Training Schedule- Revised

I discussed our training schedule with my sister over the weekend since I will not be participating in the LA Marathon this year (still having mixed feelings about that...). She's still not sure what her plan is, however she did update our training schedule just in case she does decide to join me on the races I have scheduled. there's going to be a lot of running going on next year..

Some of my half marathons that I have scheduled are going to need to fit in some how, but for the most part I think it works itself out fairly well.

2014  Training Schedule
	Date	Mileage
Week 1	8/31/2013	3 miles (COMPLETED)
Week 2	9/7/2013	4 miles
Week 3	9/14/2013	5 miles
Week 4	9/21/2013	3 miles	Simi Valley 5K
Week 5	9/28/2013	6 miles
Week 6	10/5/2013	3 miles
Week 7	10/12/2013	8 miles
Week 8	10/19/2013	3 miles	Ventura Color Run
Week 9	10/26/2013	10 miles
Week 10	11/2/2013	4 miles
Week 11	11/9/2013	12 miles	Calabasas 5K/10K
Week 12	11/16/2013	4 miles
Week 13	11/23/2013	14 miles
Week 14	11/30/2013	4 miles
Week 15	12/8/2013	SANTA TO THE SEA - 13.1
Week 16	12/14/2013	4 miles	4 miles
Week 17	12/21/2013	5 miles	14 miles
Week 18	12/28/2013	5 miles	5 miles
Week 19	1/4/2014	15 miles	17 miles/Camarillo Half
Week 20	1/11/2014	5 miles	5 miles
Week 21	1/18/2014	6 miles	6 miles
Week 22	1/25/2014	17 miles	20 miles
Week 23	2/1/2014	6 miles	6 miles
Week 24	2/8/2014	6 miles	6 miles
Week 25	2/15/2014	13 miles	23 miles
Week 26	2/22/2014	6 miles	6 miles/Seaside Half
Week 27	3/1/2014	7 miles	7 miles
Week 28	3/9/2014	SAN DIEGO HALF	LA MARATHON
Week 29	3/15/2014	5 miles
Week 30	3/22/2014	8 miles
Week 31	3/29/2014	5 miles
Week 32	4/5/2014	HOLLYWOOD HALF MARATHON
Week 33	4/12/2014	17 miles
Week 34	4/19/2014	6 miles
Week 35	4/26/2014	20 miles
Week 36	5/3/2014	6 miles
Week 37	5/10/2014	23 miles
Week 38	5/17/2014	7 miles
Week 39	5/25/2014	MOUNTAINS 2 BEACH MARATHON
Week 40	5/31/2014	13 miles
Week 41	6/7/2014	6 miles
Week 42	6/14/2014	7 miles
Week 43	6/22/2014	MAMMOTH HALF MARATHON

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I've been waiting and waiting for the registration to open for the Mammoth Mountain Half. I finally received notice of when the race will be, which helped because now I can plan my trip. Not two weeks later I received the date registration opens. 9/9/13.

But then I started thinking about The Challenge. I found out about The Challenge for the first time last year at the LA Marathon expo. It was the first year and I was very interested in it. Unfortunately, the race in San Diego was the same month as the LA Marathon. I forgot about taking the challenge in 2013 and for 2014 and just focused on signing up for the Mammoth half in 2014.

I didn't even think about it. I just decided that I would be running the LA Marathon again in March and then running the Mammoth half for my June race. No question. I went with what I knew.

But then I started thinking about it a little more.

And I talked to Lorien and Patrick about it.

And I thought some more.

It didn't take long to decided that I will be taking The Challenge in 2014. I decided on this because it is new and it is exciting and there is an extra medal that I will receive for completing it when I cross the finish line in June in Mammoth.

I made this decision on Friday and immediately purchased the package for both races. And then I had a slight panic filled, anxiety driven few minutes where I called Patrick to calm me down. I needed him to tell me that I made the right decision.

He did what he does best and listened to me while I had my irrational breakdown and came to my own conclusions on how I felt about it.

I pretty much feel guilty because Rachel might be running the marathon in March. She hadn't decided one way or the other, but we had a training plan and if I did The Challenge then she may have to do the marathon by herself. I told her I would still train with her for the marathon, so we'll see what she decides to do.

