About Me

from couch to marathon training schedule

Growing up, I have never been much of an athlete. In fact, I was the kid that got picked last for teams in gym class. As an adult, I struggled to maintain a weight that made me feel comfortable.  I was anything but consistent with my exercise; I was a couch potato. That was until 2008, when I decided to become a runner by following the couch potato to 5k training schedule.

Couch Potato to 5k and Beyond

I was very successful with the couch potato to 5k program. I never missed a run, and was able to lose a few pounds by the completion of the program. Plus I was officially able to run 30 minutes at a time!

Soon after I was able to run the distance of a 5k, I decided it was time to challenge myself even more. So I did some research, and picked out new running training schedules. This time, I had my heart set on becoming a one hour runner, and decided to follow a one hour runner program.

Introduced Fartleks to Workouts

Again, I was able to complete the runner training plan I had chosen. And again, I wanted to start a new challenge. Happy with the fact that I had enough endurance to run a 10k, I wanted to start learning how to train to run faster. Therefore, I started introducing fartleks into my runner training plan.

Got Sidetracked

I was doing quite well with my runs, when school, work and family caused me to stray from my running training schedules. By summer 2009, I was no longer running on a regular basis. It remained that way for over a year.

Passion for Running Reignited

On October 10, 2011, I started becoming a runner again. I was working at a physical therapy office at the time, and had the opportunity to interact with many marathoners. One of the runners I met had recently lost half of his weight from his marathon training schedules. That story ignited a fire inside of me, and I started my half marathon training schedule.

Ran First Half Marathon Race: Ocean City Half Marathon

On April 30, 2011, I completed my first half marathon race. I met my goal of finishing the Ocean City Half Marathon in time to qualify for the National SunTrust Marathon, one of the marathons in DC. It was a very proud moment for me, and it felt so great to finally cross the finish line.

From Couch to Marathon Training Schedule

As of the start of this blog, I am beginning Hal Hidgons novice marathon training schedule. I will be using this blog to share with you my experiences along the way. Hopefully, I can either inspire or offer you some distance running tips along the way.