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Friday, October 5, 2012

Training for the LA Marathon with Coach Chris & A Natural Running Network


As you know from my previous posts, I am running my very first marathon, the LA Marathon in March 2013!  The Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome International Foundation is sponsoring me, and I am running to raise awareness and funds for this rare blood and bone marrow disease that my mom passed away of this past March.

I know it is going to be battle both mentally and physically.  I am ready for this challenge and I am pulling my strength from Mom, the strongest person I’ve ever known.  I want to do this right, I want to do it well, and I want to finish strong for Mom.  So when a coworker of mine told me about Chris at A Natural Running Network and how he coached him to his first marathon, I immediately reached out to Chris.

We chatted about his training philosophy and what my training plan would look like.  That’s the key right there…what my training plan would be.  Yep, he will be my personal coach on this endeavor.  He will test my heart rate and gait, and make adjustments to my form to help me run most efficiently, and he is going to build a plan specifically for me and my ability to best reach my goal (to finish STRONG).  Additionally, we will train together 3x per week!  I’m stoked about this because he will hold me accountable.  If I have a 14 miler and I don’t feel like waking up, I HAVE to because my coach is waiting for me.  Some people might say that’s dumb, but I know myself and I want that accountability.  And we kick off training NEXT WEEK!  I am beyond excited for LA and I know Chris will help me reach the finish line feeling strong, healthy, and successful!  I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I know I’ll be the most prepared I can be when race day comes.

Another motivating factor for kicking ass at LA is that my bestie has signed up to run it with me!!!!  We will be running our first full marathons together!!  And we’re both running for wonderful causes (me for MDS and she for pediatric cancer).  Bring on LA and let's kick cancer's ass!


Do you guys have any marathon training advice for a newbie?




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