I am starting to get out of the nervous phase and head into the excited phase. I mean, I don't just get bling bling for these two races, I'll be getting some bling bling bling!

When It's Not For Me

I have been running for almost three and a half years. Since the beginning of my running "career" I have more often than not been running for someone else. Obviously I'm the one doing the running, but it's been in support of someone else.

My first 5K was with my sister. My first 10K/Mud Run was with my sister. My first half marathon was with my sister. My first marathon was with my sister.

In fact, the reason I started running again was for my sister.

Since I decided to run with her I knew that my pace would be her pace, my finishing time would be the same as her finishing time, my training schedule would fit around her schedule. I was pushing my body to new limits, but I was never really pushing myself to be better, faster or stronger. I never had to because I was comfortable just running with her at her pace.

The Turkey Trot two years ago was my first opportunity to run any sort of race alone. It was a much different experience. Not better or worse, just different. It was weird going alone and knowing that there was no one there to talk to beforehand or celebrate with afterwards. It was just me. And me in social situations = awkward.

I don't believe I spoke more than two words to anyone while I was there. In fact I believe my total word count for the day was two word... "Thank you" to the volunteer who handed me my medal at the end.

I was a little more vocal at my first solo half marathon, the Arroyo Creek half a year ago. Most likely it was because our running group was there and although I ran it alone, I was more comfortable knowing that there were people there that I knew and that were going to be there for me at the finish line. There was one other runner that I spoke to that I didn't know. We pushed each other the last 2 miles or so. It felt great to know that I was helping someone dig deeper since they were doing the same for me.

It felt very different training for these races because I was doing it alone. I was pushing myself to limits I didn't know I had. I was uncomfortable most of the time because I was reaching new top speeds and usually training alone. I had to find something inside of myself that I wasn't aware existed. It felt very different, but the pride I felt when finishing alone was a very different feeling then when I finished races with Rachel. I got to celebrate my finish, not our finish.

To be honest, for a while I was a very selfish runner. It had been mentioned in our training group that there were openings for pace group leaders. At the time it sparked my interest, but not enough. I wanted to be able to go for my long run and focus on myself and not the other members in the pace group. Of course we did talk and we were looking out for one another, but I was able to be focused more on myself than anyone else, and I liked it that way.

And I'm looking forward to doing it a lot more next year. Since I am planning on running a race every month (half marathon distance or further) I will be doing a lot of running alone. That works for me because then I can train at my pace and focus on me.

I wouldn't trade those runs with my sister for anything because our relationship grew stronger and we became closer as siblings and as friends, but it's difficult to want to push yourself and not be able to.

And yet, that's what I'm doing right now. I know it probably doesn't make any sense to want one thing but to do another, and yet that is exactly what I am doing.

I am currently working with my niece to help train her for the Simi Valley 5K in September. This will be her second 5K, but it's been a while since her first and her body needs to get used to running again. Since she is 9 years old and hasn't done much running recently we are starting out at 30:1 intervals and taking it slow. It feels weird to go out there to run and not push myself, but at the same time the pride I have in her for getting out there and doing it takes over and I know that it is so worth it.

I'm not sure if this post even makes any sense, but basically what I'm saying is that sometimes it feels really good to be a selfish runner and go out there for a run that is solely for you. Other times, it is so worth it to pull yourself back and be there for someone else.

I knew back then that I didn't want to be a pace group leader because my heart wasn't in the right place to help someone else. I had already done that for my sister for so long that I honestly just wanted to see what I could do. I've reached so many of my own running goals since then that at this point I am ready to help others. I'm not the most knowledgeable, I'm not the fastest and I'm definitely not the best, but I am willing and I am happy to do so.

And of course, knowing that there are races that will be just for me helps too.

Running Recap

My first run this week was Monday. I decided to run again by Isabel's swim lesson, which works perfectly. Going between work and her lesson gives me a little over 30 minutes to run, which is just enough time. I found that I was able to get in a great run over 3 miles each day and was only 5 minutes late to her lesson.

Patrick and my parents are so awesome in allowing me to go for my run before her lesson. They are so easy going and supportive of my training that I can't even begin to express my appreciation to them.

