This Insanity Called PRE Marathon Training

Actually, make that PRE Half-Marathon Training!

So I'm sure I alluded to this in a previous post, but my sister has inspired me to run a full marathon sometime in the next year. We will join a Team-in-Training group, fundraise, and hopefully run together. It will be a great event that I will absolutely enjoy experiencing with my sister.

However, I'm not a runner. Haven't been one since high school, and wasn't even really one back then. So I am adopting the baby-steps method and will run a HALF marathon first. Totally thrilled to have this mind set now, because having lost all the weight that I did and getting jazzed about fitness makes me think I can really REALLY do this!

Here are the quick little facts and what not about my goal to run this half-marathon:

1. The Half-Marathon I'm running: Santa Barbara Half Marathon, Saturday, November 7th. The course begins and ends on Leadbetter Beach.

2. The book I read to inspire me about marathon training: The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training by Dawn Dais. This is a funny, inspiring book for non-runners. If Dawn can do it, I CAN!!

3. The shoes I bought to training in: um...they are pink and grey, made by Saucony, have shock absorbers in them. Damn if I know the actual style or anything.

4. My current training schedule - I officially start training on August 16 - more on that later - but right now I'm running two days a week doing between 2 and 4 miles. I ran my first close-to-four mile run on Wednesday, ouch.

5. Number of times I've had to ice my knees since I started "pre-training" - just 2. So far.

6. Training Plan - written by Hal Higdon and available online, my training will be a 12 week schedule, running I think 4-5 days a week, cross-training, strengthen/stretch (YOGA!), and a few days rest before the event. He also recommends trying a 5K or 10K race before the marathon, to get used to running in a pack! I have to look that up!

7. Ways I intend to carb-load during training - ha, lots of whole wheat pasta and my special "smashed potatoes"!!

8. Hotel I'll be staying at before/after the event: The Motel 6 on the Beach in Santa Barbara. I KNOW! There is really a Motel 6 beachside. And only $99 a night! SCORE!

9. Number of times a day I either think about the half-marathon or talk to someone about it: at least 20. Maybe more. I'm obsessed, maybe.

10. Excitement Level about this experience - pretty damn high. I'm really thrilled to be doing this!

More to come once I really START training! If I make it to August 16th....