Less than a month

No I have NOT been having a timeout for the last two months of running! I just really suck at updating my blog. The marathon is getting closer and closer and honestly I'm getting a little nervous. I'm a couple weeks behind schedule so this weekend we are doing a 20 miler and that's the biggest one we're doing before the marathon. So I just hope when the marathon rolls around I will have some major energy those last 6 miles. I'm really excited that its almost here and I can reach yet another goal.

Timeout!

Soooo my training is on hold! My husband is still gone (will be home TUESDAY) and my parents are on a cruise. That leaves me with the option of talking my kids to the gym daycare while I go workout. Yeah not happenin. My 10 month old screams for 15 minutes then I get called over the intercom to come get her. So next week I will resume training and hopefully can stick to the schedule strictly after this little setback!

New Friends!

Well since my previous running partner is always spraining his ankles I decided to try and get a group of people together for Saturday runs to help motivate me. Today was the first group run and only 2 other people showed up... but it was great! I met Jim and Jeanette and we ran our 8 miles together up at Flat Iron. Jim and Jeanette both ran the Saltair 5k earlier in the morning so I was pretty impressed by their dedication. Both are quite experienced runners. Jim has run 10 marathons in the past 5 years and Jeanette ran 7 half marathons in one month! Crazies!! ;) About mile 5 I was feeling pretty worn down until I caught up with Jim. We chatted the last 3 miles and he totally took my mind off the running. The first 4 miles I ran a 9 minute mile but then the last 4 were a little slower so I ended up running the 8 miles in 1:20. Right on for a 10 min mile. Hopefully as the training progresses I can improve on my speed! I really enjoy running and I'm glad there are so many cool people in Utah that feel the same way.

Outside

WHAT is the deal  with our air? It's Utah, supposed to be a place for people who love to be outside! I heard once that going outside and doing exercise during an inversion is just as poisonous to your body as smoking a whole pack of cigarettes.
On that note I had my first outside run today! The inversion wasn't as bad, but I still breathed in plenty of exhaust. I did 3 miles around my house and it was surprisingly invigorating. The reason I ran outside is because my mom dropped by and I told her I hadn't done my run today and she offered to stay for just 30 minutes. I wouldn't have had time to drive to the gym and run in that short period of time. The funny thing is before I had kids I had the luxury to workout basically whenever I wanted, but I would frequently have the 'I don't feel like it, I don't have the energy" excuse. Now, I just do it whenever I get the opportunity whether I feel like it or not. It would really help my cause if my little 9 month old didn't hate the daycare at the gym so bad. Hopefully if I continue to take her she will get used to it???
Happy running!

The Marathon is SOLD OUT!

The time has come!

Okay, so preliminary training starts on Monday! What a great way to start the New Year. I'm looking forward to a new routine of taking care of my body again. One thing that I am going to add to my training is Pilates. When I have a strong core it is easier to be a strong runner. I have found I get cramps less when I have less flab on my tummy. I'm going to wake up every morning at 7 before the kids get up and do my ab work outs with Ana Caban's Pilates Core Challenge. This will be a struggle for me because I am NOT a morning person. Pilates is a great way to strengthen your tummy without doing sit-ups... so I am a BIG fan!
As for the weekend runs the next few weeks I am just going to run them on a treadmill. I can handle running 6 miles on a treadmill but that is it. Week 1 of the marathon training schedule is when I will start choosing outside running routes. I am hoping to get a lot of participants to help support and motivate everyone.
Running a marathon takes some serious dedication. BUT it is well worth it in the end. You have such great feeling of accomplishment knowing you set a goal and reached it.
This is a pace chart. My goal is to finish the marathon in 4 hrs or under. So my pace is going to be a 9 minute mile. This time around I am going to do some sprinting on cross-training days to work on my speed.

Pace per Mile
Miles		8:50	9:00	9:10	9:20	9:30	9:40	9:50
1		8:50	9:00	9:10	9:20	9:30	9:40	9:50
2		17:40	18:00	18:20	18:40	19:00	19:20	19:40
3		26:30	27:00	27:30	28:00	28:30	29:00	29:30
4		35:20	36:00	36:40	37:20	38:00	38:40	39:20
5		44:10	45:00	45:50	46:40	47:30	48:20	49:10
6		53:00	54:00	55:00	56:00	57:00	58:00	59:00
7		1:01:50	1:03:00	1:04:10	1:05:20	1:06:30	1:07:40	1:08:50
8		1:10:40	1:12:00	1:13:20	1:14:40	1:16:00	1:17:20	1:18:40
9		1:19:30	1:21:00	1:22:30	1:24:00	1:25:30	1:27:00	1:28:30
10		1:28:20	1:30:00	1:31:40	1:33:20	1:35:00	1:36:40	1:38:20
11		1:37:10	1:39:00	1:40:50	1:42:40	1:44:30	1:46:20	1:48:10
12		1:46:00	1:48:00	1:50:00	1:52:00	1:54:00	1:56:00	1:58:00
13		1:54:50	1:57:00	1:59:10	2:01:20	2:03:30	2:05:40	2:07:50
14		2:03:40	2:06:00	2:08:20	2:10:40	2:13:00	2:15:20	2:17:40
15		2:12:30	2:15:00	2:17:30	2:20:00	2:22:30	2:25:00	2:27:30
16		2:21:20	2:24:00	2:26:40	2:29:20	2:32:00	2:34:40	2:37:20
17		2:30:10	2:33:00	2:35:50	2:38:40	2:41:30	2:44:20	2:47:10
18		2:39:00	2:42:00	2:45:00	2:48:00	2:51:00	2:54:00	2:57:00
19		2:47:50	2:51:00	2:54:10	2:57:20	3:00:30	3:03:40	3:06:50
20		2:56:40	3:00:00	3:03:20	3:06:40	3:10:00	3:13:20	3:16:40
21		3:05:30	3:09:00	3:12:30	3:16:00	3:19:30	3:23:00	3:26:30
22		3:14:20	3:18:00	3:21:40	3:25:20	3:29:00	3:32:40	3:36:20
23		3:23:10	3:27:00	3:30:50	3:34:40	3:38:30	3:42:20	3:46:10
24		3:32:00	3:36:00	3:40:00	3:44:00	3:48:00	3:52:00	3:56:00
25		3:40:50	3:45:00	3:49:10	3:53:20	3:57:30	4:01:40	4:05:50
26		3:49:40	3:54:00	3:58:20	4:02:40	4:07:00	4:11:20	4:15:40
26.22		3:51:36	3:55:58	4:00:21	4:04:43	4:09:05	4:13:27	4:17:49

Training

 I created a training schedule click here to view and print!