Wandering Dawn

A California girl exploring the world

running

43 Miles of Running

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Marathon Outfit

Last week was my peak of marathon training.  I had my longest run of the season (21 miles) and clocked the most mileage in one week (43 miles)!  By the time recovery week rolled around, my legs were begging for mercy.  While I’ve learned to incorporate marathon training into my busy schedule, I’m definitely ready for the race to just be here already.  It’s definitely a lot to keep up with, no matter how much I love running.  My highest mileage week looked like this:

Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 1.5 mile warmup + 1.5 mile lactate threshold + 3 miles of Yasso 800s
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: 21 miles
Sunday: rest

The next week we began to taper, and my first run back was the most painful run I’ve had all season.  I was afraid I was injured!  Our first taper week looked like this:

Monday: 6 miles (I only ran 5 because it really hurt.)
Tuesday: 6 miles lactate threshold + 1 mile of 400 sprints
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 9 miles
Friday: rest
Saturday: 13 miles + 4 miles lactate threshold
Sunday: rest

I’m honestly surprised with how well marathon training has been going.  San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is only 2 weeks away!  Getting injured was the one thing I was most afraid of when I started marathon training.  I’ve heard way too many stories of Achilles nightmares, IT band injuries, and everything in between.  So far I’ve been lucky.  Yes, I’ve had some aches and pains but nothing that ibuprofen and willpower couldn’t cure.

What have I taken away from all this?  Here are my top 5 tips for marathon training.

1. Be persistent with your training, and follow your training program as closely as possible.
2. Listen to your body.  Pay attention to warming up and stretching, and don’t run with an injury!
3. Hydrate.  I stop at every aid station and have at least 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sports drink.
4. Pay attention to your nutrition 7 days/week.  Don’t skimp on calories and carbs, but don’t fill up on empty calories either.
5. Try strength training. I worked out 8x/week which is excessive if you’re not already doing a strength training program, but for me, 4 days of P90X + 4 days of running = increased speed and stamina.

P90X Day 90

Group Runs

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Tuesdays and Saturdays we have our group training runs.  Monday and Thursday we’re supposed to be running on our own.  Our running group has multiple levels to choose from – Beginner Run/Walk, Intermediate Half Marathon, Intermediate Full Marathon, Advanced Marathon.  My friends and I categorized ourselves as Intermediate Full Marathon runners, so our program includes 4 runs per week and 1 day of optional cross training.  Of course, we are turning our 1 optional day of cross training into 3 days of strength training, yoga, and possibly more with P90X!  Our coach is advising us not to strength train more than once a week, but I’ve heard success stories where people have trained for a marathon while strength training multiple times per week.  As long as we are careful not to overwork ourselves, I think this will only make us stronger!

Tuesday nights we meet in the Pacific Beach area for stretching and running.  With over 300 participants, we have to go out in waves for our 4-6 mile runs so we don’t take over the boardwalk.  Eventually we’ll also incorporate interval training.  Right now, the focus is on easy runs to build our base.  Easy runs mean you can have a conversation with your running buddy and never get out of breath.  You’re also running at no more than 60-70% of your maximum heart rate.  (See my previous post on how to calculate your maximum heart rate.)  Nicole and I did our first 4 mile group run together and let Jeremy stride ahead while we caught up on the latest details of our lives.  I wore my cute & tiny Stella McCartney for Adidas running shorts but was freezing in the nighttime cold.  I guess I keep forgetting I’m not on vacation in Brazil anymore!  Nighttime runs, like early morning runs before the sunrise, are chilly in the winter – even in San Diego.

Saturday morning runs begin at 7:30am and rotate around the San Diego area.  The first run met close to our house, so Jeremy and I only had to get up 1+ hour before our run to make sure we had time to eat a light breakfast and hydrate.  As the Intermediate Full Marathon group, we had the option of running between 5-6 miles (at an easy pace of course).  Jeremy and I ran together that day and decided to go for 6 miles.  Since we’re both really competitive, it was hard to turn around at 5.  We pushed through it together and finished 6 miles.

Where does P90X fit into all of this?  For the first 2 weeks of the dual training program, we are skipping Tuesday’s Plyometrics workout and Saturday’s Kenpo workout.  I plan to incorporate Plyo Tuesday mornings within the next couple of weeks because I think it is one of the BEST workouts for enhanced performance.  It definitely made me a faster runner last time around!  In November, I finished a 5k with a PR just over 24 minutes (a little over 8 minute miles).  Plyometrics means jump training, and Tony Horton says it will make you faster.  I know marathon training isn’t about speed, but rather, endurance…That doesn’t mean I don’t want to become a stronger and faster runner at the same time!  As for Kenpo, while I also enjoy this workout, it doesn’t make sense to run 6-20 miles and then add 1 more hour to my workout.  I just don’t need it. 

Incorporating P90X into my full marathon training is definitely a work in progress, but I know the benefits will be worth it in the end!

View of Lopes Mendes, Ilha Grande, Brazil

My 18 Week Fitness Journey

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Hello fellow fitness enthusiasts!  My name is Asia, and I’m a 27-year-old female living in San Diego, California.   I’m excited to share my fitness journey with you!  My current 18 week plan is two-fold: full marathon training and P90X!  Can you say Type A?  Here’s how I got there…I’ve always loved running but have recently gotten more into endurance training as a new challenge.  I’ve completed two half marathons, but this will be my first full…Yikes!  I completed the P90X program in November 2010 and had such amazing results that I’m going to do the full 90 day cycle AGAIN.  I will modify it slightly to incorporate the full marathon training.  Needless to say, these are going to be an intense 18 weeks!  Afterward, I’m sure I will come up with additional fitness goals for myself.  I never want to stop training!  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay hot and healthy, right?

Ringing in the new year!

Marathon Training
The San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is June 5, 2011, and I’ll be following an 18 week training program (that also includes a half marathon) to get there.  My boyfriend, Jeremy, and two of our close friends are also doing the marathon. We all signed up for the VAVi running club to help keep us on track and prepared for the ridiculous long runs of up to 20 miles at a time.  Our biggest training week is 40 miles total!  At the very least, I’m sure we’ll be grateful for the aid stations our group provides – I’m trying to avoid purchasing one of those ugly water belts if I can help it!  One of my friends just used VAVi for the Carlsbad Half and got her PR (personal record), and I’m ready for mine too!

America's Finest City Half Marathon, Aug 2010

P90X
P90X is an intense exercise program based on muscle confusion.  It has recently gotten a lot of publicity but has been around for several years.  Just catch a late night infomercial!  Tony Horton is the creator and celebrity behind the program.  There are three phases of workouts that map to three phases of nutrition planning – Fat Shredder, Energy Booster, and Endurance Maximizer.  My boyfriend and I followed the entire workout regimen and nutrition plan last year and saw great results.  I became much stronger now and almost achieved a cute 6-pack!  We are doing the nutrition plan again, but will incorporate more calories on the days we have double workouts (running and P90X), and won’t stay on the Fat Shredder phase as long since we don’t want to lose weight.  It’s important to have the proper amount of calories to stay fueled for these workouts.  You definitely don’t want to be calorie deficient because your performance will suffer!  I’ll dedicate more time to nutrition later, but you can learn more about the P90X program here:

 

Before P90X

After P90X

I’m not an expert by any means, but I do plan to learn a lot about endurance running, P90X, proper nutrition, and how all three of these elements fit together.  I’m curious to see how my body responds to all of this!  Hopefully you will learn something new too and share additional insights.

As Tony Horton, founder of P90X would say, BRING IT!