2011 Fargo Marathon Training

I am in the middle of my training period in preparation for the 2011 Fargo Marathon.  I haven’t posted a lot of information about my training, mainly because I’ve been so busy doing it that I haven’t had time to write about it.  Well, today I will give you a little summary of the items I feel are the most significant.

First of all, let’s talk about injuries.  I took a fall on the ice about a month ago while running, and while my injuries were mild, I’ve been quite hesitant to train outside since it happened.  I imagine once the ice is mostly gone, I’ll venture back outside for the majority of my runs, but until that happens, I’ll stick to the Wellness Center.  My right Achilles tendon has been inflamed for many months now, but if it doesn’t get any worse, I don’t expect it to affect me too much.  My right heel, however, has been my most painful injury to date, and it is the one I’m a little concerned about.  I believe it’s a little beat up from basketball, and the shoes I wear everyday were so worn out that it didn’t get a chance to heal.  I purchased new shoes last weekend, so I hope to notice an improvement soon, or I will need to see a doctor to see if it’s something more severe like a stress fracture.  That would likely keep me out of the Fargo Marathon!

My training, on the other hand, has been going fantastic!  I’ve been running more days per week and faster than ever before and my body has responded very well.  My mileage is also higher than ever for this stage of training.  My strength training has gone from a lot of weights, to fewer weights and more things like pushups and situps.  I’m incorporating some “Yasso 800’s” into my routine and it’s the hardest training day of the week!  Basically, I run really fast for a half mile (800 meters), then recover by jogging a quarter mile at a slower pace.  I do this 12 times consecutively, and it really pushes me harder than anything else I do.

I’ve also been experimenting with different things to eat while running, in order to keep my energy up.  I’m a lot larger than most marathon runners, so I need to consume more calories than most.  I’m kind of thinking a hundred calories every three to four miles, so that would mean carrying quite a bit of food with me.  I have little packets of a product called “Honey Stingers” that agree with my exercising stomach.  I also tried pineapple juice and a banana today during my Yasso 800’s and suffered no ill effects, so I may be able to use them as well.

Well, basically that’s what I’ve been doing:  Running, eating, and dealing with a little pain.  That’s what it means to be a marathon runner, and I wouldn’t want it any other way!