June 16th I will be running Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.

This will be my third marathon and the second time running Grandma’s.

I have been diligently training since the beginning of February and surprisingly I am almost half-way through my the plan.

I was even good about running while in Hawaii! I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run in shorts and a tank top every day! (I can’t even do that in the summer here.) I absolutely loved sweating it out every day and then jumping in the pool afterward.

Plus, I loved exploring the area on foot. I got to experience and see so many things I never would have never noticed otherwise.

For this marathon, I am following the 2012 Advanced Marathon Training Plan from the Grandma’s Marathon website.

It is a pretty intense plan that peaks at 70 miles, with 6-7 days of running, and includes a 24-miler! When I ran my marathon last year, I peaked at 60 miles for the week, and I’ve already hit 60 miles this training plan, so I’m feeling pretty confident I will be that much stronger for this marathon.

I’ve changed things up a little here and there—changing the long run from Sunday to Saturday and rearranging mileage slightly based on my schedule—but otherwise, I have been sticking to the plan.

I’ve been keeping track of all my mileage in my Runner’s World Training Journal. I enjoy documenting everything by hand and love the layout of this log book.

Overall, my marathon training has been going very well: I haven’t been injured and I have not gotten sick yet (knock on wood). There have been periods of being tired, but I usually get a day off right when I need it and bounce back pretty quickly.

I am feeling very good about the progress I’ve made so far, and I’m hoping this time I can qualify for Boston!

~~~~~~~

Last night I ran outside in the sun!

I was supposed to go to the Skinny Raven Running Club at The Dome (the indoor track) and complete a speed workout, but there was a track meet going on, so I had to change my plans. This was actually a good thing for my plan because I was supposed to do an easy run instead of a track workout anyway.

I ran 7 miles in 1:01, which isn’t stellar, but it is okay these days.

The roads are finally starting to dry up, but now all the snow is melting and I have to dodge the water puddles.

Another good thing about the snow melting: I can finally get paid to run. (Money I found on my run.)

Overall, the run was okay. I always have a bloated stomach in the evening. (I am trying to figure out why: for a long time I thought it was something I was eating but now I’m thinking it is from stress.) Whatever the reason, my bloated stomach makes running in the afternoon/evening very uncomfortable. The bloat wasn’t horrible last night, but still not all that enjoyable.

Anyway, today is a rest day. I already went to yoga this morning and have a massage right after work today.

~~~~~~~

Question

If you are training for something, share what you are training for and how it’s going!