For the past ten weeks, I’ve been training for the LA Marathon.

Gracias a Dios, my fears about training have not been realized. I still love running and don’t see it as a chore. More importantly, I’ve managed to stay healthy with the exception of some minor foot pain in December and chafing from my sport bras (ouch!). I expect those aches and pains.

My training plan from ActiveTrainer looks like this:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Track workout or easy run
Wednesday: Easy run
Thursday: Easy run on a hilly course or tempo run (speed work)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long run
Sunday: Cross training or easy run

Weekday runs and cross training are always less than an hour. I’m too lazy to get to the gym, so I just do a short run on cross training days. Sometimes I skip a short run or substitute a road run for a track workout. I never skip weekend long runs, which increase gradually from 6 miles to 20-22 miles. For the most part, I like my training plan, but adjusting to it was a small challenge. I prefer running after work. In the spring and summer, that’s fine, but with the end of Daylight Saving Time and the change of seasons, I knew I had to do more runs in the morning. I’m not a morning person, but becoming one became more important after I was nearly run over at a busy intersection by a distracted driver. That shook me up. Luckily some of these schedule issues subsided during my vacation from work school.

Thanks to LA’s mild winters, I haven’t had too much of an issue adjusting to colder weather. I did do some runs in 30 and 40 degree weather in NY and rain in LA, but for the most part, it’s perfect running weather.

Yesterday morning’s long run was 16 miles. It was the first long run I did with a group, sort of. A college friend invited me to run with her students training with Students Run LA. Since the high school is around the corner and I’d been getting bored running on my own, I decided to join them. I ended up running most of the course through the Westside on my own. I didn’t see any SRLA runners after mile 6. Still, this long run felt better. I ran earlier than usual so it was cooler and a little less sunny. The route the coaches mapped out was less hilly and I had to stop more often for red lights on major streets. Additionally, there were parents on the course meeting the runners at miles 6, 12 and 14 with water and fuel. I bypassed them since I had my fuel belt with water and GU Chomps. I was the third (or fourth?) person back to the school. My friend said her students were impressed with my pace. That was a nice ego boost. I’m looking forward to more runs with the SRLA kids in the next two months including the 18-mile Friendship Run in two weeks.

I’m halfway done with training, eight weeks to go. Aver que pasa.