Marathon Man

I watched "Marathon Man" for the first time last night (okay I knew it wasn't about running), and maybe it was too hyped and too culturally referenced for me, but I was a little disappointed. I was especially disappointed in Dustin Hoffman's running shoes - geez they looked like they were held together by chewing gum! My brain was screaming, "If you think Laurence Olivier's dental instruments were bad, wait until you're done giving yourself plantar fasciitis by training for a marathon in those shoes!"
Haha. I kid, sort of.
Anyway, my New Balance's are doing me good and I'm running 5 miles tonight, 6 tomorrow, and squeezing 6 in somewhere over my long weekend in TN. Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend! I start training with my team officially on May 30th, I hope there are some other "slow and steady wins the race" types to jog alongside me :)

What I am, is a runner

So, since I started really training with my Fred's Team running schedule last week, I have discovered some pretty interesting things about myself. One, that I can run 5 miles in a row, without stopping, with no problem - several times a week. That might not seem like much to some, but while I've always been active, I've never considered myself to be naturally athletic, based on some pretty embarrassing attempts at sports involving hand-eye coordination, and the fact that I run slowly. I even had a tactless co-worker comment recently when he found out about my marathon, "you don't look like a runner." OUCH.
The fact of the matter is, that was completely ignorant statement. I see girls who look far less athletic than me, passing me in Central Park every time I run there. Running is not an exclusive sport - anyone can do it. Strap on some sneakers and go. You might surprise yourself, like I did. I never challenged myself with a serious althletic feat before, and the more I run, the more I am sure there has been a marathoner lurking inside of me all along.

Got my training schedule!

So, people have been asking me a lot lately how much I am running, since I am building my base now. I haven't pushed myself so much, considering I'd be starting "real" training with my Fred's Team sometime in July.
WRONG!!! Our team trainer is WAY too smart for that. He says, and I quote:
"This year’s Fred’s Team training runs start in May. Last year I left it to you to build your base on your own. I’m not doing that again."
Soooooo.... I got my schedule and it starts on May 4th! That's right - it starts Monday!!! And it is REALLY HARD LOOKING. Like, G.I. Jane hard. I am so excited. My mom just sent me some cool running gear in the mail, looks like I'll be wearing it A LOT.
In case you are wondering what the details of the training are, a good synopsis is that I'll be running from 25-40 miles per week, every week, for the next 26 weeks, and cross training on Wednesday and Friday nights in the gym (weights, bike, elliptical, pilates), with Sunday as my 1 rest day.
Ok let's go!