If you read my blog, you will know that I completed a big run goal last month. Most of the goal was actually done on April 17th (The Intent not the Goal – Monday Morning with Mona), but we felt the need to finish running the island on May 12th (Finishing What We Started – Monday Morning with Mona). After the April 17th traverse, I gave myself a pass from running until June. This gave me extra time to do other physical activities. I started hitting the gym. I began paddle boarding consistently, and I gave my brain and body a break from pounding the pavement. June is upon us which means so is training season.
I used to begin training for Marine Corps Marathon the first week of July, but this year, I want to do something a little more intense. This means that I needed to begin my “structured training” a little earlier. My run coach, Jade, and I have remained in touch, have chatted about my run goals, and have added in time for me to continue to do other activities that I am really enjoying. On Monday, June 7th, we begin my “structured training”.
What does “Structured Training” look like for me?
I will run 4 days a week. I will only run Monday through Friday. I will do at least 1 treadmill run a week, and I will do one evening run every week. At this point in time, it looks like Mondays will be treadmill days. On Tuesday evenings, I will run and give my boys the evening to themselves. Wednesdays will be rest days, and Thursdays and Fridays will be when I do my longer runs for the week. The back-to-back longer run days will give me good practice so I can reach my run goal. I anticipate that I will need to wake up earlier and earlier on Thursdays and Fridays so I can run before the heat zaps all of my energy, which means that at some point in time in the training, I will be setting my alarm in the 3:00 hour. This will allow me to get the longer runs done before the sun really starts to rise. By doing 4 runs a week, I should be able to hit the gym 3-4 days a week, will add in 1 yoga session a week, and can get on my paddleboard once or twice during the week and on weekends too. The training could shift, but this is what it looks like as I begin. I will check in with the blog periodically about the training, and the day-to-day workouts will be shared on Instagram (@runwithmona).
What is the goal?
The goal is to run the Marine Corps Marathon Trifecta virtually this year. I have run the Marine Corps Marathon for 17 consecutive years, and I have run the past 2 Marine Corps Marathons virtually, here on Okinawa. This year, I decided that I wanted to to the trifecta which is a 10k, marathon, and a 50k. With no time goals, I know that I can make this happen. It’s just put one foot in front of the other for long periods of time.
So let’s take the goal up a notch.
Goals are fun. Big, hard goals are even more fun. My blog about finishing the traverse touches base on why I choose certain fitness and running goals. This fall, my big, fun run goal will be to do these 3 events in 3 consecutive days. I will do the same route, which is a series of loops, for all 3 days. On Friday, I will run 2 loops which will be the 10k event. On Saturday, I will run almost 9 loops for the 26.2 mile marathon event, and on Sunday, I will run almost 11 loops to finish my 50k event. The loops will allow me a place to refuel, see my guy and my dog, use the restroom, and it allows me a lot of mini-goals to set and reach. If I am lucky, I will have friends who come out to run some of those loops with me too.
I am looking forward to the training, and I am really looking forward to optimizing my ability to time block. With other personal goals and various obligations, effective time blocking will be key. This summer could prove to be brutal with the heat and humidity. If I am lucky the hard work in the summer will pay off in the fall with a fun weekend that will take place either the last week of October or the first week of November (depending on the Marine Corps Ball festivities – because the Marine Corps Birthday Ball takes priority over my run adventures). I will keep y’all posted on my training and when the big event will take place.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for cheering me on!
Monday Morning with Mona 