January. Fresh starts and clean slates, goals and resolutions, promises and high hopes. January is such a great and natural time to pause in this crazy life we’re all living, take a deep breath, look back and reflect, and then look ahead and move forward.
For me, this January is a little different than Januarys past. I didn’t declare any big resolutions or jump right into something new on January 1. This January there’s a marathon looming and 18 weeks of training about to commence, and I’m just trying to get ready. I’m calling this January my time of ‘Training to Train.’ It’s a time to focus on shedding those holiday pounds by ridding my diet of all the junk and getting back to a cleaner way of eating that I know makes me feel better. (Not to dwell on the number on the scale, but the truth is I’ve gained more pounds than I will actually admit to, and the more I weigh, the harder running is—and believe me, I don’t need running to be any harder!) I’m also easing back into running so that I will be ready for Week 1 of the plan when we will have to do three 3-mile runs and a long run of 6 miles. I’m definitely not there right now. I’ve stayed fairly active and have gotten to the gym consistently, but have gotten out of a regular running routine over the last few months. Now it’s time to start running again!
This feels kind of strange right now. I've registered for a marathon, paid my money, posted my training plan on the fridge, but yet I’m still waiting for it all to start. This is the calm before the storm, I guess. I’m so excited for my marathon journey to start, but also scared of all the unknowns. Can I do this? Can I really run over 450 miles in 18 weeks? Can I run up and down the hills of Lake Placid for 26.2 miles? Can I stay committed to the training plan so that I’m as ready as possible to take on a marathon? Can I drag my tired body out of bed on cold dark mornings to log the required miles? So many unknowns. But if I have anything going for me, it’s a severely stubborn will to finish crazy things that I commit to—and this marathon sure falls into that category!
So for the next few weeks, as I’m training to train, I will eat well, get back to running a few times a week, get my winter running gear ready, embrace the cold (and the dark!), and try desperately to befriend the treadmill for those days when I just can’t embrace the cold. Less than 4 weeks until the real training begins and I want to be ready!
For me, this January is a little different than Januarys past. I didn’t declare any big resolutions or jump right into something new on January 1. This January there’s a marathon looming and 18 weeks of training about to commence, and I’m just trying to get ready. I’m calling this January my time of ‘Training to Train.’ It’s a time to focus on shedding those holiday pounds by ridding my diet of all the junk and getting back to a cleaner way of eating that I know makes me feel better. (Not to dwell on the number on the scale, but the truth is I’ve gained more pounds than I will actually admit to, and the more I weigh, the harder running is—and believe me, I don’t need running to be any harder!) I’m also easing back into running so that I will be ready for Week 1 of the plan when we will have to do three 3-mile runs and a long run of 6 miles. I’m definitely not there right now. I’ve stayed fairly active and have gotten to the gym consistently, but have gotten out of a regular running routine over the last few months. Now it’s time to start running again!
This feels kind of strange right now. I've registered for a marathon, paid my money, posted my training plan on the fridge, but yet I’m still waiting for it all to start. This is the calm before the storm, I guess. I’m so excited for my marathon journey to start, but also scared of all the unknowns. Can I do this? Can I really run over 450 miles in 18 weeks? Can I run up and down the hills of Lake Placid for 26.2 miles? Can I stay committed to the training plan so that I’m as ready as possible to take on a marathon? Can I drag my tired body out of bed on cold dark mornings to log the required miles? So many unknowns. But if I have anything going for me, it’s a severely stubborn will to finish crazy things that I commit to—and this marathon sure falls into that category!
So for the next few weeks, as I’m training to train, I will eat well, get back to running a few times a week, get my winter running gear ready, embrace the cold (and the dark!), and try desperately to befriend the treadmill for those days when I just can’t embrace the cold. Less than 4 weeks until the real training begins and I want to be ready!