Week 1: 15 miles down; hope restored

So today officially marks the end of week one of my 15 week marathon training schedule. I'm following the 16 week schedule (and omitting one of the three 16-mile runs) laid out in the book The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer by David Whitsett. It's a fairly straightforward plan which requires 4 runs per week, including one long run (Saturday). I felt pretty good this week, although I hate, hate, hate Greenlake and will be avoiding that loop altogether going forward. I have some sort of mental block which keeps me from enjoying my time there, unless I'm walking with a friend.

I completed all four runs, including 5 miles at Leschi yesterday. However, getting back into the swing of things has been hard and I've definitely had to walk during the runs. Yesterday was especially hard, as I'm not used to running in this "heat." All of my half-marathon training was done throughout the late winter and early spring, and I much prefer running in cold weather any day. This is one of the primary reasons I've chosen the Philadelphia Marathon - the average start/end temps of that race are 45/55 degrees.

I'm reading a few really interesting books this time around and am approaching this race much more creatively. I'm choosing to really focus on nutrition (following the guidelines in Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners) and to make sure I'm fueling my body with the proper nutrients. I know for a fact, with the last race I wasn't getting nearly enough iron in my diet (which would explain my chronic fatigue following the long runs), and according to my last physical I am slightly anemic, so I really need to increase my green smoothie intake during the next few months. Also, I have decided to incorporate one day of weight training into my new routine. I know I should do more, but one day is all I can commit to at this time.

Overall, I'm following the principles of Kaizen - small steps over time equate to big changes. I'm trying to overcome the anxiety I have about the long runs by not thinking about them ahead of time - just conquering them as they come. I'm glad to have week one behind me and am excited to move one week closer to my goal.