Day # 5: Rest for the Weary

Rest day! And well deserved I'd like to think. I ran more than 3 miles a day for four straight days, and thus have earned my first official day-off according to the training program. The ironic thing is that I should probably be making my weekend "long run" today, because I'll be in New Jersey through Monday. As a result, I'll have to run some unfamiliar roads at some point this weekend. The problem with unfamiliar roads are that you usually haven't had the opportunity to measure them. With that said, I've been pretty consistently running 8-9 minute mile pace on long runs in the past, so if I can just get out and run for 9x6 = 54 minutes, then I can safely assume I achieved the 6 mile goal. Wish me luck. I'll blog again on Monday!

Day # 4: Trackin it

My fourth day of the training program is in the books. I wanted to switch up the routine a bit tonight so I headed over to the Bentley track to run my 3 miles. This also served the dual purpose of giving me a very accurate idea on pacing as well. Going into the run tonight, my thought was to run considerably slower than the past 2 days - in the 8:15-8:45 range. I discovered it is much harder to actually do. I started out running a rough pace for the first mile due to a dull pain in the back of my knee and came across in 7:35 (way too fast). The second mile I ran a more comfortable 7:20. My final mile, I made the mistake of running too fast again, and finished in7:10, thus making my time 22:05 for the 3 mile run. After the run I walked a 1/4 mile cool down, then did 100 situps.

Weight = 169

Day # 3: Beer Belly Blazing

I really carbo loaded today! I went out with some co-workers had had 3 beers and some calamari after work, but I felt as though I could not let myself and my brother down on only my third day of the program. Consequently I left early to get back and get a run in before darkness and my 9:30pm soccer game tonight. Well, believe it or not, I ran the same 3.2 mile run as yesterday and finished in 24:38, which was way too fast and very dumb. As I was explaining to my brother on the phone, if you have ever tried running with a "buzz" it is impossible to pace yourself. The end result is you quit and walk, or you finish the run with a blistering pace. I ran too fast, and will probably feel the consequences tonight during soccer, during the day tomorrow, and on my 3 mile run tomorrow. Oh, and it was humid and 87 degrees when I left the house.

Day # 2: Higdon Humidity

In sticking with the Higdon program, I ran 3 easy miles today (or so I think) in another day of thick humidity and temps in the mid 80s. I haven't gotten a chance to jump in my car and measure the run, but I finished in 25:21. I must admit that for the first mile I was pretty sore from my 7 miler yesterday. I haven't gone out for consecutive long runs since college, so this will take some getting used to again!

Hal Higdon's Marathon training program is widely recognized and wildly popular among both novices and marathon veterans alike. Interestingly enough, when I began serious research last week on marathons, I realized that the Philadelphia Marathon was exactly 18 weeks away and coincidentally, Higdon's program happened to be exactly 18 weeks long. Just as a sidenote, I looked specifically into fall marathons due to the difficulty of running a spring marathon because of the need to train in January-March in Boston, when most days are below freezing. Wanting to run a semi-popular and prestigious fall marathon, that left me with looking at NYC, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Upon further research, I realized that NYC and Chicago registrations were both closed, and both seem like a zoo. NYC's marathon averages close to 60,000 runners, while approx. 40,000 runners traditionally start Chicago's marathon. To me the size of these 2 events seemed a bit overwhelming. Conversely, Philadelphia's marathon had 9,000 runners last year, and expects about 10,000 entrants this November.

Day # 1: Lets get it Started

My training started this evening. I went out for a nice long and easy 7 mile run in Waltham. The 7 mile that I traditionally run starts out very flat until mile 4, where there is a long rolling hill for over 1.8 miles. Finally, the last mile or so is a sharp downhill with a flat finishing stretch.

I finished the 6 mile run in 53:48 in brutal humidity, with temps in the mid 80s.

Weight = 171

Welcome to my running diary (figuratively & literally) of my training leading up to the Philadelphia Marathon on November 20th, 2005. I have always enjoyed seeking new challenges, whether they be mental or physical, and running a marathon seemed like a good idea to combine one of my high school and college activities with trying to live a healthy lifestyle and push my body to its limit. Finishing a marathon will be undoubtedly one of the hardest tasks I have ever undertaken, but I look forward to meeting the challenge and proving to myself that I can sustain a difficult training schedule for 18 weeks and finish one of the most difficult athletic events possible.

I hope you enjoy my posts as I keep this running diary for my own purposes, and for the purposes of pushing my oldest brother to attain his goal of reaching Philadelphia on Sunday, November 20th.