Monday's run was a new course for me. I've really been enjoying that. It's really good to mix things up every once in a while and when I'm able to make up the route as I go it makes it more exciting for me.

This run had more hills than I am used to and my shins definitely have been feeling it. But I just have to keep telling myself that I love hills and that I eat hills for breakfast. I can't walk up them if I'm on a run interval because that doesn't benefit me (although I do love when it works out to be on a walk interval when I get to a hill).

Each mile got just a little slower, but I am still happy with each miles time. I think that this is the pace I am going to aim to keep for most of the races I have signed up for next year, at least the ones that I am running alone. LA last year I kept a pace under 14:30 for every mile (my slowest being 14:10), so I think that this would be a manageable pace to try to keep for Mountains 2 Beach if I stay consistent with it during training.

Total distance: 3.04mi
Total time: 37:41
Mile 1- 12:08
Mile 2- 12:21
Mile 3- 12:25
Mile 0.4- 0:46
Avg MPH: 4.8mph
Max MPH: 7.0mph

I ran again on Wednesday as scheduled. I ran in the same area by Isabel's swim lesson but went for a slightly different course. Not much changed other than I took out one of the hills (the biggest one) from my run on Monday. I went just a little farther and ended up going a little faster as well.

My shins were really tight again, so I backed off on the third mile in order to give them a break. I still finished the mile with a good time and felt great when I finished.

Total distance: 3.07mi
Total time: 37:34
Mile 1- 12:03
Mile 2- 11:58
Mile 3- 12:36
Mile 0.7- 0:55
Avg MPH: 4.9mph
Max MPH: 7.3mph

On Thursday I was thinking about going for another run. I had my gym clothes with me and I just felt great and ready to go. So I changed before I left work and ended up going for a third run this week. Still on the same general course.

When I got out there though I felt sluggish and it was a tough run physically. I pushed through and was really proud of myself for finishing. Sometimes I can feel like I'm having a great run and it shows and other times I can feel like my run is awful and I end up having decent mile times. This was one of those days.

When I got to the pool to watch Isabel swim Patrick rubbed my shins and calves for me. I even called a local massage school to see how much their sports massages are. I'm not too concerned about the pain, but it is a good idea to take it easy after my long run. As long as I pay attention to my body then their shouldn't be an issue. It may be time to replace my shoe inserts though.

Total distance: 3.05mi
Total time: 38:16
Mile 1- 12:21
Mile 2- 12:22
Mile 3- 12:35
Mile 0.5- 0:57
Avg MPH: 4.8mph
Max MPH: 6.8mph

Views from running this week:

My long run this week was a total of 4 miles. I am slowly increasing my mileage until marathon training officially starts on August 31st. I decided to start training a month early to get my body ready for the 5Ks I signed up for in September and October.

My niece is nine years old. At this point she has done one 1 mile fun run and a 5K which she ran with her mom. She has voiced interest in running a half marathon with me (as has my bonus/step daughter). I figured the best place to start with that is to sign her up for another 5K race since her last one was over a year ago.

She will be joining my best friend and I in September at the Simi Valley 5K. I bought her her own interval timer and decided that I would pick her up and we would run for part of my long run this morning.

We live less than a mile from each other, so the plan was to run to her house, run with her for about a mile, run back to the apartment and then finish up my 4 miles there. I ended up being ready earlier than I had thought I would be, so I went for a mile before I went to pick her up. I ended up being 0.04 miles short of hitting 2 miles when I got to their house, so I passed it and came back to pick her up. I started my run with 1:1 intervals and changed it to run 30:1 with her.

I didn't want to push her too far too fast, so we started with the slower intervals and went for a total of 1.21 miles. I was pretty impressed with her. She did great and I had to pull her back from pushing herself to go faster. I told her that we can work on speed later, but first we have to get to the distance.

Just after we hit mile 1 I asked her if she felt like she could keep going. She said yes with a smile. I promised her that I wouldn't make her do anymore today but that I was glad that she enjoyed it so far. I asked her if she was still interested in running a half marathon with me at some point. Her smile got even bigger and she said yes.

