I need a BRA?!I always knew I needed a BRA. Especially on the long runs or when training gets difficult. And while I am sure you are trying to shake the mental image of me running down the road wearing a florescent Nike sports bra, and your welcome for that, unfortunately that is not the “support” I’m talking about. My B.R.A. is my Boston Running Allies. A collection of some of the most amazing, talented and supportive people you can imagine. This group includes a local race director, a marathon group leader, three current Boston Qualifiers, two nationally ranked age group marathoners, a multiple-time Iron Man competitor and a number of incredible weekend warriors like myself. Last night I had the opportunity to go out for dinner with a big part of this group, and as usual they had incredible insight into what I should focus on to get to Boston. Everything from specific workouts, to nutrition and recover techniques, but by far the most unified and repeated advice that I was given from all of them was to… “Enjoy the journey and not get lost in the outcome” In my last training cycle I focused solely on my running improvement to the detriment of enjoying the social aspect of training, so when I ended up getting sick at the 28km mark and then completely seizing up at the 40km mark, ultimately missing my goal by more than 25 minutes I was devastated. Therefore, this time around will be different, and while I’m obviously going to focus on improving multiple aspects of my running, I’m going to ensure that I keep up the social aspect and enjoy the journey. I’d love to know how you have balanced development with progress or even a time when you got lost in the outcome and missed enjoying the process… at least I hope I’m not the only one, lol.
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It is now a reality. With some encouragement from a few running friends I’ve decided to stop procrastinating and start the 12 month challenge next week, October 24th 2016. I’m still trying to figure out if I am excited or nervous. But all I can currently think of is what kind of official “send-off ” I should have with McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy’s and well… to be honest every other fast food restaurant in Calgary. My son suggested we try to do 12 drive-thrus in 12 hours for 12 meals to go along with the 12 to BQ theme. He also volunteered to drive, but since he is only 5 I’m thinking I may pass. With a late October start, I’ll then end the year racing either the Okanagan Marathon mid October 2017, or the Hamilton Road to Hope in early November 2017. Obviously I will have a number of races in between to try to incrementally bring down my race time, and some fun runs to keep everything interesting. So far this is what is on the agenda for the first quarter of the challenge (Nov – Feb): November 13th – Last Chance Half Marathon. This is to see where my current level of fitness is (or isn’t). February 11th – Hypothermic Half Marathon. A race pace practice run. February 25th – Either Phoenix Full or Texas Marathon. This will be my first full and I’ll post my target time a few weeks before the race. Any other suggestions for fun runs over the next 3 months in or around Calgary? Hi everyone and welcome to the 12 to BQ Journey. I wish I could have started this off by saying that I have been an avid runner my whole life, or that running came naturally to me, or even that I was in great shape right now and therefore I should be able to just pick up a pair of shoes and qualify for Boston. But where I sit right now I have a better chance of qualifying for a Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest then the Boston Marathon… mmmmmm HOT DOGS. With my 12 month journey getting set to kick off in just a few days, I only have a short period of time to get a plan in place in order to set myself up for success and it's looking like my first few weeks are going to be focused primarily on building my running base (i.e. building my weekly km's gradually with easy runs). Below is an overview of my next 3 weeks along with my individual nutrition modifications which i will implement in order to start on the path of peak fueling. Initial Base Training Schedule Overview Week 1 Run 4 Days (Tues 5k, Wed 8k, Thur 5k, Sat 16k = 34k) Nutrition: Eating at least 1 serving of fruit a day to increase energy Strength: Include 30 minute weightlifting on Tuesdays, Yoga on Fridays(more to come on this) Week 2 Run 4 Days (Tues 6K, Wed 10k, Thurs 6K, Sat 16k = 38k) Nutrition: Start every morning with a balanced shake (more to come on this) Strength: Include 30 minute weightlifting on Tuesdays, Yoga on Fridays Week 3 Run 4 Days (Tuesday 6k, Wed 10k, Thurs 6k, Sat 18k = 40k) Nutritional Adjustment: Build power food salads for the week Strength: Include 30 minute weightlifting on Tuesdays, Yoga on Fridays(more to come on this) |
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AuthorDan is a middle aged, overweight, desk jockey with an overactive imagination that has him convinced he can go from Burger King patron of the month to a Boston Qualifier in just 12 months. Archives
April 2017
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