Yesterday I went on my first training run as part of my training for the Twin Cities Marathon this fall. I’m using a training plan from Runner’s World based on my results from the latest Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.
On paper, the early training runs seem slow. I often run my solo recreational runs at a less-than-8:30 min/mile pace, but rarely does my plan ask for easy runs faster than 9:00 min/mile. In contrast, however, the fast runs – the pace runs and interval training runs – feel a little fast. They require I sustain a faster pace (7:30-7:45 min/mile) for longer than I’m generally used to. But seeing as this is the first time I’ve trained for a marathon, I’ll defer to the experts who created this training schedule.
This will be my first marathon, but not my first timed race. I have three results over the past eight months that are representative of my improvement and the work I’ve put in to become a better runner. I’ve placed well since dusting off the shoes last summer. My placements are in the top third of all race entrants, and don’t fare much worse when you consider only men’s times. Within my division (a combo of gender and age), I’ve been better than the average runner.
| Race | Date | Chip Time | Min/Mile | Place | Gender Place | Div Place |
| Twin Cities 10K | Oct 2009 | 0:51:45 | 8:20 | 19% | 33% | 37% |
| Drumstick Dash 10K | Nov 2009 | 0:51:03 | 8:13 | 27% | 42% | 41% |
| Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon | May 2010 | 1:44:18 | 7:58 | 16% | 28% | 34% |
And there will be more 10Ks and half marathons to come before the marathon this fall. I look forward to running in the Time to Fly 10K at the end of June. Proceeds benefit children’s cancer research. Then there will be the Urban Wildland half marathon in early August and the City of Lakes 25K in September. I might register for another 10K or two as well as I’m very excited to set a sub-49:00 (or better!) 10K personal best this season. You can follow all my training runs and races through my Garmin Connect page. See you on the trails!
Getting Ready for the Twin Cities 10K
With Friends after the Twin Cities 10K
Peder with a D 