I was out-of-country the last two weeks in January, during New Jersey's coldest days so far in 2013. I didn't think I missed out too much on marathon prep, since it was too frigid to run anyway. But I was worried the time spent in India might set my training back even after I'd gotten home. I figured I'd eaten way too much naan, hadn't gotten enough exercise, and breathed a lot of bad fumes. Which was true.
Still, I was surprised my first week back running went just fine. I ran my three-mile route a few times without a problem.
My winter training schedule is lighter than usual anyway--I run slower in the cold, and the arctic winds and occasional blizzard offer ample excuses to take additional rest days. So the pressure is off to begin with. And despite being off-kilter in this off-season, I'm still officially in what one marathon training guide calls 'pre-training condition,' meaning 'you should be able to run for at least 30 minutes without stopping.
Phew.
So where do I start? How do you actually 'run a marathon'?
A Google search turned up a couple marathon training schedules that seem like they could work. I hope to run the Philadelphia Marathon on Novemeber 17, 2013. So that leaves me 40 weeks to learn to run 26.2 miles. DH suggested I get started now, and 'see how it goes.' I figure that's as good a plan as any.
