I Must be Crazy!

I just registered for 4 RACES, all within 7 WEEKS of one another! Check this out:

4/25 - Crazylegs Classic - 5 mile run
5/3 - LaCrosse Marathon - 26.2 mile run
5/24 - Madison Half Marathon - 13.1 mile run
6/14 - Capitol View Sprint Triathlon - 400m swim, 12mile bike, 3.1mile run

I'm pretty sure I've lost my mind, but I got a little lazy after the Madison Marathon last year, so I'm trying to assure that doesn't happen again.

I just completed week 7 of my 16 week marathon training plan, and February was a good month. Here are January's totals again, followed by February's totals for comparison:

January 2009:
Run: 5h 47m 28s - 30.02 Mi
Bike: 2h 16m 26s - 33.6 Mi
Strength: 1h 54m (1142 push ups)

February 2009:
Run: 10h 31m 44s - 58.5 Mi (this includes 8.5 miles that were not in the plan!)
Bike: 57m 45s - 13.5 Mi
Strength: 0h 0m (0 push ups)

A couple of things stand out. First, I didn't do ANY push ups. I hated doing them, so I just quit. Some day maybe I'll feel like I have the time and energy for strength training, but until then I'm sticking to mostly running and a little biking.

I nearly doubled my running time & miles, but didn't spend as much time on the bike. That makes sense, considering all the additional time and miles I spent running. I can live with that for now, but I will need to start hitting the bike harder soon with the Capitol View Triathlon only 15 weeks away! I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I also need to start thinking about finding time to get in the pool. I could really use some lessons from someone who can help with my stroke, because I'm horribly inefficient in the water, and I waste a lot of energy. I wish I could wake up tomorrow and be an expert in Total Immersion Swimming.

Some things I've been working on while spending over 16 hours on the treadmill over the last 2 months:

• Weight - I've lost 12 lbs since January 1st. I have 6 (or more) to lose before the marathon on 5/3. I have no doubt that I'll reach this goal.
  
• Walking - I'm not allowing myself to walk as often or as far as I used to.
• Speed - I'm forcing myself to get faster by, well, you guessed it... running faster. No more 12 minute miles for me. My minimum speed now is 11:00/mile, and I have been working on getting used to 10:00-10:30. So far so good.
  
• Working hard - I'm making sure that I'm always working hard (except on easy run Mondays). I've been pushing harder than ever on my interval and tempo runs, and I am confident it will pay off.
  

I have 67 miles on the plan for March, and I'll be adding in an additional 14 miles for a total of 81 miles. Hopefully it will start warming up soon, because I'd really like to start doing all my runs outside. Any time the temp is above 40°F and there's enough daylight left to complete a run, I plan to be outside. Last year I made the full transition to outdoor running on April 1. It would be nice to move that up a couple of weeks this year. We'll see if the weather cooperates.