...=]

        So can you answer the question that was brought upon you at the beginning of this training program. Can anyone run a marathon? Do you still think you cant and that you will never see yourself doing anything close to this. Well you must have realized by now that you can do this by putting in some time that you usually would have wasted on sleep or being lazy at home watching TV. Don't let your mind stop you from doing things that are possible in real life but impossible in your head.
        When I was first injured from soccer I never thought I would be running again for the fact that I had previous injuries on the same knee. I felt unbearable pain that I had never experienced in my life. I felt useless because I couldn't do anything but sit and watch my friends have fun during the summer. Then when I did try to do the things they were doing I had to stop the moment that I got up to try.
        People never appreciate what they have until its gone, which is why I have learned to take every step as if it were my last. I had lost the feeling to run and play soccer for a while but i gained a new meaning of life. Never let opportunities pass you by for reasons like its too hard or Im too lazy to wake up. Because most likely the things you let pass by may benefit you in the long run but they wont be able to if you ignore them. Finally don't let opportunities knock at your door just keep the door open with a welcome home mat on the front porch.
        This week is going to be Thanksgiving weekend so if you choose to run I recommend for you to run the Turkey Trot in chicago because its a great little race that I have done previously. Take a break from running this week just run a little. This is the time for you to give thank to the people that were in your life during the hard times. Spend it with your family and make it memorable. Just laugh, have fun, and run....Happy Thanksgiving...=]

Getting closer to that 26.2 mile goal....

Hello runners. How was everyone’s weekend? I hope you all ran in this great weather, I know I did I changed my mind and chose to run this week. I wasn’t just going to waste a week of 70 degree weather, however, by my knee acting up on me I was forced to run at a 10 minute/pace which kind of sucked for me but at least I ran during perfect running weather.

            Alright we are almost halfway through our training and it’s going to get harder as the time passes especially if you don’t run in between the week, so please don’t make it harder on yourself its only going to affect you at the end. Many runners can train for a marathon without running during the week but many can’t and maybe just maybe you can be one of them, but would you take a risk on almost 7 months of training. This is the time where you should be taking every run serious because if you don’t then you will be watching everyone pass you by during the marathon while you walk towards the finish line. Don’t you want to be able to sprint towards that finish while thousands of people are cheering and yelling, “Go Runners”, mind you that they aren’t saying “go walkers”. So train like if that was your last run because you’re going to regret it when that big day comes and your not prepared. I know this by experience and trust me it sucks when you have to walk towards the finish line and everyone is passing you by telling you “come on you can do it just start running”, then when you try to run you stop in seconds because of the amount of pain your in.

Strive to be the greatest, don’t watch the chance pass by. 

Just Run....

      Hello runners hows the running experience going for you guys? I hope it's going good especially because I know that the cold weather makes you want to stay home and skip the running for one or two weeks. Which in my opinion thats okay because are training started way before others which gives us more time for our training. Usually people start training for the Chicago Marathon in May but we started in September so it's fine to skip some weeks. Just make sure that you still run some distance during those weeks because then it will make it sort of difficult to start running again because your body took a 2 week vacation. Also if you think you need a break because you think your getting an injury then go ahead and do it. Don't wait until the last minute where your injury has worsen because you never know that this injury may cause you to miss the Marathon just like I did. The feeling isn't good when you trained so much for nothing and when the day comes your sitting on the sidelines watching everyone in disappointment.
      Just run....and you will feel better in mostly every aspect of your life because remember not everyone can run a marathon or even can come close to run 13.1 miles straight without stopping. But you can accomplish this if you have the right mindset. Anything is possible when you want to make it possible. I decided to take break from the long run because I feel my knee acting up on me again and I don't want to risk another injury. But for those who are running your schedule should be 4 miles during the week and 8 miles for your long run. Be safe, keep warm, and just run.....

