Marathon Training - Week 2

This week, I have been so grateful for all the support I've already gotten I was even more motivated than before to push myself and stick with the training. I knew that I really needed to get into a regular habit of running without the group and made that my prime goal.

Monday, 2/18: Since I didn't have to go to work because of the holiday, I had no excuses not to run. So, it was a good day to do my first solo 3 miles. I had already mapped out how far down Ocean Parkway I would need to go in order to end up with a 3 mile round trip. Turns out that Avenue J is 1.6 miles away from where I live, so that is just about perfect. Here's what it looks like on Mapquest:


It was actually a pretty nice morning (weather-wise) and I did the run in about 30 minutes. I felt great afterwards and was very happy that I ran the whole way (despite thinking a few times about walking the last couple blocks back.)

Tuesday, 2/19: A day off

Wednesday, 2/20: Volleyball day. No running, but it was a good workout (even though my team lost)

Thursday, 2/21: Ok, here was the real test. A morning run on a workday... and it was COLD! It was probably about 20 degrees, but as soon as I pushed myself out the door I knew I would feel good about doing it. I actually enjoyed seeing the other people from the neighborhood. Some looked like they were on their way to work, but others were also exercising (both running & walking) along the same route. It kind of felt a little less like I was doing something on my own. Of course I also saw people walking dogs & I'm looking forward to when I feel comfortable enough running that I can bring Foxy with me (because she will LOVE it!)

Friday, 2/22: A day off

Saturday, 2/23: Group training in Prospect Park. Not as cold as last week or Thursday, but lots of snow on the ground. Today's run was 5 miles, more than I think I've ever done before. It turned out to be fantastic. My friend Sean also joined the team, so he and I ran together. We took it nice and slow and ran at a pace that was really good for me. I felt great the whole time, and wasn't out of breath at all.

For this next week, I'm going to try and get in the habit of stretching every day. I'm also going to try and push myself to run at least 4 miles each run. Based on how things went today, it shouldn't be a problem as long as I pace myself correctly. Hope everyone reading this has a great week & thanks for your support in every sense!


If you want to read what this is all about, click here for details.
Also, please visit my fundraising page to make a donation or see how close I am to my $4900 goal to help fight cancer.

Marathon Training - New Shoes!

As a member of TnT, I got a discount to buy new running shoes at Jack Rabbit Sports, so I went to to get a fitting yesterday. They videotaped me running on a treadmill so they could see what type of shoes would be best. The tape showed that I need to correct an over-pronation in my right foot which is an inward rolling of the foot during its foot-strike. After putting on a pair of shoes with stabilizers I got videotaped again, and could absolutely see that it wasn't happening anymore. It was really cool. Here are the shoes I ended up with:

Now I can't wait to try them out!

If you want to read what this is all about, click here for details.
Also, please visit my fundraising page to make a donation or see how close I am to my $4900 goal to help fight cancer.

Marathon Training - Week 1

I met other members of the Brooklyn team last Saturday, 2/9, in Prospect Park for our first group training session. We'll meet every Saturday at 8:30 to run, stretch etc. As the weeks go by, Saturday's will be all about increasing distance, but the first week we just ran for about half-an-hour so that the coaches could watch how we run. Our head coach, Michael, videotaped us so that he can address any bio-mechanical "issues" he sees that need to be corrected. It was actually really fun, and I had a good time talking with the other runners. A couple guys that I talked to had both joined TnT last year and had run marathons successfully. It was nice to hear them talk about how the training went and nice to know that they were both coming back for more. After running, we stretched and then I went to get a little snack with Viva, who was assigned to be my mentor, and a few others. I didn't really feel sore or anything afterwards, but I could tell later that day that I had been running.

Sunday, 2/10: a day off from training so I relaxed (I can tell I'm going to be very good at sticking to the schedule on off-days!).

Monday, 2/11: I was supposed to run 3 miles on my own. Hmm. Of course, Monday morning was FREEZING (Alaska won't even be this cold in June.) Instead of running, I did 30 minutes on our elliptical machine. I could tell it really wasn't the same thing, but I'm happy that I at least did something.

Tuesday, 2/12: a day off again!

Wednesday, 2/13: Wednesday's are the other day of the week that group training is scheduled. These nights will typically revolve around some special type of workout or training element. This week was all about upper body movement. Unfortunately, I am not expecting to make it to a lot of the Wednesday nights because it conflicts with volleyball. Luckily the coaches are pretty good at sending out the key details of what is being covered so people can work on things they missed.

Thursday, 2/14: I was supposed to run 3 miles again. Hmm. It was still really cold. I mapped out that running from my building down Ocean Parkway to Avenue J was about 1.6 miles, so there and back would be perfect. But, did I mention it was cold? I decided that I couldn't do it without running pants, so I decided to try and do something after work. I didn't have a chance to by pants during the day, so I came home determined to do the elliptical again. But I ended up only doing about 10 minutes, it just wasn't a good training day.

Friday, 2/15: off! (But I did buy my running pants & a long sleeve running shirt)

Saturday, 2/16: I made it to the 2nd group training run in the park. It was really, really cold (about 23 degrees). We ended up running one loop around the park which is 3.3 miles. I ran with a couple guys who were much more experienced and coach Michael. I felt ok for the most part, but it was hard to catch my breath and I was definitely running too fast to carry on a conversation. It was fine for that distance, I just pushed through, but hopefully I'll figure out the right pace as I start to run more. I really felt good about running the whole way and finishing. It's the first time I've run that far since doing a corporate challenge several years ago (and certainly since injuring my ankle in 2006).

For this upcoming week, I'm really going to try and get in my Monday & Thursday runs - wish me luck!

If you want to read what this is all about, click here for details.
Also, please visit my fundraising page to make a donation or see how close I am to my $4900 goal to help fight cancer.

The Mayor's Marathon

Well - it's been awhile since I've blogged, but I started something last week that's really exciting - I'm training for a Marathon! Yes, a marathon. In June. The 26.2 mile kind. Oh, and it's in... ALASKA! I know, I know, it seems kind of crazy, but here's the thing - I'm doing this as part of a team that trains, runs and raises money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to fight cancer. The program is called Team in Training and it has helped beginners (like me) train successfully for marathons since 1988.

So why am I doing it? Here are the reasons in no particular order

• I've had a secret goal of running a marathon for years
  
• It's a chance to work with trainers as opposed to just trying to do it on my own
  
• Being part of a group that's doing this together will really help me stay committed
  
• It's an opportunity to raise money for a very worthwhile organization
  
• It's an opportunity to do something in memory of my friend David Detweiler who passed away 10 years ago, less than one year after being diagnosed with cancer
  
• It's in Alaska
  
• It means I will probably get to eat a lot more while I'm training to keep up my strength!
  
• I'm expecting to be in great shape when I'm done

As I mentioned, part of what I'm doing is raising money. I've set up a fundraising page so that people can help. You can make pledges or see how close I am to my $4900 goal at:

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnyc/dslivken

If you hurry and make a donation right now, you could be one of my first supporters - what a thrill!



Now, here's the "funnest" part for you, my dedicated readers... I'll be reporting on my training right here on this blog every week. That means you can enjoy hearing about (hopefully) my accomplishments as well as (hopefully not as much) my pain as the big event on June 21st gets closer. Your support, financially or otherwise, will really help me make it all the way to the finish line so please check back often and help keep me motivated with any feedback you might have. Click here to read the latest. THANKS!!

For more information on either Team In Training or The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, please visit their website http://www.teamintraining.org