I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. I haven’t for years. It just seems silly to focus on something just because it reached a certain date on the calendar. However, January marks the 6 month countdown to our first marathon of 2010, so it just seems like the right time to step up the marathon training.
So this isn’t a resolution post. No. Not at all. So my apologies that it’ll read like one.
For this year’s marathon training, I’m going to try some different things. Sure, we got through the marathon last year. It was a great experience. But lots of it hurt, it was hard, and I think we could have done a lot of things differently. So here’s my plan for this season.
Monthly Goals
Last week I wrote out all of my planned workouts for January. I’m going to be doing either 2 or 3 runs a week, but I’m going to alternate a lot more circuit training (mixing cardio with weights) and walking into the mix as well. I want to do a lot more strength training this year. Running isn’t just about the legs, it’s about the core, the arms, the neck, and the ass. So to that end I’ll be lifting a lot of hand weights, doing a lot of crunches, reverse crunches, and hamstring and quad work.
Walking
Since we’ve switched to barefoot running, I’ve realized how important it is to really take the time to strengthen my feet. The arches in particular need a lot of work. So I’m going to go for at least one walk a week of at least an hour. Some weeks I’ll do two, depending on how much running I’m doing. During the walks I plan on focusing on the proper form in the barefoot shoes as well as just mentally preparing for the marathon and listening to my Spanish lessons.
Diet
I hate that word. But I’m not going on a diet, I just want to be more mindful of my diet. I’m going to be keeping an informal workout log and I’ll not only record my workouts, but also what I’m eating before, during, and after (to the best of my abilities). It won’t be too strict, and I’m not going to majorly change the way I eat, but I do want to play around with different meals the night before hard runs and after hard runs to see what foods best help my recovery and my stamina.
My hope for 2010 (this is the closest I’ll get to a resolution) is that I can be more focused in everything that I do this year. More focused on work, more focused at home, and more focused at the gym and when out running. If I can do that, the marathons this year (yes, there will be more than one) should be a lot easier than last year’s.
