First Run of Marathon Training

The first run of marathon training seemed the scariest run to me, I suppose because it met the first run of a lot of runs, and of a lot of runs that are farther than I have ever ran before.

(this, apparently, is my scared face)

My schedule called for a 3 mile run, which adds a bit of irony to my fear, because I've done tons of 3 mile runs in the past. Heck, I've done tons of runs that are longer than 3 miles.

Honestly, I think the word "marathon" was the scary part.

In any case, as it was a rainy day, I waited until later in the evening to go for my run, and since I wanted a nice, easy run, I ventured from the rolling hills of my neighborhood to the flat and scenic trail next to the Missouri River in the East Bottoms. I even brought this guy along for company:

 

That's my Jeff. And that's me being a total dork.

Jeff loves a good run, and I'm glad that I had him along. As many of you know, I've adopted a Galloway style of running, where I run for 2 minutes and walk for 2 minutes. My goal, however, is to make my 3-4 mile runs those runs in which I run for the entire length of time. I started this run with that goal in mind, however, found that my pain in the you know what was not having any of that plan. So, I settled into the run/walk.

Let me tell you something. On a nice, sunny day, the trail by the river is full of runners and walkers and people just hanging out and it's a great place to run. However, on cloudy and incredibly humid days, there is hardly anyone there and it's slightly creepy. I did my best to tune out the creepiness and frolicked along with Jeff. Miles ticked off slowly but surely, and I found myself dripping with sweat by the end of the run, despite the below 70* temperature (seriously, it was HUMID). Even Jeff was getting tired and that's saying something!

I ended up run/walking 3.18 miles in about 41 minutes for a 12:48 pace. This is about what I'm expecting for the marathon, so as summer prehab helps strengthen me, I'm hoping I can get these shorter runs to be a little faster and see my long runs are this pace.

In due time, friends in due time ...

Thank you to those how have donated to MOCSA in my honor! I'm so touched at the response already! I will be getting updated on the total amount raised and a list of donors periodically, so keep an eye on my Facebook page to see how we are doing!

www.facebook.com/ElizsOneandOnlyMarathon

Thanks again!