I was really impressed with her for getting up early on a Saturday to go for a run with me and I think that this is going to be really good for us as aunt and niece to get closer and that it's going to be good for her both mentally and physically. I can't wait to keep running with her and to see her improve.

I did really well on this long run to pull it back and to run slower than I did during the week. I didn't feel like I was going too fast and I just let my body do what it needed to do. I think that this is where I would like to be on future long distance runs that I go on by myself (between 13-14 minutes). I am getting excited to get up into the higher miles again and to get to that first start line at the end of September.

Total distance: 4.13mi
Total time: 55:45
Mile 1- 12:46
Mile 2- 13:21
Mile 3- 14:45
Mile 4- 13:04
Mile 0.13- 1:47
Avg MPH: 4.4mph
Max MPH: 6.5mph

Running Crafts

I used to have every single racing bib and medal hanging in our living room in our apartment. I was proud of my accomplishments and wanted to show off.

 

But we never had any visitors and it felt kind of silly having them hanging where they were. I decided one day out of the blue to take down all of my running memorabilia that was in the living room, leaving room on one shelf for my running books and my racing bib, medal, a picture, my knee high sock with "Los Angeles" down the side, my shoe lace and congratulation cards from my first marathon.

 

I kind of thought that it was silly to be bragging about these races. I thought that it was a bit much to show off all of my bibs and all of my medals and to have pictures up from races.

 

But a few weeks went by and I realized that I was missing something. I missed seeing those numbers, those medals, those memories from my accomplishments.

 

I can talk anyone up. If they're having a bad day or are thinking little of themselves for doing something that they don't think is amazing I can put on my cheerleader outfit (not literally- and sorry for that mental image) and wave my pom poms around in order to make them feel better and to boost them up.

 

But ask me to be a cheerleader for myself and I am unable to think of anything positive to say. I can think of a few reasons why this is, and I'm learning how to get out of this way of thinking through therapy but not making much progress.

 

Back to my point..

 

I felt like my races were not anything to brag about because there are so many people out there who have done so much more than I have. But there is no reason why I shouldn't be proud of what I have done, in fact I should be showing them off because there are so many people out there who haven't done as much as I have.

 

I decided to put some of my bibs and medals up on a bulletin board.

 

 

But it's not really doing it for me. So I decided to make my own. I'm still in the process of making it, but I'm really excited about it. I think it's going to be just the right size to not be the center of attention, but I can put it out where people can see it without feeling like it's over taking the room.

 

I have already decided that I'm going to be making a set for a couple people for Christmas, but with different sayings. I'm excited about that too. And my mom has suggested I make a bunch of them and sell them at a nearby craft show. I'm not sure they're that good and I would probably spend more time to make them better, but is it really that far fetched of an idea? I had fun doing it, it wasn't too expensive and it would be awesome to make some extra money... We'll see what happens.

 

 

The hooks I plan on using for my sign.

 

Stencils.

Bling It On.

Find Your Happy Pace

This will be the sign that I hang my medals on.

This sign will be the sign that I hang my racing bibs on (once I get a clip).

138. Volunteer at nearby races

As I have previously mentioned, I often receive emails regarding nearby races. Sometimes I quickly delete the email if I am busy or just not looking for a race to sign up for. Other times I open the email and look to see if anything catches my interest.

Last week something caught my interest. The Conjeo Valley half marathon, 10K and 5K in October. Unfortunately it's the day after the Color Run (which wouldn't technically be an issue), but the price has increased and I decided not to sign up because I needed to wait to sign up for Mountains 2 Beach.

I did decide to put this race on my list for next year though and am looking forward to it. In the meantime though, the idea of this race stayed with me all day.

I followed the link, looked around, closed the link. A few hours later I did the same thing, except this time I went to the volunteer tab.

Volunteering at a race is definitely something I've thought about before. There have been times during a race that the only thing that gets you through are the volunteers that are out there, unpaid, doing whatever they can to make your experience better.

I want to give back to my running community. I want to be the one to pass out the water, to cheer as runners go by, give maybe just one person a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

This may be my first time volunteering at a race, but I can guarantee that it will not be my last. I know that this experience is going to give me such a different point of view of the racing experience and I am really excited to be doing this.

