Less is More - Marathon Training Program

I'm about two weeks away from embarking on 4 months (16 weeks) of marathon training, culminating in the San Francisco Marathon in July.  Here's the training program I'll be doing.

This is much different than what I've tried in the past, a lot less time on the road, less total 20+ mile runs, and a lot more recovery time.  Even the duration (just 16 weeks) is short compared to I've done in the past.  I think this suits me, because I really felt over-trained and prematurely peaked in the past.

The caveat this time, is that I'm running and training as a full-on Vegan for the first time.  So, I'm wondering how my body is going to handle all of the additional loads, where I'm going to get all the calories I need to fuel up and go, and how my recovery will be after long runs.  I see lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in my future, and lots of trips to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, the Farmers Markets, etc.  I will probably be even more disciplined in my diet while I'm training, and not eat a lot of "processed" Vegan foods.  You know what I mean, the types of foods that are in wrappers and packages, stuff ready made, etc.

I take it week-by-week, and have to still balance all of the responsibilities that being a father and husband are all about.  I still need to do a great job at work, still need to walk my kids to school, help them with their homework, take care of stuff around the house, etc.  But, hey, it's not like life stops for you when you embark on a marathon, eh?  :)  It's all good, I love the challenge, I embrace it.  Give me all you got, and I'm gonna still be here.  I'm still gonna get up, lace up my shoes, and get out there.

In the book, "Chi-Running" by Danny Dreyer, he talks about how running is a privilege, a gift that you should always appreciate.  I never looked at it that way, I always thought running was a chore.  And then one day it clicked for me, just being ABLE to run is an amazing thing.  Not running fast per se, not beating your PR, just being ABLE to run.  I was at a Chi-Running + Yoga camp one summer, and we went around the room to discuss why we were there.  Some people talked about "Boston" ... like "When I first ran Boston ..."  Some people said "Well, I've ran X number of marathons ..."  I just said, "I'm just happy to be here, happy and privileged that I even have the ability just simply to run."  People looked at me like I was a freak show, that I didn't mention PRs or Boston or anything like that, and I thought that was pretty hilarious.  Man, so many serious people in there.  Still, it turned out to be great, learned a lot from a lot of nice people, ate great, and did lots of yoga, which is always great.

Don't get me wrong, I'm fiercely competitive inside.  I used to coach basketball for 15 years, and during that time, I wanted not only to beat my opponents, I wanted them to think that playing us would be the last thing they wanted to do that day, because it was going to be that tough.  As a player, I had the same fire.  Not the tallest, quickest, or even best out there ... in my mind, I was better than everyone, and that carried me.

So that competitive fire (something I call 'liveliness' now) is what drives me to complete my training and the race.  Now, I am a lot different now.  If an older lady, a little kid, or a fat guy passes me during a race (which happens all the time, at any distance!), I just laugh it off, and just keep running at my pace.  I'm not competitive with other people in running, I just run with them, behind them mostly, and enjoy the view.  But, I am competitive in completing my training, in trying my best during the race, and enjoying it the whole time.

If you ever want a serious challenge, something you never thought you could accomplish.  Try running a marathon, half-marathon, 10k, or 5k ... heck just run 1 mile, heck walk 1 mile.  You never know what you're capable of, until you put your mind to it and try.