My Killer Marathon Training Plan

After I ran my first marathon (in 2011) I had no aspirations of doing it again.

“Angie can be the 26.2 miler of the family.” I told myself. “I’ll stick to half marathons.”

I had gone from desk potato to runner. This was a remarkable transformation since I have hated running from a tender age. I failed PE class in 9th grade because I refused to run that mandatory 1 mile.

The marathon was a life changing experience but not one I was too eager to repeat. In the back of my mind I knew I would try it again but I planned to procrastinate it as long as possible.

The Eventual Death of Procrastination
Now I’m officially signed up for the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Feb 24th 2013. Do or die, this should be an exciting race. I personally think it’s worth a drive to New Orleans just to eat in the French Quarter.

Angie has designed a killer training plan for me that will be more aggressive than any schedule I’ve previously followed. This time I will be as strong as possible when I nudge my way into the corral on race day.

Here is a look at my training regimen

My Training Regimen

1. I Will Be Running 4 Days a Week
   We recommend that beginners run three days a week. Since I can’t call myself a beginner any more (Angie won’t let me) it is time to ramp it up to 4 days. My body needs to learn to handle more mileage per week.
2. I Will Be Doing Hill Training, Speed Work, and Yasso 800s
   The hill training and speed work will be good physical conditioning. The Yasso 800s, named after Bart Yasso, will help me pinpoint my expected finishing time. I’m hoping to finish in 4:15!
3. I Will Be Going to Yoga Class Every Tuesday
   Yoga will toughen up my core, strengthen my balance, and stretch out the kinks after my Monday long run. I fully expect to be the only man in the class.
4. I Will Be Doing Weight Training
   I will have one day of lower body weight training and two days of upper body. I’m using the P90X fitness dvds. These workouts can be done with dumb bells and a pull up bar.
5. I Will Have Three 20 Milers
   I look forward to clobbering these 20 milers. My body needs to get used to running this distance until it feels like just another day at work. In training for St. Louis I only ran one 20 miler and it was rough.
6. I Will Be Pacing Myself
   Unlike last time, I will be paying attention to my pace. I will begin with a 10:13 minute mile and work down to 8:54 on race day. And . . . I just realized how hard that will be. Darn.

On Monday I completed an amazing 14 mile long run through the Missouri country side. I’m looking forward to 16 miles next week.

I know my killer marathon training plan will get me ready for New Orleans. But I also know that my plan is only as good as my resolve to stick to it. There will be many days when I don’t feel like putting in the work. In those moments I must renew my mind with the image of my new and improved self -the “me” that eats longs runs for breakfast.

I am a marathoner! I was born to run. I will embrace discomfort. I will welcome solitude. I will fully expect black toenails. I will pay special attention to bowel movements.

I’m ready to push myself further than ever before. The world is my race track. How about you?

There is no escape! Dont make me destroy you. . . you do not yet realize your importance. You’ve only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy! -Darth Vadar