Marathon goals.

My third marathon is this Sunday. Sunday! That's right around the corner.

I've trained well for this race, which is good because I have some goals that I would really like to achieve. But I also had that hip injury flare up on me at the end of my training and, I have to admit, that is getting in my head a little bit.

I am doing my best to shake any doubts out of my head. I ran 4 miles yesterday at an easy pace and  when I looked at my watch after the run I was happy to see my pace was well under my goal pace.

And what is my marathon goal pace, anyway? Well friends, it is a pace that would give me a new PR. It is a pace that would qualify me for Boston. It is 8:55.

8:55 per mile. For 26.2 miles.

That's all.

8:55 per mile would have me crossing the finish line in 3:54. A 3:54 marathon would qualify me for Boston (my BQ time is 3:55:00). I believe I can do it.

Why? Well, to start, I put my recent (ish) half marathon time into a few race prediction calculators. Here's what they predicted for my marathon time:

Calculator #1: 3:50:33
Calculator #2: 3:54:14
Calculator #3: 3:52:04
Calculator #4: 3:54:02

My training for this marathon has been better than my training for that half marathon. So that's a factor. Another factor in my favor is that the race takes place on my home turf. I know the course. I can sleep in my own bed the night before the race.

As long as I keep myself in check over the first half of the course, I believe I can run 3:54. I know it will be hard. I know I will want to stop in those last miles. I also know my body can handle way more than my mind gives it credit for.

I'm excited for Sunday. And nervous, sure. I've gone after big times before and missed them. But I've also gone after fast times and surprised myself by running faster.

I just have to see what race day will bring.

If you have good vibes to spare, send them my way! I'll be going after that 3:54 -- running my little heart out for sure!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by :-)

September recap.

September was quite the month with some really solid runs and then, well, then it petered out.

Overall, the month was a win. But I had to scrap a planned 14-miler at the end of the month and take three full days off of running because my wonky hip decided to flare up.

Grrrr . . . 

So, the month ended a bit down, but not completely. After the rest and loading up with my favorite Deep Blue Rub, I bounced right back. I started October with two joyful runs! Pain free!!

Phew.

The month in numbers:

Running (miles): 123.1
Races: 0
Cross-training: some rehab on the hip and a realization that I have not been doing enough pre-hab!

This week, I am NOT going to let my mind obsess about missing my last long run last week.

Instead, I will obsess about the race day weather. Seems appropriate!

Oh . . . yeah! Looking good!! Fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Have a great week, everyone!

From worst to best.

Two weeks ago I ran that horrible 20-miler. It was tough -- for many reasons. The two biggest reasons were the humidity and my stomach cramping issues. After that run, I wondered (several times) if I was meant for the marathon at all, let alone a marathon with a time goal.

I wondered and every time I did, I told myself that, yes, I'm meant for it. Now is the time to go for it. Go for that marathon PR. I mean, why not? Right? Right.

So I forged ahead and have had some rocking runs since.

Sunday's 22 mile run was the best yet.

I ran with people I've never run with before: Catherine, Rachel and Jen. Catherine was with us for about 5 miles and then looped back to finish with 14. Rachel, Jen and I continued on. We started in one county, crossed the bridge over the river, and ran on into another county. High adventure for this happy runner!

Mile 1: 10:03
Mile 2: 9:58
Mile 3: 9:28
Mile 4: 9:16
Mile 5: 9:51
Mile 6: 10:20
Mile 7: 9:53
Mile 8: 9:46
Mile 9: 9:41
Mile 10: 9:38

After 10 miles, we popped into a 5K in Washington Park. It was such an odd thing to do, but it worked. It got us to pick up our pace on tiring legs. It also forced us to hold back, because we knew we'd have 9 miles left to run after the 5K.

The 5K:
Mile 11: 8:39
Mile 12: 7:52
Mile 13: 8:01

After the race: Me, Jen, Rachel. Yes, I was wearing gloves. My hands were freezing on Sunday!

