ColleenWaitWrites: The Road to Deseret

Friends and family have often asked me how I'm able to run a marathon, much less a 5K. It's no secret - one foot in front of the other.

Seriously though, it takes training, time, patience, and the right resources. I have used several training logs/plans/programs including Galloway, Runner's World, and my all-time favorite Strength Running. I've learned a lot from each plan - schedules, nutrition, injury prevention, strength, and keeping a log.

This is my log.

I've never kept a running log, at least not a detailed one. I kept on my mirror a list -
Sunday - rest
Monday - short run
Tuesday - strength
Wednesday - short run
Thursday - core
Friday - Long run
Saturday - cross train

I generally adhered to that, tweaked it as necessary, but didn't really think about keeping a journal until this race. The upcoming race, in July, will be my sixth marathon. I want to look back and see what worked, what didn't, how I can do better the next time without spending hours looking over Facebook posts.

If you're a runner looking for a training plan for your next or first race, read with the following in mind - This is how I trained, it worked for me (I hope). It is not your perfect textbook training plan. I've made mistakes, slacked off when I should have pushed and vice versa, and I've had setbacks. Read my journal, laugh, cry, shake your head and think 'well that was dumb', applaud, whatever, then go back up to the links and find a plan for you.

Be warned - it is long. The log/journal started way back on March 30th. The workouts listed such as Sabre, Stiletto, Ballista, etc. come from Strength Running. You can look them up online and on YouTube. I don't list specific abdominal exercises. Again, find them online.

3/30/2015 - Sabre Warm Up. 10-mile run, 1 mile walk
3/31/2015 - Standard Core, Stilletto, Treadmill 40 minutes
4/1 - Sabre
4/2 - 11 miles, strength
4/3 - abs
4/6 - Warm up, Clay Loop 9.79 miles. Clay Loop video
4/7 - Treadmill, strength
4/8 - 10.3 miles with hills, Pike
4/9 - 14 miles Clay Loop. On this run I met Desiree Linden and her training team. Quite the honor.
4/10 - Strength, abs
4/11 - 6 miles treadmill with negative incline. Explanation - My next race is about 90% downhill. So, I raised the back end of my treadmill up with 2x4 boards, initially, to give me a constant downhill.
4/13 - 10 miles Clay Loop, squats
4/14 - Ballista, Core, Stilletto, treadmill walk
4/15 - 10 miles easy. Didn't sleep well the night before. Saw a noisy crane during my run.
4/16 - abs, 10.3 miles Clay Loop, squats
4/17 - treadmill - 45 minutes easy; 7 mph 2 min/4/4; 8 mph 1/1/1:30; 6-7 2 min - total 9.5 miles
4/20 - core (abs and core are basically the same)
4/20 - Apopka Loop with a group 12.7 miles. Saw lots of wild critters. Apopka Loop Trail video.
4/21 - West Orange bike trail 12.72 miles
4/22 - core, strength, sprints 7 miles
4/23 - core
4/24 - 16 miles around my neighborhood in Apopka.
4/27 - rainy day. strength, 10 miles on treadmill up to a 5 incline
4/28 - rainstorms again. Treadmill, stairs in my house, core, strength, negative incline walk.
4/29 - Sick on the couch. Nothing.
4/30 - 10 miles easy
5/1 - Sick day again. I don't like being sick!
5/2 - High school stadium stairs.

Running the steps

Strength Training

See the blue steps? I ran a lap around the track then up and down all six sets of steps. Repeated the circuit four times. Plus, there are 9 steps up on each side and two set of nine steps in the center.
5/4 - Core (Bob Harper's YouTube channel), Apopka Loop Trail 12 miles.

Saw 12 gators on this run.

5/5 - Hill Repeats on Clay Loop. 11 miles. The cows were not happy with my choice of music. Then, I was stuck in a traffic jam on the way home.

My companion on Clay Loop

Calves in a pasture on Clay Loop

Traffic Jam for miles!

5/6 - Core. That's all today, I'm tired! Recovery day.
5/7 - 18.5 miles around neighborhood.
5/9 - Stadium step circuit
5/11 - 8 mile easy run with a few sprints. Sore from step run.
5/12 - 45-minute walk on treadmill with negative incline. Core.
5/13 - 10 miles.
5/14 - core
5/15 - 19 miles on the West Orange Trail at 9:49 pace. Not bad! Core.
5/18 - Sprint Intervals with my son as coach and time keeper. 10 miles.
5/19 - core. Walk on treadmill to break in new Teva hiking shoes 1.5 hours. Later in the day, I twisted or strained the top of my left foot/ankle.

Here's where things get interesting. Almost every training cycle, when I reach the week I'm to do 20 miles, something happens. Illness, injury (usually not run related), travel. This cycle is no different! Ugh!!

5/20 - Ankle hurts on treadmill attempt and road attempt. Stationary bike for 20 minutes. Core.
5/21 - Bike 45 minutes
5/22 - 16.8 miles. Took it slow because of ankle soreness. That evening - I accidentally kicked the stairs and broke my left 2nd toe. Can you believe it!?
5/23 - Toe looked and felt fine. Question break or bruise. Ran 7 miles on the Recreation Field with my husband.

Broken toe.

5/24 - Toe doesn't hurt with shoes on. 3.5 miles on treadmill.
5/25 - 6.6 miles at the Recreation Field.
5/26 - Elliptical, walk on treadmill, mow grass (yes mowing grass counts as a workout with my yard)
5/27 - 11 miles neighborhood
5/28 - Core, hamstring curls
5/29 - 21 miles at a 9:55 pace and no walking. Not going to let a little thing like a broken toe slow me down. Besides, it doesn't hurt.
5/30 - Stadium step circuit - 3 circuits of up and down all blue steps; 8x up and down the same blue staircase; 4x up and down the silver seats, walk 2 miles
6/1 - Chakram, Standard Core, hamstring curls, treadmill with a high negative incline 4 miles (concrete blocks did the trick)
6/2 - Core and warmup, 10 miles with 0:45 sec/60 sec/0.5 mile run/sprint/walk repeats with hills
6/3 - Easy day. Core, 3.5 miles on treadmill. Mowed the lawn.

I'm going to stop here for now. I leave on the 9th for a mission trip to Panama. Please pray for me and the team I'm going with. The plan for 6/4 is rest and 6/5 is 22 miles. Also plan to hike a mountain in Panama. I'll let you know how it all goes next post. I'll leave you with a few random photos. God bless and Have a Nice Run!