Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon: Let the Training Begin!

Today begins to journey to marathon #2… the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon which will be held on November 12 in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA.

I was pretty bummed about not having my name come up in the NYC Lotto and my other 2 opportunities to gain entry fell apart so I was a little bit lost for what I might do for my fall marathon. It took some searching on marathon guide and then a chance encounter in Starbucks (which I may or may not go further into on this blog) and some more searching and obsessively reading random race reviews before I came to my decision. With my first marathon , I had quite a few “qualifications” that came into play when making my decision: winter marathon, (relatively) flat course, no double loop courses, road race and within an afternoon’s driving distance (I did not want to be across the country if, God forbid, anything should happen to me).

While St. Jude’s was an AMAZING experience I knew it was also time for something new.

This time, my list of qualifications was much shorter: late fall/early winter marathon. That’s pretty much it! (1. It’s going to be hot but I did not want the peak of my training in late August in Alabama; 2. We are planning an amazing trip out of the country for this fall and while I plan to “run through it”, I want to give myself enough bounce back time.) I feel that even though this is only my second time at the dance, I know so much more about what my body can handle and what I need to do to take care of myself (both during training and during a race situation). A marathon in GA is the fiscally responsible choice anyway and the reviews really sold me on the experience (even if it is a double loop course!).

I have put together an aggressive (for me) training plan with (of course) the ability to flex and modify as I go through. The plan includes 4 days of running, with one speed/hill/tempo workout a week, as well as yoga and bootcamp (1x each per week) for as long as I can sustain the schedule. (Just FYI, the running parts of the plan are a hybrid of Higdon’s Novice 2, Intermediate 1 and Advanced 1 plans. )There is also room for additional cross training as time allows (likely in the forms of brisk walks w/Matt) which is low impact and helps give me time on my feet. I am also planning to incorporate massage once every 3 weeks b/c I have been dealing with serious glut/IT band tightness in the “off season” and it has the potential to be debilitating if I’m not on top of it. (Plus, I have a membership to Massage Envy, so it's fairly economical to do this)

All in all, I’m super excited for my new plan, especially b/c I know if I could pull off what I did last fall while working 60+ hour weeks, I know I am capable of better things given that I’m in better shape and working much saner hours. Seriously, last fall I was routinely in the office at 6:30a, would leave between 6-7p, workout, go home and eat, shower and get back on the computer to do more work from home. Work is busy and fulfilling these days but not insane!

Without further adieu, I give you week #1:
Monday: 5 easy
Tuesday: 3 moderate + bootcamp (30 min)
Wednesday: Rest (Bunco night!)
Thursday: 3 x hill + yoga (1 hour)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 8 (possibly a few miles with a running group)
Sunday: Cross

Anyone else doing Chickamauga this fall?