Week 1: Cross Training and getting into the groove.

To all of you Hal Higdon trainers who hope to do the Philadelphia Full Marathon in November- Happy First Week of Marathon Training!! I almost could not sleep because I was so excited to begin this journey. It's crazy to think that the marathon is so far away (123 days), yet, at the same time, oh so close!

Because of my busy travel schedule, I have "adjusted" my plan to work a little better with my life. Instead of resting on Mondays, I will now be doing cross-training. Often, people do not realize the resourses that need to go into training for a marathon. Of course the most obvious is the time that you need to dedicate to train, but also all of the equipment that is need, from shoes and running gear, to fuel and cross training, it all really adds up. This is not me complaining, there is not a single person that is forced into running a marathon, but I just think it's worth noting that to do it properly, it's truly an investment on several levels.

I started Monday, by swimming 30 minutes at my gym, the local YMCA, that is conveniently located 3 short blocks from my office. Of course, I needed to make sure that I had all of the proper gear for 18 weeks of chlorine filled cross training and I purchased a suit, cap and goggle.

I  won't lie, I originally saw a finding nemo swim cap that I desperately wanted (perhaps in an attempt to make it a little more fun) but alas, I am not a child and the cap did not fit my noggin (believe me I tried). And so I settled for my fantastically bright cap and neutral goggles. I promise there is not a single person in the lap pool that will be able to miss me as I go swimming by.

One of the reasons that I thought that swimming would be best for me, was the low impact and the assumption that it was going to be easy. Let me tell you right now: I have a new found respect for all people that decide to do triathlons and iron mans. Towards the end of the 30 minutes of laps, I really thought that I was going to drown. Even now, two days later, my shoulders and abs still hurt and my legs are still a little heavy. OUCH. The person that spread the rumor that swimming is "easy" must have been a mermaid! Perhaps after a couple of weeks I will change my tune, but for now, I'll struggle through it.

For the first couple of weeks (and perhaps continuing on after, depending on how I feel) I am attempting to do 2-a-days. I will be running in the morning, (3, 5, 3 miles this week) and doing some classes at the gym at night. Thanks to a work networking event, I missed the body pump class last night, (strength training- weights) but I am extremely excited to attend my Power Boxing class tonight. Yes, perhaps it is a little crazy to attempt to do all of this, but I really want to be in top shape, and I think that, if I treat my body right, eat correctly, and most importantly, have fun, I will be able to tackle this marathon without a problem.