Motivation
My Daad sent me photos from my first marathon, NYC 2002 recently. I honestly didn't think we had photos of us crossing the finish so I was floored to see them! It's insane to think I've taken off 2+ hours from my first marathon 5:35 to my PR marathon 3:28 in 2016!
Workouts
Goals and Stuff
It's so early in the cycle to decide on a goal for Boston, but to train well I need to have some sort of target time in mind. I'd like to requalify for Boston 2018- which means a sub 3:40 (more like sub 3:35 to guarantee registration) for me since I will be in the next age group for 2018. Either this cycle or the next (should there be another 26.2), I'd like to train for another breakthrough PR- sub 3:20 or something.
Training Plan
Since I'm not training for a Full Ironman anytime soon, I'll be focusing a little more on running than I did when I trained for Carmel. I'm using the Hanson Advanced plan and will amend it to include some cycling and eventually swimming. It worked really well for me last year, so I'll try something similar again. I also want to do a half Ironman at some point, so I need to be cycling and swimming- plus I can't neglect Mortadella. Cycling also helps me stay injury free. A win win win all around! I'll also be doing yoga a few times a week- from Jasyoga. Strength training and PT exercises are also happening regularly.
Other
I'm 8+ lbs heavier than I'd like to be for running, so focusing on nutrition (and not binge eating, and drinking less alcohol), will be a priority for me this cycle. I love food too much and don't have an off switch, so this will be a challenge for me. Weight aside, my body fat percentage according to my fancy scale is around 25-26% which is too much for my frame- especially given how much I work out. Ideally I'd like to be around 20%, which doesn't seem like a big difference, but has been so hard to move so far. Body fat % trumps weight for me- I need to get leaner because of belly fat and the diseases associated with it.
Looking Forward
I'm going to take each day at a time and not think about the race being so far off in the future. I'm excited to run this race, but I need to put in a lot of work over the next few months.
-Xaarlin