Keep Going

     By now you must be deciding whether to keep going with this or not. Many people would usually stop by now as many of my friends did because they thought it was too difficult. In order cases people can't take the running for the reason that their bodies aren't strong enough. Yet I'm here to motivate you to keep going because this is something that can make you stronger both mentally and physically. Once you finish running a Marathon you will always have the feeling of accomplishment which can motivate you threw any tough time in your life. Physically you can be healthier than ever because the training is difficult like it sounds but if you train like your suppose to then you will do great. If you play any sports then you will be faster and stronger then the opponents having speed and stamina over them. I know because I play soccer a lot and by half-time people are huffing and puffing all over the field but yet I'm breathing normally like if I just got into the game. Also imagine running for a cause to help out millions of people around the world like Breast Cancer, Cancer, Aids, and Autism. You can help to treat these causes having the feeling that you helped with the finding of cures. Just keep on going you will feel great at the end. If you follow the running schedule it should make it way easier than you think. Picture the finish line with your friends and family waiting for you with their cheers. This week I will be training 4 miles during the week and 7 miles on the weekend. I will be taking it a little easy at the beginning of each run because of the cold weather and by doing this I will prevent any injuries. Good luck and run safe =]

Week 4-Back To Training

"Paces for your final times"

     Hey guys hope your not tired from the race or most importantly injured. Last weekend I ran a 5k with one of my friends called the "Got Running on the Brain", I was able to do this because one of his friends got injured two days before the race so he called me to run with him. It was pretty difficult for me to run a 5k again because of my previous knee injury. I was going good for the first 2 miles running at a 6:30 mile pace, but the last mile killed me. My knee started acting funny sending sharp pains up my thigh which made me slow down my pace to a 6:45. At the end I was happy with the results because I had a feeling that my knee would just give up on me if went too fast but it didn't. I finished the race at around 20 minutes and 17 seconds according to my watch. I think that was pretty good for a guy that just came back from an injury.
     Well now it's time to get back on track with our training schedule. Now that you know how much your body can take before it just shuts down, this will be a good time to move up in your pace if you think that your body is up to the challenge. But if it doesn't work out for you then you can always just slow down a tad bit. This week I will be running 4 miles during the week and my long will be 6 miles. Because it's getting colder you should start wearing long sleeves and hats so you can prevent any sickness. Shorts are still ok for the reason that as you run your legs will be able to stay warm from the constant movement. Good luck and remember Run till its done...

Running Your First 5k (3.1 miles).



"Imagine the feeling of this"



You must be thinking,” Hell no I’ am not ready for a race”. But you are if you have ran over 3 miles before. This can really help you prepare for a Marathon because you get the same experience but in a smaller version. After running a 5k you would be able to overcome the excitement.  I mean the thousands of people by the starting line yelling and cheering for all the runners. This causes a rush of adrenaline to go through your body making you want to gun it at the beginning. However, after you learn your lesson, like I did, you would make sure to stay at your pace or run fast but not too fast. Having some races around my belt helped me figure out the limit of my own body, which you would need to know if you want to be happy with your first Marathon.

My first 5k was called, Skirt Chasers, which was a really fun race. The race started with the women in skirts then the men chasing after them, as the title explains. Well as the race began a feeling came over me giving me a mindset that I would be able to sprint the whole race. My mind lied, 11 minutes into the race the lower half of my body just shut down on me leaving me stranded at the half way marker. I finished the race in 33 minutes but if I would have at least stayed around my pace I would have finished in 24 minutes. This is why you need to make mistakes so you can learn from them, trust me seeing old ladies passing me by throughout the whole race made me learn my lesson the hard way.

Some tips for a 5k:

1.      Overcome that stupid feeling of wanting to gun it at the beginning.

Result: No old ladies passing you by and a good chip time.

2.      Drink a lot of water two days before the race.

Result: Body more hydrated so less water breaks and prevents cramping.

3.      DO NOT WEAR NEW SHOES.

Result: Preventing big, nasty, horrible blisters on the bottom of your feet.

Week Two...

     All right well I hope everyone had a great week with his or her runs, I know I did. During the week it was kind of cold during the night so I chose to run on a treadmill which was okay, but don't get used to it. For the reason that the treadmill forces your feet to go back so your really not running by your self, which means you don't get the full workout. Also if you started getting pains in your shins during your first runs that’s normal because you’re barely starting to run. However, if this pain continues past the 3rd week then that means you must slow down your pace. If you don't do so you can get an injury called shin splints, which is when stress is caused to the shins by running, jumping, dancing, etc. This injury takes long to heal so you wouldn't want that to happen to you. Some things to prevent this from happening is to stretch before each run, a slow warm up run, have a good pace for you, and don't sprint at the end of each runs. Also you should stretch after each run that will help your body recover much faster because you’re letting more oxygen and fluids go through your muscles and tendons.

