I thought I'd take a quickie to update you all on the Half Marathon on Feb. 3 I'm training for.
- I was using this training schedule from the Kaiser Permanente SF Half Marathon page, but I modified it some because it was a bit too easy for me and I needed to switch around the cross training days to get better rest in.
- Instead of doing the cross training day on Thursday I do it on Monday after the Sunday long run day to give my legs a rest. On Thursday, I do either work on incline or hills, intervals, or VO2 max on the Precor adaptive movement trainer.
- On the 5 and 6 miles days, I do 7 or 8. I just don't feel like I get a good enough run in with 5-6 miles any more. Again remember, I've been running for a long time, so I've worked my body up to this level. I didn't just jump into it overnight.
- I had a coaching session with two very experienced ultra marathon runners, and man was that highly educational. I recommend spending the money on at least one one-hour session with a pro because they can analyze your training schedule and give you valuable advice. It's really a huge advantage for yourself.
- On my long runs, I was not eating anything at all and that is not wise the coaches told me. Midway I should consume some kind of calories to replenish the body. Running 10-13 miles is really taxing on the body. They recommended Cliff Shots.
- I skipped the Jan.6 run around Lake Merced because it was pouring rain and thundering like Zeus was pissed off, so I chose to stay in doors.
- I took the entire week last week off to rest because I had been exercising and running pretty hard for a long time before I even decided to do the Half Marathon. I was getting run down plus flow came to town along with pouring rain storms so I thought what a perfect time to rest. Rest is very important while training. Over training is not good for you as you risk injury. Listen to your body, and rest if it's asking you to.
