Running Log: August-December, 2009

So I'm running the Tokyo Marathon this year. The race is Sunday, February 28th, so I'm just over eight weeks out. I've been training specifically with this race in mind since the end of August. I used the tail end of a 'spring training' plan I found, then moved into the 18-week Advanced 1 program from Hal Higdon's site. Last weekend I ran my first 30km piece (19 miles). I will follow that with three 32km (20 miles) runs over the next five weeks before beginning my taper down to a peak at the marathon.

This is the worst time of the training year. The weather is cold, the runs are long and fast, and the marathon is still far enough away that I can't feel it yet. Of course I envision it every day, but the connection just won't happen for another four weeks or so.

I'm serious about doing well at Tokyo this year. Last year I set a goal of breaking 3:10, but that was interrupted by a knee problem. That's why I (a) started training in August and (b) only scheduled one major race this year. My goal is again 3:10. More on the attainability of this goal the week before the marathon.

Here's a summary of my numbers so far this training season:

August: 25km
September: 163km
October: 178km
November: 132km (10 days of not running in America)
December: 276km

Total: 774km (480 miles)