We ran together for the race, finished, and ran back to where we'd started. We went a different route back to the start, which happened to be super-duper hilly. But, no matter. We conquered those hills!


Mile 14: 10:40
Mile 15: 11:25
Mile 16: 10:43
Mile 17: 10:24
Mile 18: 11:31
Mile 19: 10:16

With 3 miles to go, something happened to me. My body just needed to go. I felt myself pick up the pace a little and I went with it. I worried for about half a second that I would not be able to hold on to the pace, but deep-down I knew I could.

Mile 20: 9:48
Mile 21: 8:47
Mile 22: 9:18

And I did. I ran such a solid last few miles. It felt awesome!!!

Hooray!

Actually, the whole run felt awesome. I loved the company and our pacing and I really enjoyed the mid-run race break.

Solid Sunday 22-miler = total confidence. 

Now, my taper is right around the corner. I'm ready!

Enjoy the rest of the week, everyone!

August recap.

Training got real in August.

My long runs were longer and my overall mileage climbed higher than it has been in years. I committed to running more in the morning and that's what I did. I had an awesome race/long run in mid-August and ran some strong workouts. I also had just about the crappiest long run ever -- Sunday's 20-miler.

Sure, I got it done. But, man-oh-man if it wasn't hard.

I don't know exactly what it was that caused my problems, all I know is that the run did not work for me. I cramped after eating my energy chews and felt like I was going to throw up for most of the rest of the run. It really kinda sucked.

And it totally messed with my head. You know, in that why-on-earth-am-I-even-thinking-about-running-another-marathon kind of way.

I need a strong rebound run this week to help me get back on track!

While I work on making that happen, here's a look at my month in miles:

Running (miles): 143.1
Races: 1 -- the Clove Run
Cross training: ha!

And now it is September. The month of back to school. The month of soccer all the time. The month of peak training AND the beginning of my taper. The month before the marathon.

Exciting!!!

Enjoy the rest of the week, everyone!

Yasso 800s in the mix.

After focusing on marathon goal pace miles for the last few weeks, I decided I would run Yasso 800s yesterday. I wanted to test myself with some speedwork to kick off the week. My plan was to run 8 Yasso 800s, which requires me to run them at my goal marathon time, converted to minutes. So, 3:50-ish (my goal is 3:52).

If you're not familiar with Yasso 800s, here's a page that explains how they work.

I warmed up for about 3/4 of a mile and then took off running. I ran each 800 with a rest lap in between, where I jogged 400. Here's what my laps looked like:

Lap 1: 3:47 
Lap 2: 3:45 
Lap 3: 3:42 
Lap 4: 3:45 
Lap 5: 3:42 
Lap 6: 3:46
Lap 7: 3:48 
Lap 8: 3:41 

No 3:50s, but I was able to hold on. I mean, look at that 8th lap compared to the 1st -- 6 seconds faster! And I wasn't dying at all during these intervals. In fact, I felt really good. Really strong. I almost added on two more laps. But then I reminded myself to stick to my plan. No need to go all crazy with the Yassos!

That workout was a win. Now, I'm shifting my focus to my 20-miler for this weekend. I don't know where or when I'll do this run but I fully admit that I am already getting excited for it! 

Thanks for stopping by -- have a good week!

 

Clove Run 10 Mile Race Report.

Saturday was the day of two runs. My main goal was my 18 mile marathon training run. But it also happened to be the day of the Clove Run, a local 10-mile race that I've run for the past few years. I really enjoy the race and was even the top female finisher back in 2011.

This year, I decided to sandwich the race in the middle of my 18-miler. I figured it would be a good opportunity to test out my marathon goal pace over an extended run. Plus, I'd get to run 18 miles in a race atmosphere.

I started out by running 2 miles by myself and then hooked up with Elisa and Bridget for a mile. Bridget had already run 4 miles by herself (she was sandwiching the race in the middle of her 16-miler) so she left us and Elisa and I ran one more mile before the race started. I quickly changed out of my super-sweaty shirt and headed to the start line.

