Today, my friends, is a big day! Today is the day I officially begin Mission No Quit 26(.2). The rest of the world would recognize this as my first day of marathon training, but for me it's bigger than that. It's a chance to test myself and see if I can go further than I've ever gone before as well as an opportunity to better myself as a person. I'm going into this with some emotional healing to do, and something to prove, though I'm not sure what or to whom just yet. The way I see it, I could pay someone to sit and help me talk through my baggage, or I could lace up and hit the road. So, the road it is.
I registered for the IMT Des Moines Marathon back in January so I've had plenty of time to mull over which training plan I'd like to use. After a lot of digging I still hadn't found anything I was in love with. One day I stumbled upon a Facebook post by Run the Edge advertising their training plans. Being in the market I decided to check them out, and I'm so glad I did. They offer plans from a basic "Running Start" all the way to 26.2. I decided to go with the 26.2 Premium plan because it's designed for someone who just wants to go the distance without any specific time goals. Everyone I've spoken to and everything I've read tells first time Marathoners to run for the experience, not for time and I am all about that! The plan is a Nerdlete's dream! (nerd + athlete for those not in the know) Each week outlines various workouts including 1 "Key" workout. Completing each workout gains the runner points, which tally at the end of the week for a flat (read not real, except on paper) Finisher Medal with a level of Heroic, Epic, or Legendary. If you don't get enough points you simply repeat the level until you get it. Another thing I love is that the workouts are based on a combination of running for time and milage. For example today's workout was "Run 25, Walk 5, Run 5" as your training progresses milage totals are given for long runs, such as "Run 15 miles". My hope is that the focus on running for time and not a specific distance will allow me to still build my endurance while not burning myself out to quickly.
I decided to begin at level 6, which is for someone who can run 30 minutes without stopping. Though I can run longer, I feel like I would be remiss in not spending some time working on my form and breathing as well as speed. These are areas I have let slide in the pursuit of mileage as of late and I want to be sure I've got them down to a science before I start taking on those long runs I know are coming.
My day 1 workout was so-so. The plan had instructed "Run" to mean a solid effort. Not race pace but pushing it. In an effort to be a good student I went out just a tiny bit fast (Read: running like my behind was on fire) for my 25 minute run portion and petered out before the allotted time was up. I don't feel right giving myself the points for the workout since I had to take a rest break and walk a bit during the 25 so I am going to try it again and see how I do next time. Either way I had a blast and felt like my form was good and I was running strong, even if it was just for a little while.
A big part of this journey is going to be sharing my progress and being real with you. It's very important to me to open up about the nitty gritty and really give you a picture of who I am and what I'm working with in hopes that this will inspire you to start your own adventure. So I'd like to reintroduce myself, if I may. Hi, I'm Laurianne. I'm a mommy to 2 beautiful little boys, a sister to 4 siblings and a National Guard wife. In addition to fitness/blogging I love wine, reading, cafe racers, and the Green Bay Packers. Here is how I look on paper:
Age: 27
Height: 5' 9.5" (yes that half inch matters)
Weight: 171.2 lbs (also known as size awesome)
Bodyfat Percentage: (last measured in March) 22%
Average Mile Pace: About 9:50 (slow and steady wins the race…when I'm racing myself)
Longest organized road race to date: 15K
Milage PR: 13 miles
I've also gotten a few questions on my gear, so here is what I'm currently rocking
Killer Smile (check) OK, in all seriousness though:
My tunes: Ipod shuffle
My kicks: Adidas Supernova Glide 6 Boost
My shorts: Nike Tempo
My swag (aka Armor): Fierce Forward
My watch: Garmin Forerunner
I can't say how much I'm looking forward to this new challenge and sharing it with you. Thank you for the support and for sharing my excitement!
Happy Training!
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