Maybe this isn’t
for everybody. Especially in the heat of the summer. But last year at this
time, K and I were gearing up for a summer marathon and a half-marathon. I’ve
never taken any time off during even the hottest days of the summer (On those,
full disclosure, I’ve taken to going to the air-conditioned comfort of our
neighborhood gym to run on the treadmill, but still …).
It’s one thing (and
definitely a good thing) to jog at a light pace – say, a 10-minute mile or a
9:30-minute mile. But another to train on the treadmill at a faster, stronger
pace, closer to an average of 8:40 during an hour-long training session, with
up to 3.0 incline, and interval speed increases of five-minute blocks, combined
with, on alternate days, stretching and working on core, leg and upper body
weight machines. Because now, with four months to go before race day at the
Brooklyn Marathon, it’s time to get my training focus. I want to run this
marathon – not run-walk it the way I did from the 21-mile mark in the 80-plus
degree heat of the Nova Scotia Marathon last July.
That’s the Plain
Train Game. And I’m locked in. Thankfully, each session ends with me feeling
just a little bit better than the time before. I ease off when I feel a muscle strain
coming on. But the Marathon Mood is striking. Number 9!
Next: Running for Your Life: The Subway. A
Public Good?
0 comments:
Post a Comment