Race day!

I came, I conquered :) Well, conquered my personal goals anyway, some pesky Mexican guy actually won the race...!

After the build up and tension race day came up fast... I eased into it with minimal training as I was still feeling the results of my muscle sprains however, with a mixture of rest, ice, compression and massage I was able to walk to the start line free of pain.

I had trained for a sub 3h45m finish and therefore attached myself to the 3h40m pace team hoping they can pull me through despite my recent lack of training. The race started very well (albeit 20 mins early which caused some confusion and last minute removal of warming clothes!), I got chatting with a Canadian guy called Barry who was competing in his final marathon. He also had a goal of 3h40m so we stuck together.

Very quickly we left the pace team behind, which is clearly not the idea. We were however feeling very good as we ran through the streets if Brooklyn, adrenaline pumping as we listened to their screams. I think I was perhaps the most supported person on the day, RUN COOKIE RUN!!! was emblazoned on my shirt and I lost track of how many times I heard it shouted, it was literally in the hundreds. Our pace was good, 8m11s average miles, way better than I had hoped or planned/trained for.

"Barry" and I remained strong all through Brooklyn and into Queens. By that stage we had a Half Marathon under our belts and were talking as though we were on a stroll. Mile 16 (the last mile before Manhattan) however is the Queensborough Bridge. We'd been warned by the pacer at the start that the bridge was hellish; no fans are allowed so all you can hear is the pounding of feet and heavy breaths. Salvation is however there; at the end of the bridge is 1st Avenue in New York which was a wave of noise for the runners, if anyone was lagging then the adrenalin shot in the veins from those fans was instantaneous.

For me it was a wonderful moment; I saw my friend Kat and then my wife, daughter and parents. Despite being 17 miles into the race, it felt like the first mile for a moment...

However, I then hit the wall. I liken the moment to being hit by a baseball bat on the knees, all of a sudden (and only 1 mile after feeling so strong) my knees said "enough is enough" and started burning... I still had 8 miles to go...

The wheels fell off at this stage; I was able to run 1 - 1 1/2 miles however at a much reduced pace and broken up with stretches of walking (hobbling). My miles went from around 8 mins to 10 mins, with one at 12 mins. Barry and I had lost each other at the turn for 1st avenue so, my supporter was gone (I later tracked his result and see that he fell off worse than I did), all I had was the supporters ("RUN COOKIE RUN!!!") and my determination to see it through...

Suffice to say, I did make it although I lost likely 10 mins on my time in the last few miles. Approaching and being in Central Park was tough, by this time my calves, hamstrings and of course knees were on fire however I grinned and bared it.

My family support was again in prime position as I turned the penultimate corner on 60th Street Manhattan and with only 3/4 of a mile to go I was able to use their support to push through and even end with a 'sprint' finish of sorts....

My final time was 3h54m47s. I beat 2 of my goals; 1) to finish! and 2) to beat 4h.

As I write this I am back in Arizona and resting up. I intend to take 1-2 weeks off running to allow my muscles to recover and then start training for my next challenge; the Phoenix Half Marathon in January.

The marathon was an amazing experience, from the expo
to the race day and the celebrations thereafter! I can't wait to do another one, it's a hell of a bug to catch!

Weeks 23 and 24

Well, here I am 2 weeks to the day away from the marathon. Fortunately, I am running again albeit not 100% comfortably.

After taking 2 complete weeks off to rest and recover I started running again last Tuesday (the 14th) I ran 3 times this week; 5 miles on Tuesday and Thursday and 4 miles on Saturday. Today (Sunday) I ache a lot... I do however feel that a lot of the aches today can be blamed not on the running but, the 8 tons of gravel that I helped shovel! Not the best marathon training for sure.

I had planned to run 12 miles today, albeit broken into stages of 4 miles with stretching in between. That's not going to happen now so, I will rest and then concentrate on a full week of running next week. My goals will therefore be; 5 runs total, and 1 day of cross training (anything but running basically!). The mileage total will be 26 (hey, a marathon! Maybe I can run the race that way also...?!?!)

