Marathon training starts

Here begineth the odyssey to the June 1 marathon. I might have to be a little cautious to start off with because of the half marathon just gone. 

Wednesdays will be speed work - 5k pace intervals - for February and March. For April and May, "strength runs" take over. These are one long continuous run at between half and full marathon pace, around 4:20/ km in my case. The plans for the speed runs are tough to remember in your head (1.5 minutes with 2 minute recovery for example), so I bring a note with me.

Friday was my first ever marathon pace training run. Amazing to think that all this time, with 3 marathons behind me, I'd never done one till last week.

Saturday called for a 10k easy run. On that day I usually do core work at the gym. I didn't want a run to replace weights and balance training, so I took the bus to the gym and did my strength work, then ran home. When it's extra cold weather, this could mean carrying quite a bit with me, although running with a backpack does generate extra heat. 

By now I have quite a range of clothing options to make it all doable no matter what the weather. After 2 hours of squats, lunges, single leg dead lifts, etc. my legs felt rather lifeless on the run. I felt them stiffen a bit, so dialling back the pace to what I reckon was mostly fat burning, they started to recover. I reckon more glycogen had cycled into them by the end, as I ended up running more comfortably at a faster pace.

I was greatful for the butter chicken, quinoa salad and Turkish bread once I got home. 

Sunday was windy, with gusts up to 60 kph. At times I could only exhale looking over my shoulder. The last k (of 16) was straight into the wind, and walking was just as good a workout. 

Hamstrings felt tight, and I wondered if I'd be ok for family day's 10 k easy run. Nice and gently does it, I told myself. Legs gradually loosened, and felt slightly better even for Tuesday's identical 10k. That is normally a weights day, so I did that in my basement at home. Another first. Now that I've changed my weight routine, all I need is a mat, a kettlebell and a pair of dumbbells. 

Wednesday was speed work, into a strong wind for part of it. Experience counts here, knowing what effort to put in when a gale stops you from reaching target pace. 

So there it is, my first ever 6 days in a row of running. Every week until June 1 is going to be like this. Good posture, smooth technique, being mindful of what condition I'm in and visits to the chiropractor every 3 weeks ("State of the Legs address") are the order of the day every day for the 100 or so days. Onward with my most focused training ever.