Training Day, um, 0?

11/1/07

Today at work I start browsing training sites. There are more than I imagined. Was only able to look at one, but it did suggest warming up to the "pre-marathon-training training". Basically, before you start training for a marathon (step 3) you need to train for training (step 2) and before that you need to make sure you are at the level to train for training (step 1). The guy suggests working yourself up to the first week of training on step 2. I think the numbers are something like 4 miles & 6 miles. I know I'm definitely not there yet.

The pre-training schedule is 19 weeks and I think the training schedule is also 19 weeks. Since the marathon we are supposed to run is in November of 2008 I have approximately 52 weeks, which is more than enough. So I decide to start step 1.

Which for me means, running. Just plain and simple, getting into a routine of running every other day for now. I make plans while at work to run when I get home. I also plan to check out more websites to get the best idea of how I can personally succeed. I feel like there is so much to know and think about and I have no clue about any of it.

On the drive home today I decide to clock the distance to my apartment from UCB intersection. 1 mile, almost exactly. Excited, because it makes it a 2 mile loop. Not excited that it is hilly. Everything out here is up and down... it's hard to find flat routes.

Get home and immediately change into running clothes. I don't even sit on the couch. I know once I'm there, I'm stuck. Take out the trash (that's been sitting for a week+) and then check the clock before going out. 5:43. I do a brisk walk around the parking lot before setting out.

The run starts off okay. The air is cold and I am not a huge fan of that. But my breathing seems okay and I'm not feeling the burn yet. Overall the run is good. The hills aren't as bad as I thought and I only have a few times where I feel like my lungs want to explode. And it would only be a mild explosion, not the fierce kind that I felt when I first started in June. I like the route, a new one for me, but dislike the stoplights and having to wait for traffic.

I make it home at 6:05 which is about 25 minutes. I approximate about 12.5 min miles. I don't know if that's good or bad or what. But for now it's a start.

Still excited about running. I'm definitely going to check out more training sites tonight. Probably won't run tomorrow, but will definitlely plan for Saturday. That will be a true test of my horrible self-discipline and motivation. Wish me luck.