Let's Get It Started {base training: week 1}

Today marks the start of my fall marathon training cycle and 8-week base building phase. I currently run an average of 40 miles per week and my goal is to build to a strong 50 miles per week.

Base building isn't just about building mileage. It's also about improving my strength and aerobic capacity to prepare my body for the rigors of marathon training. Re-reading what I just wrote, I realize I sound like I know what writing about.  Let me reassure you, this is new territory for me.

The base plan I'm using is a hybrid of a winter base-building plan pulled from an old issue of Runner's World and Hal Higdon's spring plan. I've made changes to best fit my lifestyle and schedule (hello, job), current and goal mileage. 

In addition to running, I am learning to embrace my rest/recovery, fine-tuning my pre/post-run nutrition and developing skills for mental toughness.  My goal is to not only share with you my weekly training plan, but to also share with you my triumphs (Nailed that workout!) and my misses for the previous week. 

Base-training: Week One

Goal mileage: 39 miles

Monday: 3 miles easy run (using heart rate monitor, bpm <150)

Tuesday: 6-8 miles easy run with 4x20 second strides at the end of run

Wednesday: 6 miles run, speedwork (Strava WoW: The #Moneghetti)

Thursday: 4 miles easy run (run on treadmill)

Friday: 5 miles, hill run

Saturday: 3-5 miles easy run 3 miles easy run + 5 miles group run

Sunday: 10-12 miles long run  3 miles easy run

{Update: Schedule is updated to include links to my completed runs on Strava}