Marathon Training Week #2

January 11th
Rest Day – did some push-ups and planks just to keep the core strong.
 
January 12th
I put in a 6-mile run at the 605 Running Company, Tuesday noon group run. I ran north along the bike trail toward Great Bear. It was another cold windy day – getting tuff early on in the training program. Witnessed several little field mice near the river – made me wonder when the birds of prey were going to swoop down toward my head!
 
January 13th
FRIENDS! I got 3 folks to go the extra two miles with me at the Wednesday night group run for a total of six miles. This night was probably the best weather for running all week; you might even call it humid! We had a very large group for yoga following the run, which truly was the cherry on top for the evening.
 
January 14th
Put in a full workout at the pool in the AM – I honestly cannot speak enough to how much a value the time in the pool. We also started our training group at the Sanford Fieldhouse in the evening. I haven’t had a coach of any kind in over a decade, and I’ve never worked directly with a personal trainer. We have a fantastic group of athletes training together on these nights and I was blown away by how much fun the gym could be. Looking forward to watching everyone’s progression as the program moves forward.
 
January 15th
For this run I posted on the 605-community Facebook page looking for folks to run with. My options were 5:15AM or 5:30AM at the YMCA. I figured if I had to get up early I might as well go all the way and joined some friends at 5:15AM for 9 miles. My training plan said 8, but I figured how bad could 1 extra mile be? After the two-a-day treatment on Thursday I found out that the extra mile is terrible – the group kicked my butt – at least they were very nice about it though.
 
January 16th
COLD! So cold we canceled the group run at the store. This was clearly a case of follow what I say, not what I do as I put in 8 more miles in the morning prior to starting my workday. The first chunk of my mileage was a very fun tour of historical landmarks in Sioux Falls: the falls, the cathedral, the Pettigrew house, and historic Phillips Avenue. For the second portion of my run I double back down to the falls and then made a swing around my old stomping grounds at Whittier Middle School (I worked at the YMCA afterschool program for 4 years!).

January 17th
Please follow this link for an update on Sunday.

Happy Running
​Greg Koch