Marathon Monday: 30something

I am training for the Columbus Marathon and following a schedule loosely based on the "Train Like A Mother" finish it plan. These posts document my training.

This week, in running: 

Monday: 3.05, easy
Wednesday: 6.25 miles, hills
Thursday: 3 miles, easy
Friday: 7.08 miles, easy
Sunday: 10.09 miles, long run

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I'm poised to do something this week that excites me beyond belief: Hit 30.

Thirty might be an an evil number, especially to anyone who is living on the edge of their 20s, but seeing as I'm now in my 30s, I've come to embrace the big 3-0. In fact, I'm chasing it.

In all my years of running - OK, three - I'm not sure that I've ever hit a 30-mile week more than once or twice and those were times when I was squeezing in training for my last-minute entry into the 2010 W.O.O.F.

I've been flirting with 30 miles for the past month of Columbus Marathon training - heck, Daily Mile even says that I hit one (I was off by less than a half mile and the site rounds up) - and last week, I was off by 0.57. I'm pretty sure I would have tacked on a half-mile yesterday had I known.

Running 30 miles in one week makes me weak in the knees (in a good way) just thinking about it, and I'm not really sure why. I tried searching for a reason as to why 30 miles a week is so fantastic beyond the simplicity of running but I came up short. There's no great switch that is flipped when you hit 30 miles nor do you start burning calories at an exponentially faster rate. You don't automatically run faster, and Nike doesn't give you a free pair of shoes for doing so.

And really, it's just something I should be doing - like taking a shower and pitting the cherries for freezing - no reason to get all "Celebrate me, beotches."  According to Runners World, 30 miles a week to 50 miles a week is what a runner (aka mortal) should log during marathon training. My lowest mileage thus far has been 25 miles, and I believe I top out about 40 miles.

For comparison, an elite should run 100 to 140 miles; Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan have been doing about 110-120 miles a week ahead of the London Olympics marathon.

I will add that increased mileage, so says Dr. Paul Williams, does have some "powerful benefits" according to a Wall Street Journal article. Increased mileage was shown in his studies to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, glaucoma, diabetes and other diseases above and beyond that of those who meet minimum exercise requirements set forth by the American Council on Exercise.

Definitely things I've been worried about this training cycle.

So there you have it. Ramblings about 30 miles a week. We'll see if I'm so excited about actually completing it next Monday.

How is your running/training/summer going? Share. Pretty please with one of those cherries that I need to pit on top.