marathon training update

I’m currently training for the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, TX on February 23. That’s coming up soon!

At first, I thought that I would wait until I had completed my training program, injury-free, before I did any blog posts about my journey. That way I could make sure this marathon was actually going to happen before I made this goal public.

But that’s no fun for anyone. This blog is for successes and mistakes, so I’m going to share this whole process with you!

I tried to run a marathon last year, but got injured because I was stupid with my training plan. I got up to 18 miles, but then achilles tendonitis made it impossible to keep training. 

So far, I’m injury-free and enjoying the training process! I did a half marathon last weekend (not a race – just a training run on my own) and finished it in 2:00.04, which is 3 minutes slower than my PR for a race. I was happy with that, although I wish I had gone 5 seconds faster! 

I’m following Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Marathon Training Program and just completed week 9. I’m planning on tweaking the end of this program, because I only want to train up to 18 or 19 miles to avoid flaring up my tendonitis. I realize that this might make the actual marathon a bit more painful, because I may be undertrained, but I just want to finish it without injuries! 

This morning was a nice 10-mile jog. I say “nice” and not “wonderful” because it was so freaking hard to get out of bed! I was not in a good mood when my alarm clock went off on this cold, Sunday morning. It was 39 degrees, cloudy, and windy when I headed outside. I just tried to remind myself of running on patches of ice in Chicago last winter, and it made things better. The run turned around at about mile 5 when I had the wind at my back:)

I’ve been consuming lots of raw food, which I think has been helping my energy levels. Colorful juices are flooding my body with anti-inflammatory goodness! I’ve been eating tons of fruit, and the carbs give me quick energy for long runs. 

I typically fill the blender halfway with greens (kale/romaine/spinach), toss in whatever fruit I have on hand (LOTS of bananas, blueberries, clementines, apples), and fill the rest with water or almond milk. I’ve stopped putting fats into my smoothies (flax seeds, chia, or almond butter) because my marathon training body doesn’t benefit from a lot of fat for energy. I’ve noticed that my stomach is getting a bit leaner, and shedding a few pounds will definitely make it easier to lug myself along for 26.2! Carbs, all the way. 

There are so many gorgeous places to run in Austin! My two favorites are Lady Bird Lake and Shoal Creek. Shoal creek is great, because get to do some pavement running to get to the trail, and then I get to mix in some rugged trail running on dirt. It keeps my mind engaged, and gives my knees a break! It reminds me of my attempt at mountain trail running in Colorado last summer. Gosh, I miss that. 

So that’s where I am! Next weekend is a 15 mile jog, which I’m eagerly anticipating! I’ll keep you posted. 

-Kelsey