GIVEAWAY!
First thing's first. I'm giving away my Hansons Marathon Method book! I have no more use for it as I don't think I will ever use this training plan again. It's in MINT condition.
This plan did not work for me, but it works for lots of people. If you are curious about it and want my copy, all you have to do is be the first to comment on my blog and say that you want it!
Besides that, all you have to do is be willing to email me the address you would like me to send the book to and I will stick it in the mail
SUMMER RUNNING!
Over the past couple weeks, I have been trying to figure out if there has been anything I gained by my training this summer. It's no secret that the Hansons training plan did not seem to help me at all. I kept waiting to get faster and stronger but those feelings never came.
But surely I have gained something from plugging away this summer, right?
The answer came to me while I was on the treadmill at Planet Fitness on Monday. As I ran an 8 minute mile pace effortlessly in the A/C, I realized the thing I am most proud about my running this summer is that 99.99999999% of my runs were done outside in the scorching heat and humidity. I believe I ran on the treadmill twice this summer and ran early in the morning once. The rest of my runs were done between 10am-2pm. PRIME HEAT/HUMIDITY TIME!
So I am proud that I acclimated and was able to run in the heat. I wasn't fast by any means, but my body was able to regulate it's temperature and I adapted in that aspect to the conditions.
Don't forget to be the first to comment if you want my Hansons book!
Did you embrace the heat this summer or soak up the a/c? A little of both?
I think I'm the first comment! And while I'm intrigued by the book...I think I know that Hansons won't work for me. I'm too injury-prone and get too exhausted too easily! I hope it goes to a good home. (I love how low-tech your giveaway is!)
ReplyDeleteRunning mostly outside in the summer IS something to be proud of. I have a post waiting to go up about this year's summer heat - apparently we just had the hottest July on record. It's not all in our heads. I know the heat is making us stronger, and we're pretty badass for pushing through it!
Yes we are totally badass! What are the very best months for running in Florida? I would have to say PA's best months are October-Dec. It generally doesn't get BITTER cold until Jan-March! I guess April is a good month too. :)
DeleteI don't think we really get good MONTHS, haha. We can expect a few days here and there in December, January and February where it will be cold in the mornings and evenings. It's rare that we get a full cold day, ever.
DeleteCold down here in South Florida usually means mid to low 60s. Sometimes we'll get into the upper 50s before or after sunrise/sunset, but it's rare to get that cold.
Because our state is so long the temperature really varies depending on where you live!
My dad lives over by Ali and cold for him is usually solidly in the 50s I think - sometimes in the 40s. When my mom lived up in Inverness cold meant 30s before/after sunset a few times per year. She even would have to wrap the pipes sometimes to prevent them from freezing, which is something you would never, ever find people doing in South Florida!
Do you ever wish you had the 4 seasons or do you like that it is warm and sunny most of the time?
DeleteI don't know if I could manage life with snow, but I do wish we had a little more variation in weather. I imagine living in California is nice! The weather there seems to be much more moderate in the mornings/evenings but still warm during the day!
DeleteI'll repeat what Kristina said: we usually get a few days in a row - sometimes a week or two - with cooler weather. It used to be that our first cold front would be in November or even October, but lately we haven't seen cooler weather until late December through February. Where my parents live, it gets into the 30s and they see frost. Where I live, we sometimes get into the 40s if we're lucky. It usually gets up to mid-70s by the late afternoon though, then cools down again.
DeleteI wish we had more consistent variety, but I don't miss REAL winter at all. I just wish October-February could be in the 50s like it's supposed to be!
Hansons is a plan that works REALLY well for a VERY particular person. Otherwise, I find that people end up pretty much hating it or getting hurt. But now you know, and you can cross that off your list!
ReplyDeleteOmg I crossed it off and shit on it. That's how over it I am!
DeleteI absolutely love your giveaway, Megan. I know you carried some resentment and had some emotions to work through but I love how you are doing a good thing for something that caused you to question so much about yourself and your running. I think you running in the heat really did build a stronger runner. Just wait until the cool, crisp fall mornings. Like I have said before, I go through this all winter. I don't mind running in the cold (I do mind running when it's snowy, icy on the roads) but my pace slows down a good 45 seconds - 1 minute per mile. I battle the mental game all winter of thinking I am losing fitness and really slowing down. Then comes spring, summer and I run in 40-60 degree temps again and all is right with the world. I hope your book finds a good home :)
ReplyDeleteI do not like snowy or icy roads either! I think what slows me down most in the winter is the fact that I am wearing sooooo many layers.
