Marathon, round 2!

Hello there. Have you abandoned me? I don't blame you. I'd like to say that I have a lot to report, but alas, such is not the case. I can't even say that I've been incredibly busy, because that would be a lie. I can start saying that as of this week, because several projects have picked up and I was occupied a lot more than before, but it doesn't give me an excuse for the extended absence from this blog, except the fact that I had nothing to say.

HOWEVER! That is about to change! HAZZAH!

I've decided to dedicate this blog from now until March 21st, 2010 to write and report about my marathon training. Yes! You heard it right. I am running ANOTHER marathon, and it is the same marathon, the great Los Angeles Marathon. It's going to be the 25th race, with a brand new course. I happened to watch the New York City Marathon last weekend, and I simply could not sit still. I signed up a couple of days later, and I am extremely excited!

I'm going to record how each of my long runs go, which is mostly going to happen on Sundays. It'll give me something to look back on, and perhaps there will be some tidbits that you all might find entertaining.

There are some things that I'm going to change about this marathon training that I wanted to share with you:

1. Really monitor my eating the night before my long runs. Before, I thought it was a free-for-all when it comes to carbo-loading. It is not so. I think this lead to my weight gain from my marathon training (which I haven't lost, but meh, it's also extra muscle) and there have been mornings where I felt less than stellar right before the race. Carbo-loading means a meal of mostly carbs, and not a LARGE meal with mostly carbs. Less fun, but that's the way it goes.

2. I'm going to get a heart rate monitor. I'm not going to be running for speed, for several reasons, but I think finding out my heart rate will help me understand how much I should be pushing at what mileage. (I'm eyeing the expensive Garmin... it's just so cool...)

3. I'm going to rest. I have a problem with resting. I can't sit still these days, so I don't really do the advised rest days. I'm usually swimming, or running. This really doesn't help. I've designated Saturdays as rest days, although this isn't set in stone. I am going to rest, and it starts today. ( Just FYI, I ran 6 miles on M, swam 2k meters on Tu, ran 6 miles on W, swam 2k on Thu, and ran 5 miles on F. REST NEEDED.)

4. I'm going to get a water belt, and use it on my long runs, along with some sort of sugar boost. I've totally zonked out on several long runs to Central Park, and I think it's good to get used to supplementing myself with some sort of sugar. When I trained in LA, I only used a water belt once, and I've hit the mental wall many many many times.

SO! HERE WE GO! I will report how my long run goes tomorrow. I'm going to be doing 10 miles, which is the most that I've ran since my half-marathon in September. I'm not too worried about it, but am looking forward to let you know how it goes.

Now off to enjoy my REST Saturday!