Yeti Chase and Boston Training

After qualifying for the Boston marathon in September, I took some time off. I also reevaluated what my goals were for the next year. I decided to not be part of Runners Roost Race team again because I was finding it really difficult to meet the commitments of run clubs and volunteering. I could use that extra time to focus on my kids and get in more quality training. After I healed up from Fall Classic Marathon,I spent the last three months of 2014 working to get my mileage up to an average of 50 miles a week. I have always wanted to use Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathon method to train for a marathon. It has never worked out because the mileage was too high and I just ended up getting injured. If I could get my body to the point where I could handle the mileage, I believed I could really reach my full potential in the marathon. After realizing that my body was able to handle the 50+ miles a week, I started Pfitz right after Christmas. The training has been going really well. The only minor annoyance is in my left hamstring, which is something that has been bothering me for the last 2 years. I decided to take a stab at fast running at the Yeti Chase 10k in January. It was a beautiful 50-degree day and my whole family came with me. I finished in a time of 44:45 and was very happy with that time. It wasn't a PR, but it was right where I was when I was in the best shape in 2014. Now, I am working on beating that time with 2 more 10ks scheduled for March. The hardest part of Pfitz training is doing the long runs at goal marathon pace. My goal marathon pace is 7:40 and that really hurts when doing my long runs. In addition to training for Boston, I have also been playing on an adult soccer team and working on my Masters Degree. I wasn't sure if soccer would be a good idea because I could get injured. If I didn't get injured, it could help me to get faster. I finished 8 weeks of soccer games without getting injured and now I am done with soccer. Phew! My Masters degree has forced me to stay up really late on some nights, which has made it really hard to finish the tough runs due to little sleep. Illness has also thrown a few wrenches in things. I caught a stomach bug, a cold, and a respiratory illness, which all caused a fever and make me unable to run for a few days. Colorado has also had a huge cold front come in over the last week. It has not gotten above freezing and isn't expected to warm up for a while. I have been doing most of my runs on the treadmill, which I absolutely dread. But, I am now starting to like the dreadmill. I am able to push myself to stay at a tough pace and stay consistent with it. I am averaging 60-70 miles a week now. Here is to hoping that everything goes well for the next 52 days until I run the Boston Marathon!