After the Santa Rosa Marathon, I made the same mistake that I made after the Seattle marathon, I started running hills too hard too soon, and wound up with a hip injury that I am still working on. Besides that I am trying a new plan that I hope will allow me to speed up some while maintaining my endurance during a marathon.
During this phase prior to marathon training, I lowered the mileage so that I could include more weight training, and speed work. I started with a kettle bell workout that was very simple and takes only fifteen minutes. I chose a kettlebell workout by Caroline Girvan on Youtube, but there is another one by Heather Robertson that is a bit more challenging. Either one is a quick workout that is a full body workout, and I think would be beneficial to runners. Deadlifts, squats, lunges and core work prevent injuries in runners.
I am also including speed work during this phase. I am throwing in some 5k races so that I can run faster at a shorter distance. My husband signed me up for a 5k race next week. It is easy to get used to plodding along at very slow paces, but you will not get faster like that. Sometimes you need to include speed work. Shorter, faster races can act as a tempo run for speed work, and they are fun to do.
The other issue that I would like to work on is losing some pounds. When I first started running I lost about 15 pounds initially, but I regained about five pounds right before the Santa Rosa Marathon. When I first started running about two years ago, I was overweight. If I lost about ten pounds, it would be easier to run. I am by no means depriving myself of food. I am switching to healthier options, and smaller portions.
Because I had so much trouble in the heat, I am more cautious about marathons during warm weather. I have decided to run the Mesa Marathon in February. It should be nice and cool, and the marathon is downhill.
Starla the Runner 