I had a plan. I wanted to run at a steady pace, but walk the two major hills. My marathon goal pace is 8:51 so I was hoping to stick close to that for the entire race. I know myself, however, so I know that I don't always start out slow enough in my races. I tend to bolt out of the gate. On Saturday, though, I kept it in check.

Mile 1: 8:40
Mile 2: 8:33
Mile 3: 8:29

I kept telling myself to slow down but I also tried really hard to only look at my watch at the mile markers. I wanted to run by feel as much as possible.

Those first 6 miles flew by -- surprisingly.

Mile 4: 8:36
Mile 5: 8:15
Mile 6: 8:31

There's no marker for Mile 6, but there is one for the 10K, which comes right before the first big hill. Because I had been feeling so good, I almost decided to run up the whole hill. But my plan was to walk at a certain point, so walk I did! My hip thanked me for it.

At the top of the hill, there is a family that has a water stop for the runners and they were so incredibly nice! I stopped, took my gel (honey stinger) and some water, chatted with the kind family, and then ran on.

As nice as that stop was, though, it might not have been worth it. That gel did me wrong. Or maybe it was the stopping? Or combination? Something was not right because a few minutes after taking the gel I got a cramp and it stuck with me for pretty much the rest of the race. Boo!

Mile 7: 9:24
Mile 8: 8:05
Mile 9: 8:29

And then there was the last mile. Ah, yes. The last mile with that hill. I walked it all. See, the hill comes at a point in the race when you've already run 9+ miles. Who wants to run up a steep hill at that point? Not me, that's for sure.

So, I walked and then tried my best to pull out a strong finish.

Mile 10: 10:14

I ended up finishing is 1:27:19 -- an 8:45 pace overall and good enough for 3rd place in my age group!

Not too shabby!

After finishing, I continued running for 4 more (slow) miles. The cool part of running those miles was that I also got to listen to my aunt's band that was providing post-race entertainment! Pretty awesome!

In the end, I ran 18 miles with 10 of them just under marathon goal pace. I learned that I do well with nuun in my water, but still need to figure out mid-race fuel. The gels really don't work for me. I re-confirmed that my Injinji toe socks rock for long runs. Same goes for my awesome favorite running skirt.

I wish I had some race day pictures but, alas, that didn't happen!

All-in-all, a good day of running! I'm glad I ran the Clove Run -- one of my favorite races -- as part of my 18-miler. Breaking the miles up like I did (4/10/4) made them relatively easy!

Sunday was a nice little recovery run and now, today, I will rest! Hope you had a great weekend -- thanks for stopping by!

Celebrations!

We've been doing a bit of celebrating here in Happy Runner-ville.

First, Owen and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on Thursday. We had a great day together. We went to Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course during the day and then out for a delicious dinner that evening. Lots of fun!

Check out that wobbly bridge behind us! It was way up high -- and way wobbly!

Then, on Saturday, we had a surprise 60th birthday party for my aunt at my house. It was a huge success -- she was surprised and so, so happy. Just perfect. Another day of fun!!

We took a break from the party to get a group shot of the family.

To top it all off, on Sunday I ran 10 solo miles and they went way better than I expected. I call that something to celebrate!

Felt great!

 
All good stuff, for sure. This week is shaping up to be a good one, too. Just not full of celebrations, but still full of fun. I'm going to be disappointed when this summer ends!

Have a great week, everyone!

Going early, going long.

Some days, I don't even know who I am.

Some days, it seems, I'm an early morning runner. That is not me. Not at all.

Except for when I am training for a marathon. In the middle of the summer. Then, apparently, I turn into that strange being that is the early morning runner.

And I don't mind it -- mostly. So odd, right?

