Taking the First Step - Wineglass Marathon Training Week 1
Hello and happy Sunday! I just wrapped my first week of fall marathon training and I’m excited to share how it all went down. One of my guiding principles with running training is to build from where you’re at right now. Leading into this training cycle I have run 10-15 miles per week and in order to stay healthy while marathon training, I need to be smart about how I build my mileage. All this to say, I would love to be coming into marathon training with more of a base foundation but I need to work from where I’m at. So with that thought, let’s get into week 1 of marathon training!
Monday - June 17th - 3.1 mile run
I love starting the week with a run. It always feels good to tackle some mileage right away and this week was even more exciting with officially starting marathon training. Even though I knew I would be running this marathon for a few months, it’s now finally feeling real. Nothing of note to report - just kept it nice and easy, like the majority of my miles should and will be during this cycle.
Tuesday - June 18th - Rest day
This was an extremely busy work day. I was fully booked with meetings from 9am - 5pm and started early to prep and then wrap things up before having off for Juneteenth the next day. All in it was a 12 hour work day. I settled for getting out for a walk and then relaxing when I was done work for the day. I usually like to workout 6 days a week with an off day on Sunday but I am always flexible because real life is filled with busy days, travels, sickness and stress that has to be accounted for in training. I try not to sweat it when I have to miss a planned day - I’d initially hoped to do an at home yoga or strength workout but at the end of the day, I felt like relaxing and resetting for Wednesday was going to be better for me overall.
Wednesday - June 19th - 4.6 mile run
This was my favorite run of the week! I ran with my neighbor and it made for a lovely way to pass the time. We had a good laugh thinking about the last time we ran together - I was just getting back into running and she was training for a race. I was riding the struggle bus from the first mile and also thought we’d be turning around much sooner than we did. She started telling me we were “almost there” at mile 2…we ran 6 miles. Today thankfully felt a lot better. We ended at the lagoon near our apartment and spent 30 minutes cooling off and talking. I don’t often do this because I’m usually rushing to get to work so it felt amazing to sit in the water and take my time today..
Thursday- June 20th - Gym Session (20 minutes bike + 20 minutes lower body)
I usually try to head to the gym twice a week and my typical lineup is 15-30 minutes on the bike or the row machine followed by 15 - 30 minutes of lower or upper body strength. I try to keep it very simple and efficient so I can get in and out of the gym in 30 - 60 minutes. I love to start with biking or rowing as a warm up for strength training and for a little bit of bonus cardio. I’m going to try to increase my time here as I continue marathon training.
For strength training, I stick to the basics and do a combination of machines and free weights. For this session I focused on lower body - leg presses, hamstring curls, quad extensions, squats, lunges, calf raises, etc. I go for light to medium weight and usually do about 3 sets of 10 for each move. I find consistent strength training goes a long way with staying healthy during training and it doesn’t take a lot of time to see the benefits.
Friday - 2.7 mile run
I opted to run without headphones or my phone for this run and it was incredible. When I started running in high school I never listened to anything when I ran and now many years later, I love listening to primarily podcasts mixed with some music. Although I occasionally run without, this run inspired me to make running sans phone and headphones a more regular practice. I felt as though I was able to soak in my surroundings more and I also think it is good practice for race day in term of being in tune with my body and navigating tough moments.
Saturday - 7 mile run
Long run day! Graham and I initially planned to wake up super early and run at sunrise and then once our alarms went off we promptly decided against it. We ended up not getting out the door until around 8:15am. I fueled up with my new pre-run favorite - an unfrosted strawberry pop-tart (I swear I feel the best on runs if I eat this before) and filled a handheld bottle with water to take with me. We ran together for around 3.5 miles; Graham wasn’t feeling well so he headed home and I continued on for the second half of the run. I was without headphones again but felt very consistent the whole way. It started to drizzle a few times which cooled things off - lucky for me because running past 8am in Puerto Rico is no joke with the heat and humidity. I felt like I could have kept going but want to be more prepared with fuel, hydration, etc. when I head out the door for a longer run. Although it seems daunting to go from 7 miles to 26.2 in the next 4 months, I know I can do it and for training I’ll be working towards 20 miles as my longest long run which makes it a lot more manageable!
Sunday - Rest day
I considered doing another gym workout but decided to walk to and from the gym (about 1.5 miles each way) for some nice time outside and then only use the hydromassage chair while I was there for some recovery. I’ve been suffering with a painful knot in my shoulder/neck the past few weeks and I’ve been trying to work through it as best I can. Graham also very nicely gave me a shoulder massage and that helped a lot. The pain has made everything from sleeping to carrying items very difficult and I feel it while I’m running as well. I’m eager to get back to upper body strength training (and regular life movement) so I’m hoping these recovery methods will help me heal asap.
Weekly Totals - 17.4 miles, 20 minutes biking, 20 minutes strength
Making this week the official start of marathon training was exciting and I’m eager to build everything - my mileage, long runs, strength training, cross training, stretching, recovery and mobility. Now is the time to be patient, steadily increase my training and consistently show up for the weeks ahead. Talk to you next Sunday!