Marathon Monday with Jeff Galloway

 

 

I am so excited that marathon training finally (almost) starts this weekend! Sunday marks the very first official training run! Of course, this is really pre-training for the next weeks, but I am excited anyway! Of course, in true addicted runner fashion, I am running a half marathon on Sunday. My friend Eileen and I have run E Murray Todd for the last two years, this will be our third. It is a very low key race, very hilly race, very beautiful race. This is the first year they will have medals. The most I have run since December is about 4 miles. It should be a train wreck. We have decided to run at least the first five miles, and then do a run walk run for the last 8. I will let you know how it goes.

My cross training has been spot on, though. I have been doing PiYo and 21 Day Fix workouts almost every day. I have moved for at least 45 minutes every day. The snow may be stopping me from running, but I am working out!

We have also run with the dogs, and walked with the dogs. It's still pretty dangerous, because you have to run/walk down the middle of the street, but sometimes you just have to get outside!

 

 

I am torn about my pace per mile. My average pace for a 5:30 marathon is about 12:35, which would roughly be a 2:1 run-walk. BUT a 5:00 marathon is about an 11:00 mile, which is a 2:30 : 1 run-walk. I haven't started this year's half marathons, so I don't really know what my pace is going to be like. I read somewhere that you should double your half finishing time, and add 30 minutes. My best time was 2:23, which would make my goal about 5:15 but my average time last year was more like 2:45 which would make my goal 5:45. Sigh. Oh well, my best marathon time was just over 7 hours in Disney, so I can only improve!

I don't remember hitting the wall in my first marathon. We were having so much fun! My second marathon was the tail end of Dopey. I hit the wall at mile 9. It was ugly.

My Run the Edge training plan calls for a maximum of 22 miles. When I trained for my first two marathons, I don't think I ever broke 20. Actually, for Dopey, I don't think we broke 18, and I KNOW we never did a practice Dopey. Runner Fail. Sort of explains that enormous wall at mile 9. Hmmmmmm....

This one worries me. I struggle to alter my pace when I train. I usually just do what my body wants, and body likes the 11-11:30 pace usually. The idea of running slower is strange to me, but on my longer runs I have noticed that my pace slows toward the end. This will be an interesting experiment!

I am looking forward to my run-walk-run strategy during training. In the past, I have only used it when I run with Gigi, since she uses it all the time. It can be hard to run that way when you haven't trained that way, so I am looking forward to seeing the difference in my long runs this season!

Do you Galloway? What run-walk-run pace do you use?