My best friend is going to be joining me as well and I think that it is so awesome that she is willing to give up her entire weekend to be with me (both at the Color Run on Saturday and volunteering at the half on Sunday). She is awesome and I am really glad that I get to be sharing these experiences with her.

I cannot wait and I'm excited to post a recap about this race, especially since it will be my first time volunteering.

Choosing a Distance

I decided a while ago that I needed some running goals. Something I could work towards, train for, reach. I always work harder physically when I have a goal in mind.

So I decided to run 12 half marathon (or longer distance) races in the 2014 calendar year. I chose this goal so that I would constantly be training for something year round and as an attempt to not lose the running bug. So far the decision has proven to be positive as I am so excited to start training and so excited to see what limits I can push myself to.

I immediately began signing up for races for 2014, or at least for the months that were available. I planned out the races I knew I wanted to participate in, even if the registration was not open yet and as a way to plan out my year. I have been periodically checking active.com and other sources for updated racing dates and times for next year so that I will know when to register and what will be needed for those races (registration costs, traveling, support, training, etc.)

While searching for my next open month (May 2014), I came across an interesting race. Mountains 2 Beach. They have both the half marathon distance and full marathon distance available. It has taken me a little while to decide on what to do.

On one hand I may not want to run a marathon two months after finishing LA. On the other, I probably will.

As I finished the last 5K of the LA Marathon last year I told myself with every running interval that I never had to run another marathon again if I didn't want to. Dopey was out of the question. I was pretty much ready to give up running completely. Then I crossed the finish line, tears in my eyes from realizing I had reached my time goal and I made the trek back to where my family was waiting. I kid you not, it was about half a mile from the finish line to the end of the gated area to then turn around and head back a mile to my family.

That was the worst feeling ever. To run a marathon and to continue to walk for over a mile before finally being able to sit.

My dad jokes that running 26 miles is easy that it's the 0.2 miles that will get you. I have always and will always disagree and say that it's the walk back to your car.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to yell. I wanted to sit on the curb and protest walking. I wanted someone to pick me up and carry me. I wanted to never, ever run a marathon again. And that is exactly what I told Patrick when I finally made it to them. "I am done. I don't ever want to do this again."
I think there's something called Runners Amnesia. It's best defined here.

"Runner’s Amnesia:  a condition in which a runner’s memory is lost. In specified cases, the horrible mental and physical agony experienced from racing began to fade, and the endorphins from running seemed to morph those memories into fond, happy experiences in which the runner had very little to no recollection of the pain and negative experiences that occurred. In the most severe cases, this also resulted in the runner signing up for more, sometimes even harder events."

I relate it to child birth. Granted, I never physically had to give birth, but I did go through 9 hours of labor without any pain medication and with the nurse ever so kindly continuously upping my dose of pitocin as often as she could. It hurt, there's no question about it, but as soon as I could hear the cry of my daughter in the operating room nothing else existed. The pain was gone, the fear was gone, there was nothing to think about but that little girl. And I have been wanting another child for a while now.. Amnesia.

It only took about 5 days to decide that I wanted to keep running and that I most likely would run the LA Marathon again in 2014. And now here I am to let you know that I will officially be doing the full marathon for Mountains 2 Beach in May of 2014 as well. I woke up this morning and immediately signed up as spaces were limited.

Hopefully the amnesia will kick in as quickly as it did last year.

And hopefully I don't get burnt out. I know that it's a lot and I know that I am going to be exercising and running and training like a crazy person, but you have to be pretty crazy to run a marathon and half crazy for the 13.1 distance. I found my passion and I'm going to crazy it up for as long as I can!

Like I told my best friend the other day while we were out walking... I don't want to get to a point in my life where I can't run anymore and think "You know what I wish I would have done..." Instead I am going to run while I can and enter races while I can and enjoy the experiences.

Not everyone understands the need to pay to run. I don't pay to run, I pay for an experience and I have yet to regret these decisions. Each race is different and completely worth it and as long as I'm not putting it on my credit card and am paying my bills on time then I don't see the need to justify it. And I can tell you that I intend to continue to race until at least September of 2015, but it may be past then. Who knows at this point.

