#Road2CIM Marathon Training: Week 1

Ok, here’s my marathon-specific training recap. I am not going into the details of each workout but focus more on documenting my mental state as the trainings progresses and the fuel techniques and gear trials and other miscellanious info (like weather or work out time).

I am following the 18-week Fleet Feet CIM First Timer Program. CIM is the “California International Marathon” that takes place here in Sacramento in December.

Well, I actually signed up for the 26-week program back in June to get a bit of a headstart on training but because I was still finishing up the Team Wilpers Summer Run Challenge and a Power Zone Challenge on the Peloton, I only followed the plan for the long runs on the weekends. The official 18-week training kicked off this week. They have three different ability-based training plans:

• Finish: Complete your first marathon. Designed for athletes who have not completed a marathon, or have not completed a marathon recently. Best for athletes whose recent training volume has been 15-20 miles per week or 3-4 hours per week.
• Improve: Become a faster, stronger marathoner. Designed for athletes who have completed a marathon recently, or have completed several half marathons recently. Best for athletes whose recent training volume has been 20-35 miles per week or 4-6 hours per week.
• Perform: Compete in your age group, capture an ambitious PR, or qualify for a dream race. Designed for experienced runners who have completed a marathon or many half marathons recently. Best for athletes whose recent training volume has been more than 35 miles per week.

Based on my previous marathon experience (none) and recent running mileage, I signed up for the “finish” plan, which is specifically designed for first timers. I am not sure if I will set a time goal, probably not. As I’ve heard from so many people, the first marathon is always there to finish and have fun, but I know that I’ll be working with paces in training, so there will be a bit of an expectation (maybe) but I will assess this as I progress in the training. Obviously my main goal is to finish, first and foremost.

I was starting from a pretty good base because I’ve been running consistently (even if I haven’t raced since my last half marathon last fall) and I was comfortable working myself back up to 90 minutes for my long runs before jumping into the 18-week training cycle this week.

Focus for the week:

Getting used to five running days. I am usually a 3 day/week runner and I have trained for all my half marathons with training plans that had me run 3-4 runs per week. I know that bumping up the time on my legs is probably a good thing, so I’ll be trying hard to focus on getting all my prescribed runs in and dial back my other workouts (that will be the real challenge, especially when it comes to the Peloton bike!). I also started experimenting with fueling during runs (I usually exercise fasted except for runs longer than 90 minutes) and wearing a hydration vest to carry both fuel and water on those long runs.

I start every day with a big glass (14 oz) of water before I do anything else. So, assume that this what I have every day before any workout unless otherwise noted.

WORKOUTS

Monday – 40 min strength, 30 min low impact ride + 15 min stretching

Tuesday – 4.6 mi easy @ 9:46 min/mi (morning temp: 59°F) + 15 min strength + 10 min yoga

Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.

Wednesday – 5.7 mi easy @ 9:37 min/mi + 6 x 30 sec strides (morning temp: 64°F) + 20 min upper body strength + 10 min barre

Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.

Thursday – 30 min strength for runners + 30 Min bike bootcamp

Friday – 4.5 mi easy @ 10:00 min/mi (morning temp: 59°F) + 15 min lower body strength + 10 min restorative yoga

Fuel/water: Fasted, didn’t carry water.

Saturday – 8 mi easy @ 9:50 min/mi (morning temp: 57°F) + 15 min restorative yoga

Fuel/water: I didn’t eat anything before I left the house but took some energy chews to take during the run. I used the Honey Stinger Pomegranate Chews before and knew that they would probably sit well with me. I took two at mile 3 and another two at mile 6. I also took a 12 oz bottle with electrolytes that sipped during the run. So far, so good.

Gear: I ran with the hydration vest for the first time. I didn’t take the water bladder, only a 12 oz bottle that fit into the front pocket. I wanted to see how it feels to run with a vest before fully “loading” it. So far, so good. It was lightweight and comfortable (once I got it all tied down to my body) and nothing moved around.

Sunday – 5.5 mi easy @ 9:53 min/mi (morning temp: 61°F) + 30 min strength for runners + 20 Min full body strength + 20 min restorative yoga + meditation

Fuel/water: fasted, didn’t carry water.

TOTAL: 28.3 miles / 45.5 km

Marathon Nutrition

I’ve been reading a ton of things about marathon training and nutrition over the last few weeks. I especially like this free nutrition guide for marathoners. It has a ton of really good information, it helps you to calculate your macro needs, and best of all, it helps you gauge your macro portions by using your hands.

Each hand portion – proportional to your body size – provides a certain number of proteins,
carbs, and fats, and counts calories, macros, and even micronutrients (like vitamins and minerals) for you without the need to measure everything. I’ve been (loosely) tracking my food in My Fitness Pal (MFP) for a couple of years just out of curiosity and to keep an eye on my macros.

Protein	105 g	4-5 servings	25g/serving
Carbs	462 g	18-19 servings	25g/serving
Fats	66 g	6-7 servings	10g/serving

When I calculated my macro needs based on my weight and checked MFP, I was pleasantly surprised that I am already hitting my protein goal every week (around 110g/day on average) and don’t have to do a lot of extra work to incorporate more. I will be more mindful about nutrition in general and when to eat what in the coming weeks, and I will have to start incorportating food before and during my runs. That’s going to be my biggest challenge because I am used to working out fasted, and other than energy chews on some longer runs, I have not used fuel during my runs or races.

How I refueled after my long run

TL;DR – summary of the week:

My motivation is high and I felt good this week. The morning temps were just where I like them (high 50s/low 60s). These runs were not anything that I hadn’t done before (between 4.5 to 8 miles) so I felt comfortable. I am expecting this to become more challenging with the volume and distance increasing over time.

What’s your favorite post-workout meal?