Hey Healthy Happier Bear readers! I’m Leslie from And Her Little Dog Too – my little corner of the blog world is about healthy living, eating, running and everything in between, with lots of appearances by my dog, Jackson! I also just got married a month ago so lots of the wedding planning as well as my honeymoon recaps have appeared on the blog too!
Last Fall, I lost my marathon virginity and ran 26.2 miles in the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10. It was a beautiful day for a race and I was so proud of myself for crossing the line from a runner and becoming a marathoner! I learned so much from my first marathon, and as soon as I crossed the finish line and got that medal around my neck I was hooked!
A very short 3 weeks after completing my first marathon in Chicago, I found myself in a New York State of Mind on the start line for possibly the most popular marathon in the world – the New York Marathon! It was very much A Race Like No Other and I am so grateful that I was able to run two marathons that are on my marathon bucket list in the same season! I have long term goals to join the 50 State Marathon Club as well as run all the World Marathon Majors – Chicago, NYC, London, Berlin & Boston!
Running Back to Back marathons is no easy feat! Moderation during my marathon training was KEY for me because I did not want to burn myself out from over training or injure myself as I am prone to shin splints! My main mantra during training was: Less is More.
I spent the few months before both marathons focusing on quality, not quantity runs. I made sure I hit my long run every weekend, but during the week I put more energy into cross-training – through yoga, biking and swimming. The summer before I ran my first marathon I spent a good amount of time training for my first triathlon so the swimming and bike training were a good distraction from the build up in mileage.
I also made sure to sign up for lots of races during marathon training – I did the majority of my training and long runs on my own, all by myself, so whenever I was able run a race to go along with a longer run, I did! I ran the ING Rock & Roll Half in Philly as part of my attempt at 22 miles – I ran down to the start of the race and home! It was a tad painful and mentally very difficult, but running 13 miles in a race with tons of other people made the extra miles on the way home much easier – plus it’s always fun to get another medal for my wall! (I may or may not have signed up for races in the past JUST to get a medal – I heart them!)
So there you have it – just a few tips from my marathon training experience! This year I am repeating my running plan from last Fall as I am signed up to run the Marine Corps Marathon in October, followed by the Philadelphia Marathon 3 short weeks later. What can I say? I have a running addiction! Come stop by my little corner of the blog world to check out how I run back to back marathons in 2011!
Happy Running!
