Marathon Training Prep

Now this may surprise you but, I am really good at looking shit up on the internet. Like really good. I have already spent countless hours researching “Making a Murderer” and I have gone from thinking Steven Avery is not-guilty, guilty and back to not-guilty. So yeah…

My marathon research is much like my “Making a Murderer” research- I get a little consumed and can often overwhelm myself by reading too much and often conflicting info. So I have decided to break it down.

Running Plan:

I am following Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 plan. I chose Hal’s plan because I have used both his Novice 1 and Intermediate half marathon plans and have been quite happy with the reults, aka I finished without dying.

I am modifying a few things and will probably make other adaptations as I go based on my schedule. Since I am already lifting on a regular(ish) basis, I want to keep that up, but will only be lifting 1-2x per week. I have also been having some sleep issues and anxiety issues so I am planning on adding in weekly yoga too.

Here is what my January looks like:

 

Food Plan:

I am still in the research phase and will probably continue to figure out what works for me. Many years ago, I trained for a marathon with my buddy, Sarah. I was also trying to lose weight and ended up putting on a good 10 lbs because I was always wicked hungry. I really want to lose 10 lbs and not gain it, so I am going to be focusing a lot on my nutrition this time around.

When I am trying to lose lbs, my go to method is to cut out carbs. From my research thus far, this is a huge no-no. So I am going to be focusing on eating well-rounded meals that are “clean”. Well my version of clean. An example day would look like this:

Breakfast: Protein Shake (roughly 200 calories)

Snack: Egg Muffins (roughly 100 calories)

Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken or steak, cheese and salad dressing (roughly 450 calories)

Snack: Serving of fruit (roughly 100 calories)

Dinner: Lean protein, whole grain and vegetable (roughly 400 calories)

Snack: Fruit or PB (roughly 150 calories)

Total: 1,400 Calories

This might end up not being enough food, so if I am feeling fatigued or anything I will definitely readjust. This is also really low for long run days. So any day that I am running over 6 miles I will add more.  My long runs are scheduled for Saturdays which I am going to have as my “cheat day”. This way I will not feel as deprived during training and still be able to have wine, pizza and chimichengas. Sundays are my rest day so I will be able to recover from feasting a bit.

Did you follow a specific nutrition plan when training for a race?