The Final Countdown

The Million Mile Run starts in five days. FIVE DAYS. In case you forgot, I’ll be running 100 miles in the month of September, also known as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Alex’s Lemonade Stand has issued a challenge – parents would go a million miles for their kids if it meant curing them from cancer. So why shouldn’t we?  I, personally, will be donating a dollar for every mile I run in September. Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer and the second overall leading cause of death of children in the United States. More than 10,000 children under the age of 15 in the United States are diagnosed with cancer annually. Please consider a similar pledge to help memeet my personal goal of raising $1,000 by September 30.

 

I am not a heavy mileage runner. 3 miles is usually perfect for me mid-week, and 6 miles for a long run is ideal (if I don’t sleep in instead). Gearing up to run 100 miles has required some training. So how have I been doing? 

August has obviously been the most dedicated. I had some tightness in my back that went away after some rest days, but I’ll have to keep an eye on that. So here’s how I plan on getting my miles in next month:

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Weekly Total
1-Sep	10	Rest	2.25	5	3	Rest	Rest	20.25
			9 x 400
8-Sep	9.3	Rest	4.1	5	3	Rest	5	26.4
	"race"		45 min tempo				pace
15-Sep	11	Rest	2.5	5	3	Rest	3	24.5
			10 x 400				pace
22-Sep	12	Rest	2.7	4	3	Rest	Rest	21.7
			30 min tempo
29-Sep	13.1	Rest
	OCNJ 1/2 Marathon							13.1

The highlighted days are days I’ll be in New York City for work. On September 8, I’m supposed to run a 15K race, but seeing as though they’re rare and I’m working, when I’m done work that day I’ll run the 9.3 miles as hard as I can. The mileage total right now is just shy of 106, so I should be “safe” in hitting my goal of 100 miles. This training cycle I’ve been trying to figure out speed work, so every time I’ve done 400 repeats or a tempo run I’m pretty sure I’m doing it wrong. My speed has been improving though, so I must be doing something right.

This is where I plan to get super annoying – I will be posting all my runs on Facebook and Twitter, so that I’m held accountable, and if you wanted to donate a set amount per mile, you’ll know how much to set aside that day. If you don’t care, this is your warning to hide me or unfollow me. ;-)

Are you looking for a free challenge to keep yourself motivated as summer winds down? You can register as an individual or a team and contribute to us collectively walking or running 1 million miles in one month to raise the visibility of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Remember, it's never too late to sign up - you can do so prior to September 1 or anytime throughout the month.  It's free to participate! Who doesn’t like free!? Register here now: http://www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/million-mile-run

Keeping this guy in my thoughts, today and always…