Marathon Training: Weeks 1-3

Friday, July 19, 2019


Marathon season is upon us! After a 2-year sabbatical, I am back training for a marathon. This will my 6th marathon. My goal is to get as close to my PR as possible (5:14), injury-free.

I've been preparing myself for 2 years. I cut down the mileage and I got leaner. My goal is run efficiently and smarter than before.

Another new thing is that I am one of the head coaches for our local running group. I also lead a week day run group. I really enjoy coaching because I get to see people reach their goals and improve the quality of their lives.

This is Week 3 of training. Our plan calls for a good 29-30 weeks of training. We start with 2 miles and we will complete 26.2 miles come marathon day.

I am challenging myself, my assistant coaches and our runners not to be the same runner from last year. If we want different results, our approach to training needs to be different.

The key is to "Commit to the Plan." What plan? The training plan. The plan is the map that will guide us to our desired location: the finish line of the Chevron Houston Marathon. When we commit to the plan, we put it the training necessary. When we commit to the plan, we make sure that our schedules reflect the lifestyle of a marathon runner.

We train in the Houston, Texas area and it is super hot and humid. I am drinking plenty water as well as electrolytes in order to have what it takes to complete our training runs.

I hope you can join me in this journey! Instead of blogging weekly as I've done in the past, I'll blog every 3 to 4 weeks. I also hope to include some helpful tips on marathon training.