Day 1

Yes, I promise to get more creative with titles. This (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3....) will get old as the days stack up in preparation for the ING full.

Today is officially DAY 1 of the ING training schedule, and I'm happy to say that so far I'm hitting my marks. OK, granted, the bar is pretty low at this point, but, since I'm so readily inclined to beat myself up (and disappear) when things are not going well, perhaps I should take time to acknowledge even the simplest of "successes." So, Day 1: check.

A couple of days ago, I said I'd share a bit of my proposed training plan. The summary below is lifted with adaptation from a Runner's World book on running a four-hour marathon (there I've said it):

Week 2	Monday	12/8/2008	20-30 minutes	Jog
	Tuesday	12/9/2008	30 minutes	Xtrain
	Wednesday	12/10/2008	8x400 meters @ 2:05-2:15	Run
	Thursday	12/11/2008	30 minutes	Jog
	Friday	12/12/2008	30 minutes	Xtrain
	Saturday	12/13/2008	9 miles @ 10:40-11:10	Run
	Sunday	12/14/2008	0	Rest

Basically, it's a 6-day-per-week schedule with 4 of the days focused on jogging or cross-training (recumbent bike or cycling for me) and two days devoted to specific types of runs -- either 400 meter speed work (through week 9) or tempo work (after week 9) and long runs on the weekends. My plan for the long runs is to run all but 4 of the miles solo in the early morning and then join the Morning Run crowd for the run's completion. We'll see how well that works, but for now that's my goal.

In addition to this schedule, I'll be doing light upper-body lifting at least twice a week and Pilates on Wednesdays and Sundays. Oh, and I'm also going to track what I'm eating every day and paying attention to the quality of my workouts. I have a tendency to bonk hard on runs exceeding 16 miles and want to see if nutrition immediately prior to the run is playing a role (or more likely get insight into how MUCH of a role nutrition is playing). During the course of this training, I would love to lose 15-20 pounds. If I do, there's no doubt I will be fitter and faster. This is a tall order given the holidays, long work hours, travel, and myriad other "reasons" one can give. Bottom line: I want to be healthier and run faster. One step (day) at a time.