Well, I guess it is time to start getting serious about training for the Napa Valley Marathon that is on March 1^st!  Yes, we are WAY BEHIND and it is COLD out there!  I would not recommend our approach and to be honest, I am not sure how we are going to finish this in the allotted time given we really only have 6 weeks to train.  Typical training for a marathon is 16 weeks.  We did run/walk 14.4 about a week ago and we have ran a couple times this week (3 miles).  Main thing is to get our bodies used to running again-long runs!

In order to finish this race (no matter what time) we will follow Jeff Galloway’s run/walk method.  I highly recommend this method for anyone training or running a marathon or half marathon.  The beauty of this method is that there is alteration between running and walking and therefore you use different muscles at different times throughout the race.  This alleviates the constant pounding you would normally have from just running the marathon.  I actually got my best time using this method in both a marathon and a ½ marathon!  The hard part about this method is that you have to stay committed and focused throughout the marathon. You cannot say ok…now I want to walk 2 minutes instead of one.  And there lies my problem.  As we get to about mile 13, I start to calculate how much time I have left and then manipulate my timing structure.  However, this will not work this time.  Given it took us 3:10 to do 14.4 the other day, we will have to maintain our 4:1 ratio throughout the 26.2.  We may be able to modify towards the end but in order to potentially hit the 6 hour time limit we must maintain.

Many of you may say “6 hours” you can do that.  We can and we have in the past.  But we have not trained for the long runs.  We will have approximately 5 weeks for long runs on Saturday or Sunday.  This will allow for 2 weeks of slow down prior to the marathon.  I would like to get up to 26 during these long runs but I think this is going to depend on the weather.  Right now it is frigid outside and very difficult to run/walk in this weather.  Our goal is to do 15, 17, 18, 19, 23 and then to back down to 6 or 7 prior to marathon weekend!

Training in the Cold– We have done this for Antarctica.  It is not fun but it can be done if you dress appropriately.  We wear our running tights with thermal pants over these as well as a thermal sweat resistant shirt and then a sleeveless vest over that.  We also wear gloves and a hat.  During these times we also train close to home in case we have to quit due to the temperature or other environmental factors.  If the weather is really bad like it is today and is supposed to be this week we will leverage our treadmill.  The difficulty in training in the cold like this is the extra clothing weighs down your body and makes it harder to move sometimes making it feel as though you are not moving at all.

We will keep you posted on our training (just short blurbs) so that you can support us as I think we will need it.  We are also anxious to hear from you on your New Year’s goals and any questions you may have in regards to training for a run!