DeleteI honestly think for me it's the cold air! I won't run on the ice and I really don't have to bundle up that much because I have really awesome layers that are not bulky. But, if I have my choice between cold and snow, I choose cold. Snow on the roads just makes me mad!
DeleteSo if the above are not takers, I would love the book.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, elementary music teacher here, last name Michael(s). I start in 1.5 weeks. 😩
Yay! I am glad the book will go to a good home.
DeleteOh my gosh we are so alike! Glad to know another elem. music teacher! Can you send me the address you would like me to send the book? My email is runningmeg82@yahoo.com
I am glad after all this that you were able to learn something from your training. At least you know that when the time comes again to train for another marathon you know that method is not for you!
ReplyDeleteYup! It sucks when you try something and all you can say is, "Well that wasn't for me" but oh well. At least I will never wonder.
DeleteHanson's is way too many miles for me. The plan I have used topped out at 48 mpw...I haven't run in any AC. Since we moved in Dec. my treadmill is in the garage, so it isn't any help during the summer heat. I used it once for an attempt at speedwork. bleh.
ReplyDeleteWow I bet it's even hotter in your garage than outside! You could train for badwater on your tm. ;)
DeleteI'm glad the book found a good home!
ReplyDeleteI hear that running outside in the heat builds endurance... but it's one of those things that "they" say.. and I don't remember who "they" are. So I prefer to embrace whatever the weather is... except for ice storms, I draw the line at ice storms.
I don't like running on the treadmill, I find it to be soul sucking! Last winter I did 3 miles on the treadmill at the Y, and watched a muted tv show, it was going good, even thought I couldn't hear the show. Then the muppetts came on and I can't stand the Muppetts! so had to leave.
I don't run in ice either! Slippy roads, lightening, and damaging winds are big fat nos for me. I just don't want to die!
DeleteOmg your muppet story is hilarious.
:) I had to smile when I read about your giveaway. I took a peek at my book yesterday. I read about half of it, and since my coach is modifying my plan, I haven't had a need to reference it. However, I was curious how my workouts are comparing to the Advanced Plan as it's written. I had a good laugh when I saw the week before the marathon has 55 miles!! Mine has 37, with 3 rest days :) Maybe if I was 10 years younger, or not falling apart, the plan would have worked for me too. However, I'm keeping my book and encouraging my husband to try it next cycle. He's a go-getter like that.
ReplyDeleteWell I am sure your husband must be used to high mileage so maybe he will like the plan!!!
DeleteI know. 55 miles the week before a race. I can't believe I was so dumb as to think that would work for me!!!
I soaked up the AC and proud of it. I'd have to run very early in the mornings to get out of the sun, and even then it's miserable. I'm an early bird, but not for running that early.
ReplyDeleteYeah and it would probably still be super humid anyway!
DeleteI bought that book when you did. I started to follow, but was too far into this training cycle to really make it work for me. I definitely agree with some of the theories. And the "no more than 16 mile" long runs are contrary to anything I ever followed before. I was a big believer in the long run. I even went 27 miles once on a training run - just to prove that I could have something left in the tank.
ReplyDeleteAnyways - don't give up on Hanson's completely. The idea of tired legs is a good one. It pushes you beyond your comfort zone. I'm going to try again in late winter/early spring before the Boston marathon in 2017. Wish me luck...
Lots of luck to you! I hope it works!
DeleteI have given up on Hansons FOR ME. I know my body, and I was more than just fatigued. I was getting run down and getting achey/hot spots where I don't normally get them.
However, there are so many people that it works well for, that is why I am giving my book away so someone else can get some good use out of it.
Oh I am definitely not doing the race. I am barely running at all right now. Just whenever I feel like it.
ReplyDeleteIt's just starting to get hot here; we've had an unusually cold summer. We don't have A/C in our houses--not many of us do just because it doesn't get that hot here. I'm not looking forward to the next few hot weeks!
ReplyDeleteWow! So what months of the year are the best months to run in your part of the world?
DeleteI want to write a post about 5 things I love about Hansons and 5 things I hate about it. I've reached the point of no return now though. I have to see it through. The cumulative fatigue is beyond what I could have imagined before when I THOUGHT I had cumulative fatigue. Yesterday my legs could barely keep it together. I took so many walking breaks during my warmup that my first mile took 16:25! After that I was shocked by the pace and got my shit together for the rest of the run. It wasn't easy though even though it was supposedly an easy run! Maybe I'm not doing it right!
ReplyDelete