Now, I usually do all of my long runs in the morning and some other runs as well. But when I've done those long runs, they've been at fairly civilized times. 7:30, perhaps. Or 8:00. Times that allow me to sleep until at least 7. Nothing crazy.

On Friday, though, I had 16 miles on the schedule and one of my running pals had to get in to work after the run. So we needed to get out early. Which meant I woke up in the 5s!

Nuttiness.

But I did it. 16 hilly, early-morning miles. Done. The first 10 miles were with Bridget and Elisa and they were full of conversation. The last 6 miles were done alone. Miles 11-14 were run right around marathon goal pace (8:51).

The last two miles were run right around barely running pace. I was dragging. With a mile and a half to go, I wanted to scrap the whole thing. Not just the run but the whole marathon training.

I gave myself a virtual slap upside the head, got back in the game and ran on. I finished the whole 16  miles. And the benefit of starting so early? I still had the whole day ahead of me.

Then, on Tuesday, I got up in the 5s again! This time, to meet a neighbor for an easy run.

We ran a little less than 4 miles together and I ran a mile on my own. I hadn't run with my neighbor since before my half marathon in May so it was good to catch up. Even if it did mean seeing these numbers on the clock when I woke up:

Who am I?

Still the same happy runner, for sure. Just with the renewed ability to bust out some miles early in the morning!

That's what marathon training does, I guess!

Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone!

July recap.

First, thanks for your comments on marathon pace runs. I'm making a few tweaks to my training plan and I'll be incorporating fast finish (marathon pace) long runs into the mix. I feel good about it.

Second, July rocked.

It did. I ran more than I've run in over a year. And I ran strong. I'm so pleased.

Here's the breakdown:

Running (miles):113.8
Races: 0
Cross training: not much

Wow. Over 100 miles for the month! That's great for me. I've been serious about rest and recovery, knowing full-well what happens when I skimp on those, so getting up over 100 miles and feeling so strong is a sign, to me, that my training is going well. Hooray!

I welcome what is to come in August!

Have a great day, everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

Marathon Pacing.

I'm having trouble. You see, I have a goal for my upcoming marathon. I'd like to PR. And if I do, I will likely be able to qualify for Boston.

My current marathon PR is 3:56:37. My Boston qualifying time is 3:55:00.

All I need is to cut two minutes off my time and I'll qualify. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll get in. To get in, I'm pretty sure I'll need to run a good bit faster than my qualifying time.

So, I have this goal. Yes, to PR. But, also to get in to Boston. I'd like to run under 3:52 for the marathon in October.

To do that, I need to run 8:51 miles. And here we get to my problem.

I can run that pace, easy-peasy. My half-marathon pace is faster than that so I know I can do it. The trick, of course, is holding the pace over 26.2 miles.

So I've been running marathon pace miles in my training. Well, I've been trying to. And I've been failing. I'm running them too fast, which won't do me any good in the marathon.

I need to get comfortable with 8:51 per mile. That's it. I don't need to get comfortable with 8:19 per mile or 8:37 per mile. I just need to glide through my miles at 8:51.

Yesterday was my third marathon pace workout. I warmed up for a mile and then ran 3 miles, targeting 8:51. Instead, I ran:

Mile 1: 8:41
Mile 2: 8:37
Mile 3: 8:37

Consistent, I guess, so maybe I should be pleased with my fairly even pacing? Or maybe I should go ahead and try again next week!

In other news, yesterday's run put me over 100 miles for July. That's the first time I've broken 100 miles since last September. And while I do not want to jinx myself, I'm feeling really good about how my training is going! My long runs are increasing steadily and well. My easy runs feel good.

If I can just start to nail these marathon pace runs, I'll feel even better!!

Any tips for perfecting marathon pace? I'd love to hear them!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Marathon training progress.

This is how we train for a marathon around here.

Old school training plans. Pen-and-paper style. (Graph paper, no less.)

Long runs. Slow-and-easy style. (With friends! The best way.)

Marathon pace runs. Solo style. (Overall pace of 8:38 -- right on target.)

