Marathon Training: Week 2

My most recent race
(Valley Crest [Trail] Half-Marathon).

If you're following along, here is the second week of training according to the 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon book. The paces below are specifically for the 4-hour goal. If anyone would like the paces for 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, or 5:00, I can start posting them alongside my plan if you let me know.

I am also posting on DailyMile, but everything (and more!) will be posted here as well. This "Marathon Training" series is an experiment for me both in fitness and in blogging, as I am going to go into more detail than in previous training cycles, documented HERE and HERE.

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Last Week in Review:

Here is the original schedule from last week and my comments/modifications. Basically, I switched Friday and Saturday's workouts and got through the rest of the days okay so far without huge spikes in hunger or exhaustion. Most notably this week was my difficultly sticking it through the long run. I definitely am not accustomed to trucking along that long anymore. I guess it's something to work up to, and the ONLY reason I am not totally scared of my total lack of fitness is because I've done so many marathons already.

Also, I've been doing more strength training with the time I would have spent doing more cardio (which is the norm for me, but I'm trying to follow this program as closely as I can).

Week of July 18 (Week 1)
Monday - jog 40 minutes
- Defined "jog" as <6.5 mph
Tuesday - cross-train 30 minutes : elliptical
Wednesday - 6 x 400 m (.25 mi), 2:05-2:15 pace (about 7.2-7.4 mph)
- This was actually shorter than the speed workouts that I have been doing recently.
Thursday - jog 30 minutes or rest <-- did not rest
Friday - cross-train 30 minutes
- Did this workout on Saturday by biking for 8-10 mi with 'The Ukrainian"... oops
Saturday - 7 mi 10:40-11:20 pace (about 5.2-5.5 mph)
- I ran this (on Friday) with "The Ukrainian" pretty slowly with a couple of walk breaks.

This Week:

This week's schedule is very similar to last week's, except a couple more speed repeats on Wednesday and a couple more miles on Saturday (although in light of this past week, I'm scared!).

Week of July 25 (Week 2)
Monday - jog 40 minutes
Tuesday - cross-train 30 minutes
Wednesday - 8 x 400 m (.25 mi), 2:05-2:15 pace (about 7.2-7.4 mph)
Thursday - jog 30 minutes or rest
Friday - cross-train 30 minutes
Saturday - 9 mi 10:40-11:20 pace (about 5.2-5.5 mph)

What workouts did you do this week? Have you found success following a training program to-a-tee? Does that even ever happen in real life?

To be continued...

Giveaway Winner! -- Sony W Series MP3 Player (Update)

Updated Post: 3/20/11 As promised, here are the Sony W Series giveaway winners: -- both have been contacted and prizes sent -- Please e-mail me at (Gmail) Nobel4Lit2 with your addresses, and I'll ship out the units soon! Thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for another giveaway soon (maybe later this week)! (Note: I ended up putting everyone's retweets starting after the comments when it came to numbering the entries.) Original Post: 3/10/11 Sunday, March 20 2011, the day I will run LA Marathon for the 4th time (and embark on my 8th 26.2 journey overall), will also be very special because it will mark the 5th year since I did my FIRST training run with the intention of running a marathon. (Check out that life-changing post HERE ). Yep, on March 20, 2006, I went to the track and ran my first 3.25 miles with the dreams of marathon glory (or even half-marathon glory). I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I was a sprint/track

Sharkies Prize Pack (giveaway)

It's giveaway time! On a long run recently, I took a couple packs of Sharkies Organic Sports Chews with me to keep me going on a hot day. I got through those 15 miles eating these, versus normal gels. I've been opting to eat chews over gels in my running nowadays because I just find them more palatable and easier on my stomach for some reason. Plus, they do pack a few more calories, which is a good thing in this case. I normally associate cute little chews with candy, but these actually contain natural electrolytes. Plus, they were light to carry and very tasty, too! Each pack is about 140 calories. The only downside I found to the sport chews is that they stuck to my teeth a tiny bit more than my normal choices, and the packaging gave me a fight at times. This could easily be solved by conslidating them into a baggie pre-run, or eating them BEFORE running would be much easier than during. Want to win the prize pack below? It comes with these Sport Chews, a neat

Rebecca Michaels Performance Clothing (Giveaway)

UPDATE: 6/21/12 -- This giveaway is closed, and the winner is #43, Jacqueline!! I will contact you, but if you miss it, please e-mail me! ------ I'd like to credit in advance "The Ukrainian" who helped me stage some photos for this post. =) Perhaps because I don't dress well when working out, I was offered the opportunity to try some fun pieces from the Rebecca Michaels summer collection. Since I complained about my issues with headbands staying on my head, I also got to try their Violet Love headbands. "The Ukrainian" didn't hesitate in throwing one on, and I think he said he looks like Rambo in it. Anyway, I'll start with my experience with the headbands . They are very soft and actually look SUPER cute on! They also cover a large portion of the top of your head, so those little fly-aways don't come drooping down. Or is that just me? My hair is normally cut in layers, so I do experience this quite a bit. Unfortun

Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will TravelJuly 25, 2011 at 3:57 AM
I had a similar long run experience - 10 miles, that I stupidly did last night, in 85-90 degree heat, directly following dinner at a local Turkish restaurant.

It felt like it took forever, and there were about a million moments where I thought about cutting it short.
dawn @ running the dawnJuly 26, 2011 at 7:08 AM
i'm really looking forward to following you on this more detailed journey to a 4 hour marathon! i love numbers and training details. LOVE.

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