My Current Top Ten Future Running Goals

1. Finish 12 or more half or full marathons in 2014.

2. Complete the Dopey Challenge in 2015.

3. Complete the Coast to Coast Challenge in 2015 (Dopey and Dumbo).

4. Volunteer at nearby races.

5. Run consistent sub 9 minute miles.

6. Run a 5K straight through.

7. PR my 10K time (currently 1:15:00)

8. Run a marathon in another state.

9. Run at least 1 mile (intervals) every day for a year.

10. Complete a 50K.

It's Official..

I am a race addict and I have signed up for yet another race for this year...

I wasn't planning on spending that much time or money on races this year since I have made the goal of running a race a month next year. But there is something that happens when there is a race that interests me or if I am asked to run a race with someone. I cannot say no.

Now, granted there are a lot of other things out there that are a lot worse than signing up for races, but at this point in my life I am trying to save money so that I can buy a house at some point. And I'd rather that some point be sooner rather than later.

Since I have half marathon and marathon distance races through April of next year, it is important for me to remember that signing up for races May-December of next year needs to take priority over races for the rest of this year. That doesn't mean I can't sign up for any, but it does mean that I need to pick and choose which ones so that I can budget in the higher costing races for next year as well.

So, which race has me breaking my budget rules?

The Color Run, of course!

I have been wanting to sign up for this race for over a year, but since it's so popular last years nearest event sold out before I had a chance to sign up. So when I found out that this year they added an even closer location, I knew that it was a race I was willing to fit into my schedule. Better yet, it fits perfectly into my training schedule.

I have heard a lot of great things about this race and am really excited to run it with my best friend. We are trying to decide on what we should wear and are leaning towards making tutu's for the event. It's going to be a run to remember!

In other race related news, I have found the race I want to run in May. It's the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon and registration opens on August 1st. I am still trying to decide if I want to run the half or the full marathon, but I am leaning towards the full. I have officially lost my mind!

As soon as registration opens up I will decide what distance to do. I'll know in that moment. And as soon as the Mammoth Mountain Half Marathon registration opens for 2014 I will be signing up and have half of the year registered for. I am committed to my goal for next year and I know that as soon as I have a training plan in place then I will be unstoppable.

Until then, can someone tell me where I can find my motivation?

Uh Oh...

Rachel and I participated in the Disney half marathon last year and although it has been the most expensive half marathon I have finished, it is also up there for one of the best. Definitely worth the money.

Which is why I put the Goofy Challenge on my bucket list. It was a new challenge, it was exciting and it was something that was worth spending the money on to me. Well, something that was worth saving the money for.

Then this year they added the 10K, which means they added a new challenge. Obviously you know what I'm talking about.

It was pretty obvious to me that after completing the Dopey Challenge (pending I get a spot- which is my number one concern) that I would sign up for the Disney half marathon in September in order to get the Coast-to-Coast medal.

I found out a couple days ago that they have added an extra challenge to the Disney race in September.

It is called the Dumbo Double Dare. 10K on Saturday, half marathon on Sunday. Nothing compared to Dopey. And pretty obvious that this is one challenge that has to be accepted.

I mean, come on!

Completing all 6 races will result in a total of 10 medals.. 10! 5K, 10K, Half, Full, Goofy, Dopey, 10K, Half, Dumbo and Coast to Coast. And that's nothing compared to the experiences I'll have during the races.

This may be the second time I plan on having my racing memorabilia professionally put into a shadow box. The first will be (has yet to be, but sometime soon I hope) my first marathon. I can't just allow 10 Disney medals to be put aside. That needs to be displayed.

Dopey Challenge Training

I wanted to know how much time I needed to set aside to train for Dopey.

I went looking on the runDisney website and found a great training schedule by the one and only Jeff Galloway.

This is the training program I plan to follow for Dopey. training will begin the middle of June next year. A year away.

It gives me a lot to think about. There is a lot I would like to accomplish between now and next June, both physically and financially. 

I would like to be in better shape before starting to train and with the way weight loss has been going this go around it may be awhile before I see any progress. 

I am hoping that if I continue to run daily then I should easily earn about $100 a month to put towards my Dopey Challenge Savings. I just have to really focus on getting the daily workouts in and I know as soon as I go back to work and start up my daily walks again on top of my daily run it will be no problem making it to $100 a month.

