Speaking of - the most popular question I have been getting as of late is "are you training yet and, if so, what are you doing?"
For this past month and for the next 8 weeks, I am in what I am calling pre-training prior to the start of our "official" 18 week training plan which begins with our first DFMC group run on Saturday, December 8. After an extended running hiatus after having my first baby (five weeks early in late December 2016), I have been taking this time to rebuild my mileage base. This refers to the strategic and progressive increase in aerobic activity and mileage that allows you to have a strong foundation as you go into marathon training. Simply put, I wasn't running at all and currently I am running 11-12 miles or so per week over 3 run days. Over the next 8 weeks, I will increase that to 15-20 through 4 run days. On non-run days, I have been incorporating other aerobic activities (for a minimum of 30 minutes) to re-establish and strengthen my aerobic fitness, strength training, and daily stretching to keep my muscles loose and prevent injury.
Speaking of injuries, that is the hardest part of returning to any consistent running program - your brain feels as if you should be running 5-6 days a week and logging X amount of miles while your body needs time to rebuild a solid foundation. The temptation is to ramp up your training and mileage too quickly which almost always leads to injuries that, in the end, have the potential to sideline you for far longer and can put you further behind in training. Thus the importance of a strategic plan which allows you to map out the progression and trust that you will, in fact, get back to your higher mileage in due time.
Additionally, I have been focused on my nutrition and putting better fuel in my body. Like many new Moms, I blinked and have found myself still carrying around the extra weight (and then some) which I put on during pregnancy and theougjout the fog of early Motherhood. A return to solid nutrition with a focus on all my vegetable and fruit servings, whole and high fiber grains, lean proteins, and eating at the right times throughout the day has not only helped me to fuel my miles but has left me feeling way more energized and focused. While I cannot tell you how that has translated on the scale, quite literally because ours needs a new battery that I keep forgetting to get (mental note, pick up batteries today Erin), I can tell you that my clothes are fitting looser and I am down a size, which is particularly gratifying given I have invested in vital running gear over these past few years which needs to fit again by the time we head into winter training!
And with that, I am throwing on my rain gear and head lamp and heading out into the rain for a few sloshy miles. Have a great weekend everyone!
T-Minus 185 days!
