Posted by Michelle Hering on Tue, Sep 22, 2009
The weeks are winding down—I have only five weeks left to train. My husband was traveling for work this past week, so I made plans to have a friend babysit my son Reid so I could get in a few runs. The first day, I did a 15-mile run to get myself mentally prepared for the race. The next day, I worked a bit on my speed and did 30 minutes of interval training, which consisted of 10 second sprints and 20 second jogs for 30 minutes. Sprinting, I have learned, is a great way to not only increase my intensity but also to increase speed.
Over the next five weeks I will probably do one or two more long runs but then start shortening them again; once you get so close to the race, running long distances does not provide a lot of benefit. So my schedule over the next few weeks will be a nine-mile run, 21-mile run (more for mental preparation), eight-mile run, six-mile run and then the actual marathon.
I'm a little nervous, but a recent article on TheBestLife.com by Bob Greene called "Your Training Questions Answered" provided some helpful advice, including the fact that I don't have to run the entire time if I need a short break, as well as tips for fueling my body for the month before the race. I also learned that it's important to start ramping up my strength training a bit more this month to help increase my ankle strength and provide a good base for this run.
I'm feeling better, less fatigue and no pain, so I'm excited to reach this goal. I'm not sure if it's training or nerves but my hunger has increased a bit, so I'm going to check in with the Best Life nutrition team to see if I need to bump up my calories. One of the dietitians will get back to me with detailed advice on calories as well as composition of meals to help me perform my best. With the advice and tips from TheBestLife.com, I'm sure I'll be ready come race day!