I'm getting excited to start focusing again on training and when Dopey training starts it's going to be a busy and stressful six months. I think the important thing is to make sure everyone is 100% on board with it. The training doesn't just impact me, it impacts my entire family but especially my mom and Patrick. They are the two people who help me the most during training and are always available to help watch Isabel and to provide support along the way. I do not know what I would do without them.

Training is going to be taking up a lot of time, so it's important to make sure my priorities are straight going into it. There's going to be no point starting the training if I start skipping scheduled workouts like I sometimes tend to do. I think that as long as I keep the goal in the front of my mind then nothing can steer me off course.

And of course, there's no guarantee that I will get a spot in the race. From what I can tell this year Dopey filled up fast. I need to keep an eye and ear open to know exactly when registration is and be ready to get my spot as soon as it opens. I really can't imagine anything worse than looking forward to a race only to have it be full when you go to register. And that is my number one fear for Dopey.

I won't say that I don't fear the distance, but I'd rather look at it like a challenge than a fear. If I fear it then I have a greater chance of not completing it. And I'm sure the fear will truly set in after I pay the registration fee and am actually starting to train for it...

Training Schedule

Rachel emailed me a week or so ago regarding races. She wanted to know which ones I planned on signing up for, so that she could sign up as well. It was then that I made my goal for 2014 to run a race each month.

It was also the that I found out which race I would be running in March. For the third year in a row, Rachel and I will be training for and running the LA Marathon. 

I'm not going to lie. I was a little shocked when I got the message. Rachel planned on only running one marathon and did that in 2012. Then decided she didn't want to be, in her words, a "one trick pony" so she ran it again in 2013. During training and in our delirious state after crossing the finish line we both decided to stick with half marathons. 

And yet here we are again.. 

Being the well organized planner that she is, she has already made our training schedule that will bring us from August 31st right up to race day on March 9th.

Since she is not planning on running the race in January or February with me, I will need to adjust mileage on those weekends without her. One of the days is a scheduled 17 mile run, so I will most likely have to either run 4 the day before the race or run 4 after completing the race. The other weekend is a 6 mile run, but the weekend after is 23. Going from 13 to 23 is going to hurt, but it's not the craziest thing I've done since I started running.

There is a difference between this year and last year. My goal this year is simply to finish, and I intend on finishing with Rachel. She has decided (as of now) to use 30:1 intervals and her goal is to PR. It will be nice to be able to run it and actually try to enjoy the sights and spectators along the way while putting my body through hell. 

I didn't enjoy it as much last year because I was so focused on a time goal that I was constantly checking my watch to make sure I'd make it in time. This year I'll have a much different mindset and won't be so hard on myself.

Training is going to do something else. It's going to give me time with my sister again. Running was not just something I did for myself. It started as being something I did for her. But it kept us consistently spending time together on the weekends and I truly cherished that time and those experiences together. I am looking forward to that the most.

LA Marathon Training 2014
	Date	Mileage
Week 1	8/31/2013	3 miles
Week 2	9/7/2013	4 miles
Week 3	9/14/2013	5 miles
Week 4	9/21/2013	3 miles
Week 5	9/28/2013	6 miles
Week 6	10/5/2013	3 miles
Week 7	10/12/2013	8 miles
Week 8	10/19/2013	3 miles
Week 9	10/26/2013	10 miles
Week 10	11/2/2013	4 miles
Week 11	11/9/2013	11 miles
Week 12	11/16/2013	4 miles
Week 13	11/23/2013	13 miles
Week 14	11/30/2013	4 miles
Week 15	12/8/2013	SANTA TO THE SEA - 13.1
Week 16	12/14/2013	4 miles
Week 17	12/21/2013	14 miles
Week 18	12/28/2013	5 miles
Week 19	1/4/2014	17 miles
Week 20	1/11/2014	5 miles
Week 21	1/18/2014	6 miles
Week 22	1/25/2014	20 miles
Week 23	2/1/2014	6 miles
Week 24	2/8/2014	6 miles
Week 25	2/15/2014	23 miles
Week 26	2/22/2014	6 miles
Week 27	3/1/2014	7 miles
Week 28	3/9/2014	LA MARATHON