I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

I know you've heard this from me before, but I mean it this time. No, really. Honest! I'm going to get off of my butt and run the 3M Half Marathon here in Austin on January 25th, 2009. That's the day of my 32nd birthday. Thirty-two... Wow... I do not like the sound of those numbers. ::sigh::

Anyway, I'm posting my training schedule in an effort to keep myself honest.

Click on the image, and you'll get a bigger version.

Not too demanding, but not too easy either. Of course, none of this is set in stone. I'm bound to flake or be too sore or just plain too wimpy to get out the door for every single run so I'll allow for a little wiggle room. What I will - MUST - do are the long runs on the week-ends. The long runs are crucial.

Back in 2004, I ran the full Austin marathon with my roomie Tricia. See:

Yes, I know you've seen this picture before.
But I'm really proud of that accomplishment
so I'm going to post it a few more times
if that's okay with you. :)

We ran the marathon in just over 4.5 hours, and the only training I did was one long run per week. I'm not saying that's a good way to train and would not advise it to anyone, but that's what I was able to do and it worked. If I hadn't been getting those long runs in, I would have died after mile 8. I'm sure of it.

So I will say that I'm going to try to stick to this schedule, but at the very least, I will get in a long run each week. The blank days are for either rest or cross-training. "7M with 5M pace" means I'll run a total of 7 miles, which includes a 1-mile warm up, a 5-mile stint at race pace, and a 1-mile cool down. "8M with 4x1600" means I'll run a total of 8 miles, including a warm-up, four 1600 meter runs at slightly faster than race pace with an 800 meter jog between each, and a cool-down. "4M race" means I'll either try to find a local race that I can sign up for or I'll treat that run as a race and do the whole thing at my goal pace.

This is going to be a long, uphill battle because I am so very, very out of shape, but I need to do it. I've been under so much strain lately that sometimes I find it hard to take deep breaths or focus or do anything productive at all. I need an outlet, and running has always been a fantastic stress-reliever for me. I think I'll feel so much better physically, emotionally, spiritually once I'm in the middle of this training.

Now. To find a few suckers wonderful people to train with me...

:)