It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No.  I'm not talking about Christmas... although that is starting to sneak up on me too. 

So what am I talking about?  It's time to marathon train!!!  This is my first official week of training for the Big D Texas Marathon on April 10th.  That's exactly 4 months from now.  So for the next for months, please send happy vibes toward my knee.  He's got a ways to go.

To keep the ol' knee happy, I'm switching up my training this time around.  I'm doing an easier training plan (still using one of Hal's) and making some changes to it.  I'm going to swap one day of running for an extra day on the elliptical.  Super boring, I know... but I think sticking to only 3 running days a week will be good for my knee.  Plus, it's cold outside!

In addition to less running, I'm also going to make every effort to do all the other things that make my knee happy: yoga, stretching, rolling, icing, spin class. 

Must. Make. Knee. Happy.

I finished up my first week of training with a long run of 8 miles.

Boo-ya

I wasn't really planning on running this morning, but when I woke up to let the dogs out, I saw that it was actually sunny outside.  I knew I had to take advantage!  Drew had a doctor's appointment a little later in the morning that I needed to drive him to.  This left barely enough time to run, so I had to make this speedy. 

I literally ran door to door with no cool down or warm up.  I was huffing and puffing as I threw on dry clothes and grabbed some water.  Then we were in the car and on our way.  Don't worry, I made sure to ice.

Peas = Happy Knees

One week down.  Only 17 more to go.

Marathon Training Tip of the Week:  Sometimes winter training sucks.  Running in the cold can get old quick.  So when Mother Nature presents you with a sunny day that isn't totally frigid, go run!  Taking advantage of the good days will remind you why you love running and give you a healthy dose of Vitamin D.  Don't make me go into the horror of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).  No one likes a grumpy runner.