Vermont City Marathon Training Week 3

Still catching up...

The first line of each day is what I actually did and the parentheses beside it show what my scheduled workout was...

Week 3 (2.11.13 to 2.17.13):

Monday: 3.03 tempo at 8:14 pace, middle tempo mile at 6:54 pace* (weights)
Tuesday:   45 minutes weights (3 miles)
Wednesday: 45 minute yoga/pilates class (CT cardio)
Thursday: 3.77 miles at 8:59 pace (4 miles)
Friday: rest (rest)
Saturday: 7.01 miles at pace of 8:53 m/m(7 mile long run)
Sunday: 3 miles on treadmill at 9:17 pace(3 miles/frisbee)

*You may be a little confused about Monday. I don't run miles at a 6:54 pace. I went out for a tempo run and was cruising for the second mile. The final 2/3 of the miles follows a slight decline so I had that to my advantage. I was working hard and pushing myself but it is probably the equivalent of a 7:20ish pace on flat ground.

Vermont City Marathon Training Week 2

I'm still catching up but here is a re-cap of week 2 of my marathon training plan which was the week before last.

The first line of each day is what I actually did and the parentheses beside it show what my scheduled workout was...

Week 2 (2.4.13 to 2.10.13):

Monday- arm weights, planks and core workout (weights)
Tuesday- 3.78 mile run at 8:26 pace (3 miles)
Wednesday- 1 hour spin class (CT cardio)
Thursday- 2.95, pace not recorded (3 miles)
Friday- Rest (rest)
Saturday- 6.06 miles at 8:47 pace (6 mile long run)
Sunday- 90 minutes of ultimate frisbee (3 miles/frisbee)

Vermont City Marathon Training Week 1

During past training cycles, I thought it was a good idea to write blog posts about every random workout I did. Looking back, it doesn't make any sense to me why I went on in such detail for all the internet to read. Now, I'd like to write about more than my tempo runs and splits but I'd still like to use this space to hold myself accountable for my training and to report on what I've done. In case there's anyone out there who's interested in learning from my experiences and mistakes. So begins a series, which I hope to keep up with through May 26, that provides weekly updates on my training. I'm currently working through week 3 so we're going to have to back track a bit.

The first line of each day is what I actually did and the parentheses beside it show what my scheduled workout was...

Week 1 (1.28.13-2.3.13):

Monday- 3 mile tempo run on treadmill (3 miles speed/tempo)
Tuesday- Arm weights (weights)
Wednesday- 1 hour spin class (CT cardio)
Thursday- 2.95 mile run at 8:24 pace (3 miles)
Friday- Rest (rest)
Saturday- 4.57 miles at 9:03 pace (long run- 4 miles)
Sunday- 90 minutes of frisbee (3mi/frisbee)

Declare Your Bike Love

On Ragbrai 2010, I signed a petition for People for Bikes, who was and is still working on collecting a million names of support to help them improve the future of bicycling. More specifically, to join together to "speak with one, powerful voice--to make bicycling safer, more convenient and appealing for everyone."

Ever since, I've gotten periodic e-mails from the organization but I get so much junk that I don't pay them much attention. Yesterday, I got one with the pretty header above and, with love in the air this month, I clicked through to declare my bike love.

I found a whole collection of stories about people who ride for health, for fun, and for love. I read through a bunch of them and knew I wanted to write something. But how could I say in a few paragraphs what biking means to me?

I ended up writing down my ultimate biking love story- my engagement during Bike America. I think I was trying too hard to make it deep and explain how everything about the trip, including the engagement, changed my perspective and made my life better. But that's hard to do in a few paragraphs. Maybe I should write a book about it...

Anyway, other people's stories are cooler and they're fun to browse through. If you're interested in hearing why so many people love to bike, or in sharing your own story, head on over to People for Bikes. While you're there, you can sign their pledge.

Happy Friday!