This weekend I've got 14 miles on the schedule and they will be solo miles. I'm a wee bit nervous because 14 is the longest I've run in, well, in probably about a year. I didn't run anything over 13.2 in my half-marathon training this spring. I know I ran 14 once for my half-marathon training last fall, but that's it.

We'll see how this goes. If I take it slow and easy, I should be fine. Fingers crossed -- wish me luck!!!

Enjoy the rest of the week, everyone. And have a good weekend!

Ready . . . set . . . train!

After a low-mileage June, July has brought a big change: Marathon training!

I'm registered for the Mohawk-Hudson Marathon in October and training started in full-force yesterday with a solo 10-mile run.

It was a hilly, humid run but I managed to finish strong, with a 9:30 pace overall.

It was a little weird to be running alone, but also just what I needed. I recently started a doTerra essential oils business and my mind has been racing. I love the oils and love the opportunity -- but there is still so much to learn and I have all these plans and sometimes my head spins from it all. Out on the run, I was able to really clear my thoughts.

Runs like that are good for the ol' confidence. I feel like I am prepared to start marathon training now that I have 10 miles run and done.

As far as my schedule goes . . . it is a work-in-progress. I have all of my long runs mapped out but I still need to plan my speed work and fill-in the days for my easy runs and cross-training. I'll work that out over the next few days. No worries there.

Now, I'm off to enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend. I hope you're having a great one!

Marathon tips Monday: Melissa.

After a one week break, I'm back with Marathon tips Monday!

Today's tips come from one of my training partners for the New Jersey Marathon, Melissa. Melissa inspires me with her ability to run fast while pushing her 2.5 year-old daughter, Mia, in the jogging stroller. I can barely break 10 minute miles while pushing my son in that thing, but Melissa? Well, she puts me to shame. She's speedy -- in fact, she recently ran a 34-minute 4-mile race while pushing her daughter! 

Melissa crossing the finish line of her second marathon in the month of May, alongside her daughter, Mia.

Not only does this 33-year-old mother-of-one (and wife of Joe, who also runs) run fast while pushing her daughter in the stroller, she knows a thing or two about marathons. So, let's check out today's tips from Melissa:

How many marathons have you run?

6 attempted, 5 completed (2 in the month of May!)

Two marathons in one month . . . I'm always amazed when I think about that! What was your favorite marathon?

New York City, it’s like one big party the whole way. The crowds are amazing.

And what is your marathon PR?

4:23:59

What is your favorite part of marathon training?

The long runs. During my last training cycle I did my long runs with a group of amazing women (including the Happy Runner). In the past I have done my long runs by myself for the most part and always dreaded them. This time I found myself looking forward to them every week.

I felt the same way! Loved the long runs this spring. So, what is your least favorite part of training?

Probably trying to balance training with the rest of life, but I love it so with the support of my wonderful family I am able to do it.

How long do you typically train for a marathon?

I have always followed 16-18 week training plans and I run 5 days a week.

What advice would you give to runners setting out to train for their first marathon?

Ha ha!! I have a lot of good advice that I should learn to follow.

Don’t start out too fast and run your own race. I went into the New Jersey Marathon with the goal of breaking 4 hours and I knew exactly what pace I needed to maintain to get there, I even made a pace band. Instead I let myself get caught up in the race day excitement and took off like a maniac. I ran the first half with a pace 30 seconds per mile faster than I should have. I felt great and was mentally thinking how I was not only going to break 4 hours I was going to crush it. Then at around mile 16 I started falling apart. I hadn’t trained to run a marathon that fast, I should have stuck to my plan. I ended up with a 10 minute PR at 4:23:59 but I was disappointed because I knew I could have done better if I stuck with my plan. I’m still extremely proud of that race and I learned a lot from it.

What race are you training for now?

