PRT

This is the app that was recommended to me to get me running. I downloaded it, and afterwards, my daughter Angie (who that day had completed her first (last?) marathon and inspired me to run one myself), showed me how it works.

It has training programs for a mile, 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon. I, needless to say, will start on week one day one of the 1 mile training program. It has three sessions per week, and you are supposed to train one day and rest the next day, but since I am in excellent physical shape (for swimming), I decided I could speed this up and do the workouts almost every day, in order to complete the 12 sessions in about two weeks.

I have 52 weeks until the 2016 Marine Corp Marathon. That is my hometown marathon, the one my daughter and son-in-law, and many people I know have ran. Thirty thousand competitors make it the "people's marathon," and you have to participate in a lottery in hopes of getting a spot.

On the other hand, there is a half-marathon that will take place on March 12. One of my mentors, Kiki, is encouraging me to run it, as she (who has ran several halves) will help another newbie complete it. That leaves me 20 weeks to prepare for that one.

So the plan is to follow the PRT program for the mile and 5k in 10 weeks (it's supposed to take 16 weeks, but I'll accelerate the one mile program). That will take me until the end of 2015. Then, on January 1, I'll skip the 10K program and dive into the 10 week half marathon training program, and try to be ready for the race in March.

If I have the money and am healthy at that point, I would love to run the Missoula half marathon on July 10, mostly because it is totally flat and I've always wanted to go to Montana. That would leave me about 15 weeks to prepare for the MCM on October 30.

As you will notice, lofty plans, tight schedule, all running on dreams and prednisone vapors.