It's (Almost) Go Time
All right, time for another boring running post. As I'm sure you remember, I had knee surgery last fall. After a couple months I was slowly able to get running again, with good results. The swelling was gone, and the scar cartilage seemed to be coming along nicely. In March I ran my first half marathon post-procedure.
Meanwhile, at work we learned that the company would reimburse anyone who wanted to enter the Idaho Falls Marathon in July. So I decided to give it a shot. I still haven't registered, but I started training last month. I'm also training a little differently than I ever have before.
I'll try to keep the details minimal, but in the past I've always run a consistent 3 to 5 miles a couple times a week, then increased my long runs on Saturdays until I got to the marathon distance. This time I am following a specific training plan I've been eyeing for years. It involves just three runs per week (most plans have you run 4 to 6 days a week), which has always been better for my joints. It also has me running much faster for some workouts (which honestly has me a little worried about injuries), and much slower than my target pace for the long runs. The idea is to prepare you to eventually run at a reasonable speed for a long distance. I've seen positive reviews, and I figure it's worth a shot. If I can't make the full distance because of my knee, I should at least be able to run the half marathon that day. If I'm not paying for the registration, there's really nothing to lose.
One other note. I have always run without music for some weird reason, but I finally gave in and purchased some true wireless earbuds. I've wanted this kind of thing for many, many years, and maybe one day I'll discuss the company I pre-ordered from that turned out to be a scam. Anyway, I LOVE these things. I use them running, while in the car, on walks, and just about any time I want to listen to podcasts or music. I made my first ever running playlist and used it for a pretty tough 10-mile run with lots of uphill, and got really close to my personal record. Since the last 6 to 8 miles of the marathon have always been the worst for me, it could make the difference psychologically on race day.
Anyway, that's it for now. I'll try not to bore you more about this for a while.
Meanwhile, at work we learned that the company would reimburse anyone who wanted to enter the Idaho Falls Marathon in July. So I decided to give it a shot. I still haven't registered, but I started training last month. I'm also training a little differently than I ever have before.
I'll try to keep the details minimal, but in the past I've always run a consistent 3 to 5 miles a couple times a week, then increased my long runs on Saturdays until I got to the marathon distance. This time I am following a specific training plan I've been eyeing for years. It involves just three runs per week (most plans have you run 4 to 6 days a week), which has always been better for my joints. It also has me running much faster for some workouts (which honestly has me a little worried about injuries), and much slower than my target pace for the long runs. The idea is to prepare you to eventually run at a reasonable speed for a long distance. I've seen positive reviews, and I figure it's worth a shot. If I can't make the full distance because of my knee, I should at least be able to run the half marathon that day. If I'm not paying for the registration, there's really nothing to lose.
One other note. I have always run without music for some weird reason, but I finally gave in and purchased some true wireless earbuds. I've wanted this kind of thing for many, many years, and maybe one day I'll discuss the company I pre-ordered from that turned out to be a scam. Anyway, I LOVE these things. I use them running, while in the car, on walks, and just about any time I want to listen to podcasts or music. I made my first ever running playlist and used it for a pretty tough 10-mile run with lots of uphill, and got really close to my personal record. Since the last 6 to 8 miles of the marathon have always been the worst for me, it could make the difference psychologically on race day.
Anyway, that's it for now. I'll try not to bore you more about this for a while.
Comments
As for what's on it, it's headlined by Eye of the Tiger, of course. There's a lot of Paramore, Evanescence, Collective Soul, Nightwish (Finnish Symphonic Metal), Within Temptation (Dutch Symphonic Metal), Fireflight (Christian rock), Queensrÿche, Linkin Park, Jet, and Vertical Horizon, with a smattering of other stuff.