Whether or not I am going to be physically capable of running the marathon remains to be seen but, I am going into it fully committed; I picked out my race shirt, and shoes yesterday (spending $200 in the process!). For shoes I decided on the Brooks Glycerin 6. Previous versions of that shoe got me through both my New York Half Marathons so, we have a good history :)

Now that I am winding down my runs it will be important to a) work in my new shoes and b) RUN OUTDOORS! Unfortunately the summer through me one last curve ball with temperatures returning to the mid 90's again this weekend but, it looks like it is cooling down again now.

One thing for sure is; I will never train for a late fall marathon again! It's spring marathons for me from now on...

Week, um 20/21 and 22?!

Injury (and tardiness) strikes!


My avid readers will have noted my updates have slacked recently... With a combination of travelling, and frankly little to write about, my blogging has slipped.


September as a whole started great. I met most of my goals and my long runs increased to 20 miles. However, since my last long run of 18.25 miles on Sep 14th I have run only 32 miles total, in 2 weeks. I have in fact only managed to run 5 of the 12 times scheduled.


Cardio wise, I do not seem affected. I ran 10 miles outdoors in California last week, and 5 miles outdoors in Arizona yesterday. It's injuries however that are causing concern.


As it always seems, I am injured coming into the end of my training. At the moment I have a tightness at the top of my left leg and both my calves are shot after Tuesdays run. Pavement continues to be a problem, with near all my training being on treadmills, road running is difficult.


I skipped today's run doing non impact cardio instead. I will run tomorrow, and again this weekend but the injuries are making things painful. I have significantly dropped mileage already, dropping anymore will start to impact my cardio.


I am in a bit of a difficult spot; I want to keep running but, I know I should pull back before I risk further injury.


To add insult to the injury, my Nike + also gave in on me this week. I hope to replace that soon, it's less than 3 months old and the screen gave up.


I'll be buying my race shoes this weekend, I will wear Brooks shoes but, I am undecided on which type. I have been using their Defyance shoe recently but, the new Glycerin 8 is appealing. I'll be trying them out this weekend. Whichever I decide on I'll wear them the next month to get them worn in nicely for the big day!

Week 19

Wow I hurt! I am just relaxing after a 19 mile run this afternoon. That run was the longest I had done by 3 miles, and probably the last 5 were uncomfortable! Hopefully there will be no residual damage done by the run, my thighs and calves hurt but I had an ice bath when I got back and am stretching regularly.

I totalled 41 miles this week, I missed my Thursday night run as a) it was my parents anniversary and b) I needed a break! Still, 41 miles in a week is a good number and a increase of 3 miles over last week.

The miles continue to increase next week, with the 'cherry on the top' being the 20 mile run next Sunday... All I can say is thank god the NFL is back otherwise I'd go mad on the treadmill.

I took 1 run outdoors this week, on Tuesday, and frankly it beat me up. It's made me realise that I definitely need to strengthen by running a lot of outdoor miles in the next 7 weeks so will aim to do both my Tuesday and Thursday 5 mile runs outdoors this week. Hopefully I will feel better after those runs.

We have a lot of travelling coming up with will create havoc with my schedule. I am already making plans to adjust my schedule to make the most of the opportunities I will have to run.

Here's to hoping I can walk tomorrow, otherwise I'll be asking wifey for massages :)

Week 18

A good week, back on track! As hoped I kept to the schedule and managed all 38 miles which was my best weekly total thus far. Most of the runs were a little uncomfortable however, for different reasons. I had cramps 2 times and also felt light headed once, but that abated after pounding some Gatorade. Overall I am obviously pleased with this weeks efforts however, and the aches and pains can be understood when we consider a week on week mileage increase of 14 miles.

Next week sees a big increase in mileage once again. My long run on Sunday will be 19 miles and the week will see me run for 45 miles in total, and another big jump week on week. Having missed several important runs recently I am determined to 'fulfill' my obligations this week. It's very important as next week will be the first of my longest training weeks...

