This week I started training for my second marathon.  Decided to stick with Runkeeper use the Sub 3:45 plan.  Breaking four hours was a great feeling for my first race, now I am hoping to have a sub 9:00 min/mile pace.  I also want to avoid the near breakdowns I had after 20 miles (hamstrings tightening; having to walk much of mile 26).  Hoping to include some core and strength training to improve my overall running performance.  Still haven’t figured out when I’ll work in the extra work outs; I’ll have to re-prioritize some weekly TV watching events to make it happen.

Feels good to have structure to the week rather than just going out and winging it while running.  So far runs have been four and five miles at an easy pace.  I am scheduled for an 8 miler this weekend which I’m planning to do on this weekend’s Breakfast run.  I only missed two workouts during preparation for my first marathon, but I did make up for those with some extra runs.  I’m hoping that during the winter months I will be able to stay on track with the program.  Only having 4-5 days of training per week helps since it provides some flexibility for making up missed training.

Yesterday, the temperature was near 70 degrees for the 5 miler I ran in the afternoon.  That likely will be the last run I get to do in shorts and a T-shirt for a while (excluding potential treadmill torture workouts during extreme weather).

Weekend is almost here!