My next race is the Utica Boilermaker a 15K on July 8th. I feel like I am in good shape from just coming off a marathon training cycle so I am going to focus the next few weeks on recovery and maintaining that. After that I will be running the Hudson Mohawk Marathon in October and finally getting that sub 4 hour marathon!

I bet you'll get that sub-4 in October, for sure! Aside from running a sub-4 marathon, do you have a "dream marathon" on your list that you'd love to run some day?

There are several marathons on my dream list. One is the Big Sur Marathon in Big Sur, CA, I have seen photos of this race and it’s a beautiful course. The views are spectacular. I hope to run it in the next few years. Another one on my list is the San Diego Marathon. I had just signed up for it in 2009 and begun the first few weeks of training when I found out I was pregnant with Mia. I decided not to run it since I didn’t know how my body would handle pregnancy and running let alone attempting a marathon, plus I didn’t want to spend the money on travel across country for a race I most likely could not put my all into. I would also like to participate in a Run Disney race, either the Walt Disney World Marathon or the Disney Princess Half. They look like such fun races!

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Awesome, Melissa! That was wise to beg off the San Diego Marathon to see how your body would handle running while pregnant. I hope you get to run San Diego someday! And, thanks for sharing your marathon advice.

You can read more from Melissa at her blog: miasmommyruns.blogspot.com. 

Or, if you have any questions you'd like to ask Melissa about her marathon experience, leave a comment and I'll pass them along!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

PS: If you would like to be featured on Marathon Tips Monday, send me an email at felicehalf at yahoo dot com.

Mental running lessons.

This weekend, I re-learned a running lesson.

I had a long run set up with my friend, Rebecca. Because of timing, we had to meet at 8:30 and needed to be done 10. My schedule called for 10 miles on Saturday but, as we were figuring out the plan to meet for the run, I decided to scratch that. Sure, I wanted to run 10 but that meant we'd have to hit the path right at 8:30 and run 9 minute miles the whole 10 miles.

I didn't think that would happen.

And then Rebecca wrote that she wanted to run 10 -- or maybe even 11 -- miles at an 8:30/9:00 min/mile pace.

Oh.

Stop sand-bagging, Happy Runner. You can so easily run at that pace. Didn't you run a half marathon at 8:15 pace and an entire marathon at 9:00 pace? So, 10 miles at 9 min/mile? You can totally do that.


Yes, I could.

So I agreed to meet Rebecca and we'd bang out 10 miles at an 8:45-ish pace.

And that's almost what we did.

Rebecca was delayed getting to our meeting spot (darn one way streets!) so we didn't get to start right at 8:30. Since we got off a little late, we decided to run 9 miles. We settled immediately into an 8:45 pace and kept it going as we chatted and chatted for the first 4+ miles. We turned around at 4.5 miles and continued to run strong. About 7 or so miles into our run, Rebecca needed to make a pit stop. She told me to keep going (because she knew I needed to be back at my car by 10) so I did.

Here's the thing: I started our run feeling cruddy. My breathing was crap and I couldn't get into a good rhythm for the longest time. The whole first 4 miles, I wanted to stop. If I hadn't been running with Rebecca, I would've slowed down or maybe even cut the run short.

And then, after 7 miles at a good clip, I had to finish the run alone.

Photo from my friend, Amanda. Lonely stretch of road --
that's what the last two miles of Saturday's run felt like in my mind.

For a second, I felt my body slow. Just take it easy. Slow down. Why do you want to run so fast, anyway? 


For a second, I entertained those thoughts. And then I silenced them.

So what if I was now running alone? I can push myself. I am a strong runner. This run would make me an even stronger runner.

I reminded myself that I have run much faster than this for much longer. Then I reminded myself that discomfort in training runs leads to better races. I focused on my breathing  -- in, in, out, out, in, in, out, out -- and on how strong I was truly feeling (brain fatigue aside). I did a posture check.


I picked the pace back up and told myself there was no way I was finishing this strong run with two weak miles.

I finished with 9.05 miles at 8:43 pace.

