I've chosen a pretty non-traditional race in terms of season, and will (fingers crossed) be running the Midwinter Marathon in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. I wouldn't ideally choose to run a marathon in sub-zero temperatures, but missing out on the Dublin Marathon has been getting me down and I need to work towards something. Plus, I may not be living in Ireland this time next year, and I want to get in as many European races as I can! One last winning point for this race: running a marathon at the beginning of February allows me enough time to rest and train for a late-spring race as well.
It's just starting to turn frosty here in Dublin, so I'm going to have to get acclimated to running in the cold pretty quickly. I'm cool with that (...bah-dum chhhh). When training for my first marathon, I remember running a 7 mile tempo outside in the middle of a blizzard, through 2 feet of snow, because the roads and gyms were closed and I couldn't get to a treadmill. Paces weren't quite accurate, but it was an experience and one thing is for sure: running through extreme weather toughens you up and makes you proud to be as crazy as you are. So, Midwinter Marathon, bring it on!
My training plan is very mild, as I'm still very wary of my hip. Only four runs per week for now- one tempo or speed session, one long, and two easy. I'll be cross training on the other days. Once I build strength and am sure my hip isn't going to wig out, I'll add another speed session.
I have a time goal in mind, but I'll reassess in a few weeks to see that it is feasible. I (think) am okay with loosening up my expectations on myself this time around- this is a serious reintroduction for me and I am legitimately scared of injuring myself again. If I play my cards right and don't push too hard, I could get a strong race out of this one and be ready to train for a speedy one in May or June. We'll see how it goes!
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