The first of my 50 miles weeks is next week. I will do 3 of these weeks as I lead into the Marathon. My long run (and longest I will do in training) will be 20 miles, and those weeks will be complimented by two 10 mile and two 5 mile runs.

This week will see me take my running outdoors again starting with my two 4 miles runs on Tuesday and Thursday. I'll then follow that up by adding my Saturday runs as of next week which will alternate between 10 and 6 miles. By the middle of September all but my longest run will be outdoors and, eventually maybe even those will be.

Week 17

I let myself down this week. Unfortunately only 24.5 miles were run despite 41 being scheduled. I missed my Wednesday night 8 miler for a break, and then managed to screw up my times and didn't have time for more than 8 1/2 miles of my long run on Sunday. That was only half what I was due to run. Hopefully there will be no negative impact to my fitness but I need to ensure that I meet all my goals this coming week.

This weeks schedule is a total of 38 miles. A big jump week on week after the shortfalls however very manageable. I have two runs of 9 miles, and my long run is only 12 miles. It's very important that I meet all these goals as from here on out I am basically at my full weekly mileage as I proceed for the last few weeks of training.

Next week will see me run 19 miles and then I alternate with 2o miles runs followed by 12 the week after, that continues through to mid October when my mileage tails off to rest for the race.

I'll be taking my running outdoors again soon. The temperature is dropping and I hope to start running 3-4 times a week outdoors in September and October. I will start with my shorter Tue/Thu runs then add the Saturday run (with the 'Mummy Mountain Running Team'). It's possible I will also add my Wednesday run to outdoors as we get closer also.

Aside from last weeks blip the training really is going well. No injuries to report. I have 10 weeks to go and feel very strong, long may that continue!

Week 16

Well, sleep deprivation got the better of me this week, one guess why...! To be honest, it wasn't just my first born. Aside from the regular awakenings for Ava's feeding during the night, our puppy Violet also choose this week to have 'bathroom' issues and also disturbed every 2-3 hrs. Of course it is too much to expect them to be on the same schedule so, it felt as though we were up every 1-2 hours for a few days!

Despite these disturbances and also my return to work this week, I managed to maintain my schedule through Saturday, letting just that run suffer.

In total I covered 32 miles this week. That was 8 miles less than planned but I am very happy with the end result. The long run this week was 16 miles which I completed today in 2h16m at an average pace of a little over 8m30s per mile. If I could maintain that for the marathon I'd finish sub 3h45m which would be a great achievement.

This coming week sees just a 1m increase in my scheduled mileage, Sunday's run is 17 miles. Of course with my missing this weeks Saturday run I am looking to run 9 miles more this week.

I am in unknown territory now. Not only have I never run as far at one time (today's run was 2.9m longer than I have EVER run) I have also never clocked the this kind of mileage consistently week by week.

The good thing is that I am still enjoying the training and aside from my aching muscles from today's run, I am injury free. I am looking forward to taking more of my running outdoors and plan on going a Scottsdale running team in September for my Saturday 10m runs. By the end of September I in fact hope to have the majority of my runs outdoors as it will cooler by then.

Starting this week I am going to change my Tue/Thu runs to incorporate hill and interval work once each, this will help my overall stamina and strength for the longer runs.

Lets see how it goes!

Week 15

As hoped I managed to get back on track this week and clocked 30 miles which was a 20 mile week on week increase! That's obviously not how the plan was set, I of course missed substantial mileage last week (for a very good reason!) which meant the drastic increase.

The training went well overall. My sleep pattern is a wreck with the new arrival, we're waking up 3-4 times a night for feedings so I can hardly claim to be very fresh. I did however complete all of my runs in good times and am heading into the new week feeling confident.

I have another big jump in mileage this week. Assuming all goals are met I will hit 40 miles. All my runs are increasing in distance, my Tue/Thu runs are now 4 miles each, my Wed/Sat runs are 8 miles and the long run is (gulp) 16 miles!

You may recall that I have never run more than 13.1 miles, a half marathon, so the long run this weekend is a bit daunting. I missed a 14 mile run 2 weeks ago as I was in the hospital which would have made this run more 'appealing' for want of a better word. Hopefully missing that run will not have an adverse affect on me this week but, I will do what I can.

16 miles will take me roughly 2hr10 to complete, that's a lot of time to gather thoughts on a treadmill! Thank god for the Olympics, at least I'll have something interesting on the TV to keep me amused...

Week 14

What a week! Running wise, it wasn't my best but, baby Ava Helaine was born on August 1st and everything else just seems a little less important :) The last few days have been a whirlwind. I spent all day Friday and Saturday in the hospital with Nicole and Ava and ever since we have been home essentially sleeping and eating on Ava's schedule.

Training wise I completed my Tuesday and Wednesday runs relatively well (Wednesday's 7 miler was a little tough) but thereafter I missed my runs, 3 in total and 24 miles. A bit of a set back for sure but, I can justify it, it's not like I missed runs due to laziness or being hungover!!

This week is one of the 'resting' weeks I mentioned previously. My long run this Sunday is just 10 miles, the Wednesday/Saturday runs are 7 miles a piece. I have no concerns on completing any of this mileage despite missing 3 runs last week. Next weeks long run does concern me however, it's 16 miles! That's 3 miles more than I have ever run in one go, and will require not one but two changes of treadmills! (see last week...).

Although I had no aches and pains to speak off, the 6 day lay off from running I am sure did me good. Aa break of that long will not have an adverse affect on my stamina but allows my joints recover!

So, time to sign off and go and see my baby girl and baby mama who are curled up on the bed. Remember, we sleep when Ava sleeps now!

Week 13

Let me just say, running a half marathon (13 miles) on a treadmill is a little dull... I guess I should thank the Discovery Channel for starting Shark Week as it made the 1hr 50m I was running pass quickly!

I had a great week. Obviously I completed my long run of 13 miles earlier today and also did 2 runs of 6 miles and 2 runs of 3 miles. I even managed to do my cross training on Monday, I went for a 30 minute bike ride.

In total I covered 31 miles this week which I am sure is the most I have ever done in a week. 13 miles is actually the longest I have EVER run so that I am feeling good afterwards is very pleasing, the training is going so well that even runs of this distance are not having any adverse affects on my body.

The mileage increases next week by another 3 miles. The long run will be 14 miles which will come in at just under 2 hours, I'll also do 2 'easy' runs of 7 miles a piece, one will be tempo which means starting at a slower pace and building to race pace before reducing down again.

The long runs are getting a little challenging in one way; my gym limits the time you can run on a treadmill to 60 minutes... If you remember, today's run took 1hr50m. So, to do this without an abnormal stop whilst I restart the machine I actually lent over to the machine next to me and got that going at my pace then, when machine # 1 was about to stop I literally hopped over to machine # 2 and kept going, there was barely a break in stride!

I am sure the other people on the gym must think I am crazy but, it works, I did it for my 11 mile run a couple of weeks ago also! I do stop my personal timer for a second or two whilst I switch machines but the important thing is that I barely break stride. I hope to be able to finish the marathon without stopping so it's important that I train that way also...

Next week will likely see the birth of Baby Cookie. I'll aim of course to keep my training going as much as possible but I can't see myself leaving the delivery room to do a quick run! "I'll be back in a couple of hours love, just going to run 14 miles, can you hang on until then...?!"

Week 12

Now knowing that my blog is an inspiration to so many I am pleased to write about another successful weeks training.

I hit my goals this week; 26 miles total with increases in Wed/Sat runs to 6 miles each. My 'long' run this weekend was actually significantly shorter than recently, only 8 miles. Shorter runs of this type will happen every 2 weeks now, I don't know the 'official' reason why we do this but I assume it's a rest before upping mileage once again.

This coming week sees an increase of 5 miles running. My Tuesday-Saturday runs are exactly the same as last week but, my long run is 13 miles! I have never run more than 13.1 miles (half marathon) so that should be fun! It will be the longest I have run since August last year but, I am intrigued to see how it goes as I didn't train anywhere near as hard as this for the half marathon so I expect to feel much better after this run.

There was a sad moment this week when my long term running partner passed... My iPod NANO bit the dust. After due time was spent grieving it occurred to me that I would now need to get a new NANO in order to continue monitoring my runs. But, up stepped Mrs. Cookie with an early birthday present, a Nike Sports Band! It works essentially the same as the iPod, it tracks my mileage, pace and calories so I was back in business straight away! Yay for Mrs. Cookie!!!

Week 11

All things considered, a good week. By that I mean that I slipped in the schedule a bit but, considering what we did this week, I am ok with it.

We moved into our new house Wednesday and things have been hectic ever since. Although we had movers come on Saturday to move the large items, by that time we have already moved 8 car loads of gear. By we, I mean me. Nicole was 37 weeks pregnant this weekend so we of course limited what she lifted.

I managed to keep schedule with all this going on up until Saturday when my 5 mile run was missed. Not for the want of trying I would add! I went to the Community Gym at 8.15pm only to find it had closed 15 minutes earlier, I was very disappointed.

The rest of the weeks schedule was hit so I still ran 22 miles this week. This weeks long run was 11 miles which was just run in a little over 1h 30 mins. Again, I felt good afterwards. The hip/calf strains felt better and whilst running 11 miles is hardly comfortable I feel good doing it.

Next weeks runs are quite different to this. I still run 3 miles both Tuesday and Thursday but my midweek tempo run increases to 6 miles, as does the Saturday run. My long run this week is only 8 miles, a step down. This happens a lot in my training, it's a 'rest' before moving to an even longer run than the previous week, it will be 13 miles.

So, 26 miles in total next week. Easy, right?

Week 10

Glad to report a successful week with all goals met. The week concluded with a 10 mile run yesterday which felt good, I have slight niggles in my left calf and right hip but largely I am feeling ok.

I am still running 5 times weekly. This weeks schedule has a minor increase, 11 miles on Sunday other than that it is exactly the same as week 9. This is however a crazy busy week in my personal life...

As I write I am in Phoenix airport waiting for my delayed flight to California. I'll be out there the next 2 days so will run tomorrow morning (3 miles) along the Pacific. I get back Wednesday, which is the day we close on our new home!!! The rest of the week, and weekend, will be very hectic with moving but I need to be sure to fit my runs in. Sunday's will be the real challenge, 11 miles is around 1hr30m running time which is a lot to dedicate when we will have so much going on.

With the training going so smoothly thus far I loathe to slip so I will make the additional effort to make sure I remain on schedule. Continuing on the personal theme, we are into the last 4 weeks of my wife's pregnancy, our daughter is due August 2nd! That will provide another challenge to maintaining schedule and I am prepared to let it slip as necessary around that time.

Some things are more important than running :)

Week 9

Well, I did it. The 'base' training is done, now we move onto the real work...!

I achieved my goal. This week I ran 24 miles in total which culminated in a good 9 mile run today. My 18 week 'Hal Higdon' plan begins tomorrow with cross training but the goal was to be able to run 10 miles on (next Sunday) July 6th, and that will not be a problem after building my base up to 9 miles already.

It's still hot in Phoenix. Regularly we reach 110f in the daytime which means outdoor running is restricted to early morning (before the sun rises and when the previous days heat has left the pavement). I am still running the loop of our condo complex but no more than 3 miles at a time. The short runs of Tuesday/Thursday start increasing gradually now to 6 miles but over several weeks, I will continue to do those runs outdoors.

I need to hit the pavement more as I progress and plan to train the next 8 weeks largely indoor, then take the training outside for September/October when it starts getting cooler. It's clearly always going to be a challenge to train in the summer months but, it is what it is. Running after the marathon will be great! 60/70f during the day, cooler in the mornings of course, you may even see the running tights come out again :)

So, tomorrow is another 'day 1' of sorts. 126 days to go!

Week 8

A good week but, as expected Wednesday's run suffered. Despite waking at 5am I was unable to fit my 4.5 mile run in before leaving for California and only returned at 9pm. Suffice to say I was too tired to do the run after that!

Otherwise, it was a good week. I ran Tuesday and Thursday morning, 3 miles outside both times and then a strong 8 miler on Saturday followed by a 4 mile tempo run on Sunday.

It's funny that, despite missing just one run I felt like I had not run much at all this week, until the 12 miles in the last 2 days anyway! I guess that is a good sign and it will ensure that I stay on schedule as the weeks progress.

Next week is my last 'building' week before I start my 18 week training program. I am progressing as planned. I wanted to be comfortable with a 10 mile long run that first week and, whilst 8 miles in the longest I have run yet I felt very strong and am sure I could have run 2 more already.

The new shoes are working out great. I ran in them 3 times this week for 10 miles total and have no aches and pains! It's amazing how a new pair of shoes makes a difference to my joints, my knees start to ache when my shoes are on the way out...

My good friend Tim in NY suggested a great web site to track my shoe 'usage'. http://www.runnersworld.com/ provides a training log so I am able to track my runs. After every run I update the time, the route, the temperature and, importantly, the shoes I ran in! This then keeps a running (pun) total of how far I have run so I can ensure to switch out my shoes at the right times.

I am really pleased with how strong I am feeling, our lifestyle is hectic to say the least at the moment and will only be getting more so in the coming weeks. If I can continue to maintain my schedule and strength through the summer we should be looking good for November.

Week 7

My best week yet! 22.5 miles covered including a solid 7m run on Saturday and 3 runs at 3miles + outside. Things are definitely going well, I am feeling strong and aside from a few aches and pains in my legs I am injury free.

My mileage increases another 1.5 miles this week and will continue that way for the next 3 weeks until I start my formal training on June 30th.

The 'heat is on' in Arizona... We hit 110f for the first time today and the lows are now over 80f. My outdoor runs are of course in the mornings, it is way too hot in the evening and I can take advantage of the shade in the complex we are living in right now.

I am a little concerned that I will let my training slip this week, on Wednesday in particular. I am travelling to California with work for the day, leaving at 6.30am and not returning until after 8pm. Not sure when I will fit that days run in, it's 4.5 miles so will take around 35 minutes, either an early morning or a late night!

I got my new shoes today, my wifey tells me they look like a lizard, she's kind of got a point. You'll definitely see me coming :)

Week 6

Definitely back on track!

A great week! I met my goals for the week, 19 miles in total. Included in that I ran 9 miles outdoors which was very pleasing.

I had a light bulb moment on Wednesday when I was out around 6am walking our puppy Violet. It occurred to me that the condo complex we live in provides near complete shade until around 7am so I can run loops of the complex in both shade and also without needing to watch for traffic. The loop is .3 of a mile so, I run a lot of loops but it's better than the stop/start running on the street!

Of course we move in around 1 months time so, this is a short term solution to beating the sun/heat but it will really help my outdoors running in the short term.

Next weeks schedule calls for an extra 1.5 mile to run. Over the next 4 weeks the mileage continues to increase steadily, by June 30th which is the 'official' start date of my 18 week training I will be running 26 miles and still increasing!

As another incentive (like I need one!) to maintain the schedule, I have added my routine into Nike + and this is tracking my mileage and times. By doing this I am able to track my process better than simply jotting down mileage...

This weekend I will be visiting the Runners Den and buying the Brooks 'Defyance' shoes I posted. I will also be picking up some additional shorts/socks and shirts. I often run in my old New York Road Runner race shirts, these however are cotton which is not ideal to run in, I need to get some more specialised running shirts...

Tomorrow is a day of rest, eventually it will be a cross training day which is swimming or cycling but, I am easing into that as 6 days a week training is too much right now.

Cookie out.

Week 5

Back on track! Kind of...

A relatively good week, 14 miles under the belt, 3x3 milers and a 5 miler on Sunday. That's ok but 5 miles off what I should have done (I missed my midweek long run). In order to hit a comfortable 10 mile level by July 5th I need to focus and meet my goals each week from now on.

Easier said than done of course, I have lots going on in my personal life; a new puppy, closing on a new house in a month, and a new baby in 2 months! Work fortunately has settled down from craziness in April and May so, that is a nice relief.

To reach the base goals by June 30th I am going to run 5 times weekly from now on; 3 miles both Tuesday/Thursdays morning (outside), 4 miles building to 5 miles on Wednesday night and then 3 building to 5 miles on Sunday and of course my long run on Saturday.

My long run of 5 miles last weekend was good, over the next 5 weeks I need to increase that distance by 1 mile a week. That's extremely doable and I used to train that way before, I am being modest with the other two long runs (Wed/Sun) however so that the mileage builds slowly.

I am having some problems with aching legs, my calves are a little tight and my shins a little sore. The knees feel as they always so but, the ironic thing is they feel best when I run (although I doubt I will say that at 26.1 miles this November!)

My trainers are likely to do with the injuries and one pair is on its way out. I have the replacements lined up already and will be buying these cheeky numbers next weekend :)
http://www.brooksrunning.com/prod.php?p=41221&k=82126

I am on a 6 month rotation with two sets of shoes so, I buy a new pair every 3 months, and run in them on alternate nights with the other pair. I haven't decided on my marathon shoes yet but I do like the Adidas Supernova I am using at the moment, I will likely decide between those and the Brooks shoes about to be bought over the next few months.

Week 4

Well, it was a disappointing week unfortunately. I ran just the 3 times although I did clock 13 miles in that time, including a good 3 miles outdoors on Saturday. It's been significantly cooler in Phoenix the last few days which of course made things easier.

I have now decided to work on the Hal Higdon schedule immediately, I am scheduled to start the 18 week course on the week of June 30th.

To be ready for that I need to be able to run 10 miles on Saturday July 5th. The remainder of the training for that week is comfortable; 3 miles on Tue/Thu night, 5 miles on Wednesday night and 5 miles on Sunday. My plan therefore is to run the 3/5/3/5 miles on Tue/Wed/Thu/Sun respectively and then build my long run mileage up week by week to hit the 10 miles that weekend.

My outdoor running will be switched to Tue/Thu nights (3 miles both) to start and then in a couple of weeks I will also add the Sunday 5 mile run. I of course need to increase my outdoor stamina quickly and will use a local running teams meet in Scottsdale, AZ on a Saturday to do that. Linked to a store called the Runners Den they run between 10 and 20 miles at 8-8.20 min pace on a Saturday which is perfect for my training.

I want to get my stamina up to that level quickly and may use the 'B' running team for this course who run at 10min pace to do this. This is significantly slower than my intended Marathon pace but will help me with outdoor runs.

So, I have 6 weeks to increase my long run mileage from 6 miles to 10 miles which is very doable. I intend to run 6 miles this weekend then increase by .5 to 1 mile each week dependant on how strong I feel to hit a comfortable 10 mile long run by the end of June.

Missing my long run this week will likely hurt me, I can't afford to do that again especially when I start in my 18 week training schedule.

Week 3

The big news this week is that I have decided on a 'formal' training program for the marathon. Right now I am running 4-5 times a week with 2 long runs and 3 shorter runs. I'll keep this up for another 6 weeks before switching to Hal Higdon's Intermediate Marathon Guide; http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/inter2.html

Hal is a Runners World contributor and experienced runner, he 'coached' me through my 2 NYC Half Marathons, of which for the 2007 race I came in at an average pace of 7m46s per mile, which is a little quicker than what I hope to achieve for the marathon.

My base training will set me up to be more than comfortable running at the levels set in the guide, my main goal in the next 6 weeks will be gaining outdoor stamina; right now I am dehydrating too quickly and struggle to run more than 1 mile without needing a break. I found a running Club that meets on Saturday's so I will use them for my long run training once more into the rhythm. They run between 10-20 miles at 8.20 pace so that is perfect for my long run training.

Last week was good, I ran 5 miles on treadmills Tue/Thu night, and another 6m on Saturday. I also ran a 5km on Wednesday outside but, struggled (see above!).

This week has started well, for cross training I today swam 16 length's in the YMCA pool. Tomorrow and Thursday I will run 5 miles again, and again a 5km run outdoors on Wednesday. Saturday will likely be a 7 mile run, with another 5km outside on Sunday.

We have record highs in Phoenix right now so outdoors running is a challenge but, I need to do it. My hope is that, if I can get into the groove of running distance in zero humidity, NYC will be a breeze!!!

Week 2!

Time is flying, week 2 already :)

Last week started off great, then tailed off... I managed 2 sessions of strength training (Mon/Fri) and 3 runs of 4.5m, 5m and 4.5m Tue/Wed/Thu. So, all good until the weekend but that's when it all fell apart! I blame the puppy...

Yes we got a puppy, and adorable yellow lab named Violet. She is a handful, frankly I felt more exhausted Sunday night than I think I would have if I had run as planned!

This week has started well, despite being in LA the last 2 days. I ran 5m yesterday morning and plan to hit 6m tonight, and another 5m tomorrow. Friday will likely be a day off, then a 5km on Saturday and a 6 or 7 miler on Sunday. Sunday's run will be difficult as I am heading out of town with my extended family so it will need to be an early run. In fact, I may well switch my Saturday and Sunday runs around, that's more sensible!

The weather is warming up, we're expected to hit 100f for the first time this year on Sunday (good day to be out of town!). I am still mixing my runs between the treadmill and the street. I met a local running store owner recently and he said 'hydrate', that's the key to desert running... Therefore I am going to crack on with drinking water!

Thanks for reading...

Week 1..

Well, I guess this is week 1, of 24 ugh!

I am pleased to confirm that despite appearing otherwise, I haven't procrastinated since my last post. After my 4 mile run on Thursday, I followed that up with a good 5 miler at 8min pace on Friday.

Saturday and Sunday saw a change of scene. On Saturday I accompanied my wife to the pool on and swam 20 laps, on Sunday I hiked North Mountain with my mother in law! Tonight I strength trained in the gym.

The gym in our current rental condo is lacking on weights unfortunately but I make do with what they have. We move into a new home in about 2 months and in the community there is a HUGE gym with all kinds of machines/free weights, I look forward to that.

The variation in workouts is good, it keeps me interested. Running will be the main workout of course and I will be out the next 3 nights. My aim is to hit 20 miles over 4 runs this week, I'll be upping that by a mile or two each week. Tomorrow I am in LA so will run in the hotel gym. I hope to get out on the street Wednesday night but, that depends on the weather (read heat!)

The next 12 weeks really are base training before I start the real training. I am researching plans on the Internet and will settle on one shortly. 3 month plans are the norm so, 12 weeks base training and then 12 weeks real training.

Back next week, 20 miles to the good I hope!

Here we go...

Well, I belatedly start my blogging today. It's 6 months basically until the NYC Marathon so my training, and blogging starts here!

I've been running the last 2 months but, never consistently so now I am going to knuckle down and get into a routine. My plan is to build stamina/fitness for the next 2 months, largely by running of course but also swimming, cycling and hiking. When we get to 4 months before 'M' day I will change into a more dedicated running program designed for a marathon.

My runs will be mixed between outdoor (hitting the pavement!) and indoor on the treadmill. A lot of that will be decided by the time and temperature!

Today, day 1, I did 4 miles on a treadmill. I am training at 8min/mile pace although my usual race pace is closer to 7.40/mile. As my stamina improves I'll likely increase my training pace. Ideally I'd like to finish in sub 3h30m but, being my first marathon that is optimistic and frankly I'd be delighted with anything below 3h45m. I have 2 half marathons under my belt at my goal pace but, this is a little different!

It's around 85f in Phoenix right now, that's a little below average. I plan on running 5m tomorrow likely on the treadmill also, then cycle on Saturday and hike Sunday. Mixing it up keeps it interesting, although I find running relaxing it can get a little repetitive!

This is a good time to start my training as my works busy time is just coming to a close so I will have more time to dedicate to this.

Cookie out for now.