This week is actually Week 1 and I am officially in training mode! How exciting! Ok maybe not that exciting, but even this little hint of excitement is a welcomed feeling since I haven’t looked forward to marathon training in a loooong while (which is why I haven’t done one in so long).
This evening I headed over to a nearby trail to run my 3 miles. I didn’t care about pace though. I just wanted to run and spend time on a trail because I really haven’t done much trail running…ever. As I was winding my way up the inclines I just kept thinking about how I’m training for two races fairly close to one another (they’re about a month apart), and I realized it’s important I find a balance between road and trail running. So my goal is to hit some trail about 2 times a week and I’ll probably alternate the long runs between trail and road on the weekends. It’s also important I get a lot of running time in the heat since I anticipate it being very hot. This evening it was actually quite cool and comfortable so I may need to get in some high noon running in as well at some point. I’ve never been one for hot-weather running, but in this case, I need to.
Well, my 3 miles actually turned into 3.8 miles and I’ll say they weren’t easy. Hills have never been easy for me but it’s only the first week of training. I’ve got a lot ‘o’ more miles and hills to go! Right now I just hope I can wake up early in the morning to run another 3 miles (for training purposes and in honor of National Running Day) since I won’t be able to in the evening because I made plans to play tennis with a friend. Does running on the tennis court count as part of National Running Day? I think so. In that case, I better bring my Garmin. 🙂