Finally, A Finish Line to Start

Last week, I decided I wanted to run a marathon.

I'm not a "runner" per se, I'm a fencer. But I enjoy running for the fitness and theraputic properties of the exercise.

Anyway, I went online and looked up some information on prepairing for a marathon and started running according to a schedule meant to prepare me for the 26.2 miles in 16 weeks.

The schedule has me running 4 times per week, with Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday off. Since I didn't have a schedule last Sunday, I had already run just over 6 miles that day and my total for the week was 25 miles.

This week, I actually picked a target marathon. The trouble is that it's only 12 weeks away. So I either have to wait an entire year for one, or really lock down on my training regimen and diet in order to get ready for the Boulder Backroads Marathon on September 2oth.

I am fairly confident I can do it. My final run for this week, 6 miles done earlier this afternoon, felt really good. To be honest I felt I could have added 2 to 3 miles to it-despite having done an additional 6 miles earlier in the week--so on the return trip I kicked a little harder.

With these two facts in mind, I'm going to accelerate my training program by three weeks, which is an increase of 4 miles over the course of the week.

After two weeks of this advanced time table, I'll see how I feel and reevaluate whether or not the September 20th marathon is a realistic goal.

Ordinarily, I would consider this kind of jump reckless, but I think the regular fencing, indoor soccer, and frequent, though perhaps not regular running have kept me in fairly good shape. I will be eliminating some things from my diet to help me as well. With the shortened time frame, I simply can't afford to give away some of the gains I'm making to fast food and soda.

I'll be sad to see it go, believe me. And I used to joke that I exercised so much just so I could eat and drink what I want, but if I want to have a chance to make the deadline, I'm going to have to go at it from all angles.

So...updates to come. I'll try to write at least on running days, and if I do any kind of workout on a rest day (ie fencing or soccer or weight lifting), I'll try to add that info in as well.