"Some Basic Stretches"

Any questions about your runs feel free to ask most likely I will be able to help out. This week my schedule is to run 3 miles on Tuesday and Thursday, and to run 5 miles on Saturday morning.  Good luck on your runs. Remember stretch before each run especially because it’s starting to get colder out. Run till its done =]

Week One-Taking It Easy

     Alright this week is gonna be the most important run you will ever have, except for when you run the Chicago Marathon or any other marathon. Starting off week one we must find out what pace you will be training throughout the rest of the runs. You can do this by running 3 miles at a pace you find comfortable running in. I recommend that you run at a location that is near water because once you start running you will get really hot and a best way to stay cool is to run where a nice breeze can hit you. Before running the 3 miles you should get a watch to time how long it took you to complete the run. By doing this you can figure out the pace that you should be placed in.

"Me in the past"

     Heres a formula to figure this out: Time it took divided by miles that you ran. So lets say you ran 3 miles and you completed these miles in about 27 minutes. We would have 27 divided by 3 miles and the pace you should be running at would be at a 9 minute/mile pace. Also if your worried that you wont be able to complete 3 miles then just start off with 1 mile it should be almost the same results at the end. But I highly recommend 3 miles. For the reason that your body would be running longer which for most cases you will have to take a walk break and this will increase the time it took to complete the miles and give you an exact pace to run in.
     After you figure out your pace its now time to run during the week. You should be running at least three times a week including your long run which I recommend running on saturday mornings this will give you time to rest and recover. The two runs during the week you should be running 3 miles every time. You do this so that your body can be warmed up for the long runs and also so you don't get cramps or any injuries later in the season. Trust me I've gotten injured my first year for not doing this, learn from my mistakes.
     My schedule for this week is to run 3 miles on tuesday and thursday. Then on saturday run 4 miles because I already know my pace which is an 8 minute/mile. Try having at least one day off between your runs so your body can recover. Well hope week one goes smoothly for you and try to get a partner to run with you because it will give you more support to keep going when it starts to get difficult.

Can you challenge yourself to run 26.2 miles?

"The Marathon Figure?"

               Many say that to complete a marathon one needs to be an athlete, well fit, muscular, all that good stuff that women look in to, well some women. But in reality none of that is really true, because the only things that you really need is self-confidence, training, and a passion to run. As some wise person said " Anything is possible if you believe in yourself ", which is all you need to cross that finish line and feel proud of doing something that nearly 99 percent of the world cant do. Come on thats like trying to find a needle in a hay sack its not impossible but its freaking hard to do.            

               So can anyone run a marathon? What do you think? Let me fill it in for you…YES!. Anyone can run a marathon if they wish to do so. No matter of weight, disabilities, or gender. Anyone can run a marathon if they have the proper training. I'm talking about almost 6 months of training at least to prepare you for that big day. I know from experience because I have ran the Chicago Marathon twice and three half marathons. Im not saying that its easy to run but what I'am saying is that with the proper training you can achieve it.

"Me and my Mentor (Ant)"

                As a sophomore in high school I joined a program that trains students to run a half and a full marathon. The program approximately starts in May and ends in October once we have completed the Chicago Marathon.  We would train every Saturday along Lake Shore Drive meeting up with the other schools at around 7:30 in the morning. As the program started we ran 3 miles by ourselves to determine which minute-mile pace we should be placed to run with. After that run every Saturday we would increase the distance by one mile so it would look like this ( 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10). Then when we hit that 10th mile we would increase the distance by two miles every saturday until we hit 22 miles. As we hit 22 miles the marathon would be close so we would just have "easy runs =]" which are like 10,12, or 14 miles which you would find very easy after running 22 miles. And for every run you would have mentors to guide you through every mile and help you when you don't think its possible to run anymore. 

"The Beast"

         There are a lot of marathon training groups out there if you really want to achieve running 26.2 miles in less than 6 and a half hours. You can visit  http://m3.mgrf.org/ which is the group I ran with. They have great mentors to help you run, give you advice, and guide you through those long, painful, agonizing 26.2 miles. I hope i didn't scare you but I did say it wasn't going to be easy. Also there is the run for aids group, fleet feet but that one you have to pay some type of money to be able to train with them, run for autism, and many more that you could choose from just start looking. But the one I recommend the most is Team M3 because it feels like a family when you run with them and also they have running groups that start from 8 min/mile to 15min/mile so you can choose the pace that fits you best. 

          Anyone interested in running a marathon just stay tuned in. This year I had a knee injury while playing soccer where my knee wasn't able to keep up with the long distances so I had to drop my team. But now I feel much better and I'm going to start training for next years Chicago Marathon. So I will help guide you through the process of completing a Marathon.