Grandma's Marathon: 2 Weeks Down, 14 To Go!

My 16 weeks of official preparation for my debut in the marathon has begun! I have two solid weeks of training under my belt and 14 weeks to go to be as fit as I can be when I toe the line at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota on June 21st!

I am really excited to be training hard again. It has been 8 months since I have had a set training plan. Coincidentally that was right after I raced the US Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota. Having raced in Duluth before was one of the main reasons I chose Grandma's Marathon. I loved my experience in Duluth and I like that I have run on half of the marathon course before. The timing is also perfect since Conference and the Preliminary NCAA Rounds are both in May so I will have a week or two of "down time" before my big race.

I had fun this fall adjusting to my new coaching schedule and enduring lots of pain as I raced hard without any solid training. I'm hoping enduring racing two 30ks off of 30-40 miles of easy running a week some how prepared me for how much the last 6-8 miles of the marathon will hurt. I at least think some mental toughness was gained from those endeavors. That mental toughness combined with getting back to the higher mileage I've known for the majority of my running career will hopefully have my body and mind prepared.

I have a few races planned this spring that fit with the training plan that one of my experienced, professional marathon friends has be wonderful enough to lay out for me. She has raced some great marathons in her career and I trust her guidance as I prepare for my big day.

Also, the best news since my last blog came the day before my birthday this past month when I found out I would be representing Saucony again this year as a member of their 2014 Saucony Hurricane Team. I am so excited to be able to race for Saucony in my first marathon!

Mean Green Distance News:
We wrapped up our Indoor season two weeks ago at the C-USA Indoor Track & Field Championships and it was a great conclusion to a strong Indoor campaign that saw many athletes set big personal bests.

A few of the highlights from Indoor:

Jo Adams ran an 11 second personal best to set the school record in the Mile with a time of 4:38.83. She also was Runner-Up in the Mile and 3k at Conference.

Excited for what she can accomplish in the Outdoor Season!

The Men set three distance school records this indoor season: 800, 5k, and DMR.
The DMR set the record at the Conference meet while also taking a Runner-Up finish.

Proud of them! Conner Bey, Bryce McAndrew, Alex Hita, & Austin Yaeger

The Outdoor season gets under way this next week with some of my group opening at TCU on Friday and the rest will open up at Texas Relays in two weeks!