Okay, I see my obsession in full flight. I spent many hours yesterday working on my training plan and getting that plan into my 2017 journal. But golly, I had fun! Just my cup of tea! Printed it out and got out the pencil crayons. Forget the colouring books—I’ve got my training plan to decorate!
I had started with one of Jason Fitzgerald’s training plans over at StrengthRunning.com. I used the Beginner Marathon plan (kind of an oxymoron, but I suppose it’s all relative) and fit in the Around the Bay 30k with some extra rest days around that. I also gave myself a couple of extra weeks for weather or illness, or just absorb-the-training-when-you’re-60+ time. So that gets me started in the last week of January.
Meanwhile. He also has an 8-week base training plan so I plugged that in as well. It begins November 15th (with a couple of weeks between that and the Marathon plan) so I still have a couple of weeks to play with—to do whatever I like. Yes, running’s easiest. Do some warm-up and get out the door. But there are other things in life. So I’m told.
I made a list. Swimming. Weight training at the gym. Skating. Biking.
Swimming would be good except I have to get in the car and drive there. But I’ve bought a brand new bathing suit (the old, pre-running ones were saggily big) and packed my little swim bag, and Cole Harbour Place has a new mobile-friendly schedule so I really have no excuses.
Weight Training. The weight room here in the Harbour is handy but it’s too full of dumb machines and not enough room for free weights and bodyweight exercises. Still, it is close by, and I should support local. I really like the GoodLife on Joe Howe, Halifax and should give that another try before my membership expires. I’m told the staff is really helpful so perhaps I could improve my deadlift to where I trust myself to do it alone.
Skating. I have padding—that’s a good thing. My friend who teaches skating has taken some time off so that’s less of a good thing, at least for me.
Biking. I have a great bike but not a great saddle. I could invest in a new one, and a new helmet. Great biking season.
So, yes, I could do other things in this couple of non-running weeks. I just have to take up the sport of booting myself in the ass.
Muskadobbit to Boston 