What don't kill ya will make you more strong!

Man oh man I have been a bad blogger!  I promise to try harder! This will be the stuff to read b/c I am getting to the meat of the marathon training.

First off, training for a marathon seems exponentially harder than training for the half marathon! Oh my goodness, and last week I was beat down and worn out! My goal was a 10 miler for my long run and it was an epic FAIL! I didn't even do 8. So sad! But I buckled down and ran more mileage during the week to make up for it.  I ended up running 11 miles this weekend in just under 2 hours which is awesome for me! And awesome for a marathon training run! It seemed so much easier this week, and I am happy!  Thank you to Andrea for being a good coach! And thanks to Meg for listening to me and being encouraging! I am going to go after more miles during the week, and try for 13-14 this weekend.  I don't want to up too much, but I am a teensy bit behind, so I am playing some catch up!  The week after that is a recovery week, so I get a break! yea! Only a 10 miler that weekend!

Speaking of long miles, I find that mentally it is very challenging to get that far.  I mean right now 8 seems short to me, but 14 seems almost not-doable.  Hell 11 seemed out of reach after last weeks run!  I will share what works for me in training and in a race.  I do 2 things. 1, in my mind I break up the run into segments. I say "I will run here, and when I do I will get some water or have a gu". Then I just pick up the next part like I just started. It seems more less like a mountain and more like a mole hill that way.  I did this for 2 miles when I started, and I've done it for 16 at the most so far, and it seems very effective for me. Also I like to listen to music and get lost in my thoughts. I prefer songs w/ a similiar tempo so the beat keeps me at a good pace, and I can get lost in my thoughts. I can do this b/c I run on a trail w/ no traffic, this would not be a good idea if you were on the road w/ cars and things of the sort!

Speaking of music, my fave tunes to run to right now are the new Disturbed album and the new Linkin park album. Thumbs way up for me!

In other news, my Nike pants bit the dust. They are just too thin for these really cold runs. So I bought some saucony tights that I am diggin!  Wicking materials are the way to go, especially when it is cold! You don't get that " I am sweaty under my clothes, but cold otherwise" feeling!

Ok I will try to be a better blogger! Happy trails everyone!