The fall edition of Race Pace Training Diaries follows Brittany, a Race Pace Runner, on her journey of training for her first marathon, the New York City Marathon on November 3rd. Learn more about Brittany here or follow her daily adventures on twitter.
I seriously can’t believe it’s already week 3! I have a feeling these 16 weeks are going to fly by.
Week 1: This week was pretty uneventful other than the awful heat wave! I made sure to get all of my runs done before work, and I actually didn’t think it was too bad. Maybe growing up in the South was good preparation!
The biggest adjustment to officially being on a marathon training plan was the addition of strength training. I know how important strength training is for preventing injury, but I’ve been slacking in this area for the past few months.
After two lackluster sessions at the gym, I asked Jess if she could send me workouts to follow. I definitely would have spent hours researching the best strength moves for runners, so it was such a relief to just ask Jess!
Week 2: Cooler temps were back and it made running so much more enjoyable!
I missed my sunset runs along the West Side Highway.
This week was my first experience with doing a long run while out of town. I let Jess know I wanted to keep my long run on Saturday, but cut down on other workouts while in Raleigh. She did a great job working around my schedule and it made the weekend stress free.
Luckily I was visiting a great friend that helped me plan out a 10-mile run from her apartment and also bought me pre-run fuel (thanks Camille)!
The plan was to run a mile and half to Lake Lynn and then around the lake three times before doing the mile and half back. Most of the route was shaded, the humidity was low, and the views weren’t half bad! My only complaint was the lack of a water fountain and bathroom.
It ended up being a great run and a nice change of pace from my normal routes in NYC.
The first two weeks are over and so far, so good!
Are you like Brittany and need a structured strength training routine to follow during marathon training? Next week, I’ll post Brittany’s strength training workout so you can do it too!
Not a bad view at all! I love running in a new place – it makes the run go by a lot faster, especially when there’s shade and water views involved. Keep up the good work!
I also prefer strength training as part of my marathon training plan. I was injured few years ago because I was so confident that time. After learning the hard way, I believe strength training is a necessity.
I would like to try proper strength training workout to be incorporated to my marathon training plan. Do you have a list of exercises for this training? I’m really interested. 🙂
I am always looking for new landscapes to see! I love running! Thanks for sharing!!
I wish I had such beautiful scenary to run in! Lake Lynn looks beautiful. I have been concentrating on strength training for the last few months. Whilst it primarily prevents injury it has also made quite an impact on my running performance and my endurance. I feel my legs will take my further and I seem to recover a lot quicker after runs too. I have also been working lots on my core strength to improve my running posture.