Marathon Training Has Started!

That’s right folks! Last week, Pharmie, her sister Steph, and myself officially started training for Grandmas Marathon. We are trying this program called “FIRST” which only has you run 3 days a week (which is great for triathletes). Each week, there’s a long run, a tempo run, and an interval day. The program emphasizes getting the most out of every workout: for example, our long runs for the week shouldn’t just be a run to “go the distance.” They should be relatively hard (at half-marathon pace). I think I’m going to like this program. It’s the way I normally like to run. And then on our days off, we’re supposed to cross-train relatively hard (lift, swim, bike, etc). Well, that’s what we’d normally be doing anyway, so I think it will be a good fit. I never thought I’d be so excited to start training for a marathon! We’ll see if this excitement lasts...

The weather is finally looking like it’s going to be kind to runners. On Saturday, I did a 10-miler (in 68 minutes!) in the morning when it was 1 degree with a 13 below windchill. I got done, and my hat and face were a little frosty:

Today, I did 4 x 1200 for my interval workout, and I wore SHORTS! It was 47 degrees! I actually had to wipe the sweat out of my eye during my fourth interval! And this was the first my legs have seen the light of day since the Tesfa 5K over 4 months ago! Warning: Pastie Leg Alert! Pastie Leg Alert! They’re sooo white!

OH THE HUMANITY!!

I other news, I have a birthday on Thursday. Puberty, here I come! I can’t wait for my first chest hair and to start noticing girls. Right now, girls are still icky. Just kidding. Anyway, I’ll be going for gold in the B-Fit B-Day Challenge. If you haven’t heard of it, you should sign up too! Here are the rules of the Challenge:

Take your age and:
1) Swim the number of miles in the first number,
2) Run the number of miles in the second number,
3) Bike the number of miles in the combined number.

If you choose to accept the B-Fit B-Day Challenge you must....

Bronze: Do all three (swim/bike/run) during the week of your Birthday.
Silver: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in the three days before, after, or on your B-Day.
Gold: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in 24-hours to celebrate your B-Day!

So, like I said, I’ll be going for the gold. I have to teach a class at the U of M from about 9 - noon, so I plan to get up early for my swim. Then I’ll go to Minneapolis to teach, come back home and bike, and then hit the run. The swim will nearly be Ironman distance, and the bike and run are just a little longer than an Olympic Tri. Check back Thursday night or Friday to see how I did! I’ll have photos to prove what I’ve done!