And felt great!

Now, what of that running lesson that I re-learned?

Source: fuckyeahfitspo.tumblr.com via Felice on Pinterest

Source: erica-sara.blogspot.com via Felice on Pinterest

The lesson I re-learned is that running is one heck of a mental activity. Your legs might be propelling you forward but if your brain isn't thinking the right thoughts, you aren't going to go as far or as fast as you'd like.

Your brain is in control. And, sometimes, it is going to want to stop.


I am working on getting my brain in the game.


Saturday was a success. I overruled the part of my brain that didn't want to run at the 8:45 pace and then I overruled the part that wanted to slow down 7 miles in to the run. I ended up with a great run. I've done it before, I will do it again. It is a running lesson to learn over and over and over.  


To make this easier, I've put together a short list of awesome training runs and races that I can look back on when I'm hitting a rough patch in a run and my brain wants me to slow down or stop. It may seem like a dorky thing to do, but just writing those performances down gives them more life and -- I hope -- will make them a more powerful tool against the "slow-down" brain.

So there you have it. My running lesson re-learned and my tip for overriding your brain.

Now, please tell me I'm not the only one who has to repeatedly learn this lesson! 

Do you have any good tips for convincing your brain that you can do it?

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Marathon Tips Monday: Sheila Couch

Welcome back to Marathon Tips Monday!

Today's marathon tips come from Sheila Couch. Sheila has been kicking butt in races from 5K to half marathon lately so let's see what she has to share about the marathon.

Sheila sporting her well-deserved medal from Boston's Run to Remember in May.

Tell us a little about yourself:
I am 41 years young. I am married to Matthew Couch and I have two daughters, Gabriella, 5, and Brooke, 3.

How many marathons have you run?
I only have one marathon under my belt. So, I still consider myself a marathon rookie.

What is your marathon PR?
Well since I have only one marathon under my belt, does 4:46:13 count as a PR? Definitely room for improvement!

Do you have a "dream marathon" on your list that you'd love to run some day?
My dream marathon was my first marathon, ING NYC Marathon 2011. But, I would like to also run the Disney Marathon.

What is your favorite part of marathon training?
When I trained for the marathon last summer, my favorite part of training was going out for the first time to run 15 miles. I can remember thinking, wow I just ran 15 miles for the first time ever! What an accomplishment! And, so, every weekend, I would be amazed at how I could push my body to run for all those miles.

What is your least favorite part of training?
My least favorite part of training has to be when my stomach doesn't want to cooperate with the training. But, that didn't happen often, thankfully.

How long do you typically train for a marathon?
I typically trained 4-5 days a week for 16 weeks for my first marathon but this year as I get ready for the Hudson Mohawk Marathon, I will only be training 3 days a week for 16 weeks. That is 3 days of running, 3 days of cross training with 1 day rest. I believe, at least for me, that my body response better to less running days. Well, at least this type of training worked for the half marathon I just ran on Memorial Day weekend.

What advice would you give to runners setting out to train for their first marathon?
I would tell someone who is training for their first marathon to eat properly and get enough rest. Don't get into the mind set that just because you burned 1500 calories, you can eat whatever (JUNK). You will gain weight from having that mentality. Rest is so important. Do not go out for a run tired. You are setting yourself up for an injury. Do not try anything new on race day. Speaking from experience during a half marathon race. 

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Thanks, Sheila!

Now, friends. Sheila is so right-on with her advice about not eating tons of junk just because you went for a long, calorie-burning run. I think a lot of runners, especially those new to long runs and marathon training, fall into that trap. I hear people blame running because they are gaining weight, when the reality is that they are taking in too many calories and that is why they are gaining weight! So, listen to Sheila!

And let me add: I know Sheila in real life so I can vouch for how fit she is. She clearly listens to her own advice! 

Do you have any questions for Sheila? 

Wishes for a good marathon training cycle for her marathon in October? 

Feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice