races and events 2015

I think not running for a while has made me a little crazy.  I am looking at a lot of running events, and I want to do them all.  So far for 2015 I have a few lined up:

• Hapalua Half Marathon - April 13, 2015
• Hibiscus Half Marathon - May 24, 2015
• Honolulu Marathon - December 13, 2015

I am excited for these, even the Hapalua Half that I may not be as prepared for as I would like - stupid injuries!

I have also decided on entering the lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon, which opens sometime early March for the race in October.  This of course, isn't a definite - as it is a lottery to get in.

So, because I am not doing anything at the moment except for googling, I have looked up more events.  In Hawaii they have a series of events to get you prepared for the Honolulu Marathon, these are:

• Boca Hawaii - Norman Tamanaha 15k - August 9, 2015
• Runners HI 20k - September 6, 2015
• Hokulani Bake Shop 25k - October 4, 2015
• HMSA 30k - October 25, 2015
• Mizuno Val Nolasco Half Marathon - November 15, 2015

Now, you can sign up for these events individually, or all at once for about $130 (before a certain date).  I am thinking this will be a great idea.  It will keep me motivated for the Honolulu Marathon, as well acting like great training runs.  The 30k is apparently the last 18 miles of the marathon course, so that would be fantastic to do.  The only problem is that would be the only race I would miss if I were to get into the Marine Corps Marathon.

I printed out a calendar from my computer last night, and put in all the dates of the races, as well as the MCM, and it looks possible!  I have a little bit of time to decide, but it will give me some great events to run for the second half of the year.

Training

I have been looking quite a bit into marathon training.  I am using Hal Higdon's plans for the half marathon coming up, but have also been reading about Hanson's Marathon Method.  This sounds great, but quite intense.

I definitely would stay motivated with my training using the Readiness Series above, and it will be like stepping stones to get ready for each race.  If I do this series, I will probably stick with Hal Higdon's guides.  

There is a North Shore Marathon planned for the start of 2016 (I think April?) so, if all goes well and I finish all my events for this year, but find that I want to try something different, I may try using the Hanson's plan for that marathon.  At the moment this is the marathon I could really hope to see some improvement in my times - it is a year away, it is where I live - so I can run the course, and it isn't hilly. 

I'm excited!  Now for my ankle to heal!

thinking about marathons

I'm sitting here with my sore ankle, thinking about running.

I was really excited for my runs this weekend.   But I am not upset that I cannot run them, instead I am looking forward to when I can run again.  And in all honesty, it will probably be early next week - my ankle is feeling better, just swollen.  I will be careful though!

So, thinking.  Thinking about marathons.  Thinking about how scary they really are.  Especially if you want to go faster.

My first marathon I had the goal just to finish.  I thought it was way out of my league.  I only stopped at water breaks, and finished.  My second marathon was part of the Dopey Challenge - for those that don't know, that is 4 days of running: 5k, 10k, a Half and a Full.  I just wanted to finish.  I wanted to run the whole thing, but just finish.  I found the 4:45 pacer, and stuck with her most of the way.  I was amazed that I beat my time from the previous year.

However, I know I am capable of going faster - much faster.  I am wanting to complete a marathon this year in under four hours.  I know, it's a lot.  Dropping over 43 minutes from my previous marathon would be a huge undertaking.  I do think I have some things going for me:  I have run fairly consistently since that last marathon, especially the last half of 2014.  I have run more half marathons, including a sub 2 hour marathon.  Now this sub 2 half marathon was a big deal for me.  I didn't think I was going to be able to compete in it, as I had moved to Hawaii and the race was in Florida.  I only got the flight booked about 2 weeks before the race, so I didn't really train as much as what I should have, or would have liked to.

Now, this year I think I can do the sub 4 hour marathon.  I have two half marathons ready to go.  I want to enter the lottery for the Marine Corps Marathon in DC (October), and I am entered into the Honolulu Marathon (December).  The MCM may be my best shot, as the weather will be cooler, but I am hoping to use it as a guide, see how I do, if and when I hit the wall, work on my fueling strategy. Though, I may not even get in.  If this is this case, perhaps I try for another marathon elsewhere, or go on my own at home.  (Though no race bling!)

What I want to look at, to help with my goal of a sub 4 hour marathon:

• Nutrition - what to eat before and after my runs
• Fueling - hydration before and after my runs, as well as focusing on my long runs
• Salt tablets/electrolytes - I will be running in Hawaii, during the summer, the mornings will be humid and warm!
• Hills - finding some good places to run with rolling hills, this may make me go for a drive for my runs!
• A good training plan, I want to run at least three 20 mile runs before hand.  Hal Higdon has given me good training plans so far, so I may use his again.  In saying this, I want to bump up my mileage, which I need to do slowly so I don't injure myself.

This is it for now.  I am excited.  I know this is possible.