Marathon You Can Do It

A friend of mine is planning to train for his first marathon and he just sent the following 12 step marathon training planning. I don’t know where he got it from but it has a feel of Jeff Galloway, a man who has evangelized on the merits of run walk method for running a marathon.

Step 1

Plan to exercise four days a week for 10 weeks.

Step 2

Begin each session with 10 to 15 minutes of stretching, and end each session with a 10-minute walk followed by more stretching.

Step 3

Take on week one. Walk 10 minutes. Jog 2 to 3 minutes. Walk 4 minutes. Repeat five times each session.

Step 4

Get into it with week two. Walk 10 minutes. Jog 3 minutes. Walk 3 minutes. Repeat five times each session.

Step 5

Settle into week three. Walk 5 to 10 minutes. Jog 5 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat four times each session.

Step 6

Keep it going into week four. Walk 5 minutes. Run 7 minutes. Walk 3 minutes. Repeat three times each session.

Step 7

Stay on a roll in week five. Walk 5 minutes. Run 8 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat three times each session.

Step 8

Pat yourself on the back for being halfway there as you enter week six. Walk 3 to 5 minutes. Run 9 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat three times each session.

Step 9

Recognize your growing stamina in week seven. Walk 3 to 5 minutes. Run 9 minutes. Walk 1 minute. Repeat three times each session.

Step 10

Feel good about yourself as you confront week eight. Walk 3 to 5 minutes. Run 13 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Repeat twice each session.

Step 11

Visualize the end of your first goal as you begin week nine. Walk 3 minutes. Run 14 minutes. Walk 1 minute. Do this twice each session.

Step 12

Congratulate yourself for your accomplishment in week 10. Walk 3 minutes. Run 30 minutes without stopping.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 15 Minutes, 30 Minutes, Accomplishment, Exercise, First Marathon, Jeff Galloway, Jog, Marathon Training Plan, Merits, Running A Marathon, Running Marathon, Stamina, Step 1, Step 2, Step 6, Step 8, Three Times

If you are age 50+ and you think you should start running as a new hobby, this story of 80 year old runner Bob Dolphin should inspire you.

Bob has finished 456 marathon, a total that includes 44 ultramarathons ranging from 31 to 101 miles.

Bob ran his first marathon in 1981 at a prime age of 51. An age when most naysayers would consider too old to think of running a marathon.

In an article in Seattle times Bob sums his love for the 26 miles, “I like the difficulty, the competition in my age class, the sociality among runners, the satisfaction I feel when I complete a race. That’s when I feel most of my runner’s high — when I can sit down and rest and don’t have to count down the miles anymore.”

Dolphin’s marathon milestones
Race No.	Milestone	Date	Age	Location	Time
1	First marathon	Sept. 1, 1981	51	Columbia, Mo.	3:53:45
56	Fastest Boston Marathon	April 18, 1988	58	Boston	3:04:25
116	Longest run (101 miles)	June 14, 1992	62	West Seattle	24 hours
317	Last time under 4 hours	June 28, 2003	73	Eugene, Ore.	3:59:01
453	Fastest 2009 race	Oct. 11, 2009	80	Victoria, B.C.	5:22:19
456	25th entry in Seattle Marathon	Sunday	80	Seattle	#

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Bob Dolphin, Boston Marathon, Columbia Mo, Dolphin, First Marathon, June 14, Location Time, Milestone, Milestones, Mo 3, Naysayers, Oct 11, Ore 3, Running A Marathon, Running Marathon, Seattle Marathon, Seattle Times, Sociality, Ultramarathons, West Seattle

With hundreds of marathons held around major cities in the US not all marathons are the same. Some marathons are harder than others and some are easy to run.A good example is Boston marathon, even without its requirement for proof of running a previous marathon, the hilly boston route would be handful for a marathon newbie.

Most beginners choose to run nearer home but if you are an adventure seek you can choose a marathon from a different city. In choosing a marathon to run a beginner should ask is the course flat or hilly.

If your goal is an easy marathon, I think you may benefit from US Airways article that listed some easy marathon across US.

Writer Larry Olmsted had a few simple criteria for choosing his first marathon: good weather, a flat course, a fun atmosphere and a high volume of registrants to lower his chances of coming in last!!!!!!

Easy beginners marathon

These were some of the marathon listed.

1. Honolulu Marathon – It was the writers no one pick because of a flat course

2. Chicago Marathon -Flat course but beware, the marathon has a history of horrible weather on Dday.

3. Marine Corps Marathon

4. Twin Cities marathon – Down side of this marathon is Leave your iphone home, ear phones are banned from twin cities.

5. Las Vegas marathon – It is the only marathon in the world where you can run and get married. For those married they can renew their wedding vows.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Beginner Runner, Boston Marathon, chicago marathon, Dday, Different City, Ear Phones, First Marathon, First Timer, Good Weather, Honolulu Marathon, Horrible Weather, Iphone, Larry Olmsted, Las Vegas Marathon, Marathon Races, Marathons, Marine Corps Marathon, Running Marathon, Twin Cities Marathon, Us Airways

A marathon race is never complete without the fans. They encourage us to keep running or like my friend Dean says in his blog “They have a job to do. They must help their runner drag his or her sorry carcass across the finish line.”

They say it with their mouth better still with a hand made marathon poster. One of the most memorable poster I ever so was during my first marathon a dude wore a T-shirt with words “No money no honey” I think that was a clever way to motivate runners to go for the Jack pot!

Another funny marathon poster I have seen was a this one from a collection on deans blog!

And to all running sisters

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Blog, Carcass, Dean, Dude, Finish Line, First Marathon, Funny Photos, Funny Poster, Jack Pot, Job, Male Runners, Marathon Photos, Marathon Race, Marathon Running, Marathon Training, Money, Running Humour, T Shirt