hill training and practice my intervals during my long run. 
One thing I already know I need to work on is not to speed up in the beginning. This is one my biggest faults as a runner: I start out too fast! The problem is that it ALWAYS backfires towards the end of the race. 
Example number one, my first marathon. I decided to keep up with my friends who are way faster than I am and I slowed down at mile 17. During my second marathon, I slowed down at mile 6. I am determined to be smart about my energy use, thus I will be faithful to my intervals. 
If you don't know what in the world I am talking about (I had now clue what that was 3 years ago), check out Jeff Galloway's Run Walk Run method here.
I respect every distance and every runner. We are all so different and our strategies all lead to one finish line. The main thing is to run my own race. 
Another challenge for next week is to run slower during my long runs. I don't want to hurt myself but I will follow the wisdom of those who have done this longer and more efficiently than myself for decades. The thing is not to speed up now but save some energy for race day. 
The nutrition part of my training went well this week and I lost some weight. I am thankful that my husband is enjoying his running so much that it's influencing our whole family. I'm eating better than usual (there are no treats in the house!!!) and the kids are getting some extra miles here and there. 
I have a race day weight goal I believe I will reach as I stay faithful to eating the best nutrition for my calories. 
I appreciate your prayers and support as I press on towards my goal of running my favorite marathon, the Chevron Houston Marathon. I hope that by now you know that if I can run marathons, you can too. I'm a normal person who does it and so can you. It starts in your mind. When your mind is set, I hope you choose Houston for your first marathon experience! There are still slots available through Charity fundraising. Have a blessed week friends!