Chicago Marathon Training Has Started!

It's been a few weeks since I've checked in here, but I've kept my recovery from the Vitamin D deficiency going with low mileage and some relaxation.  I also got homework from my coach in the form of running books.  But not regular running books but those that deal with the mental aspect of running.  The Vitamin D deficiency was a problem, but I also needed to work on my mental attitude while racing and it was a great time to dedicate for that.

Out of all the books I read, my two favorites are Deena Kastor's Let Your Mind Run and Elizabeth Clor's Boston Bound.  I learned a lot from those two books alone (all the books were great, but these two touched me the most) and I'm putting some of the recommendations into practice already.  Only time will tell...

I started marathon training last week and ran 40 miles last week, something I had not done since April or thereabouts.  It was an awesome feeling going back to that mileage, but at the same time, it was great not to have to run 50-60mpw for a while.  I've forgotten how important is a mental and physical break from constant marathoning.

My week went well.  I am running five days a week (down from six which has been my normal for 5+ years), so most of the runs were 7+.  I had some speedwork, but nothing too tough to start the training: some miles at HMP pace and the long run included 5K pickups of 1 minute.  My long run was 12, the longest I have run in months and it felt much better than the 12 miler I ran a few weeks ago.  All done on the treadmill, since our heat indexes have been in the high 100s.  That is not a typo.

Overall, the training started pretty well.  This week I will be traveling for work but will only have one run while I'm traveling, so this new five days of training might be best for the next few months, as I took an additional project at work that requires more travel than usual.  We shall see how that goes.

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