Today we kicked off marathon training for the Atlanta Track Club in Roswell, GA. Half marathon training starts in the next coming weeks. Both programs will run together later in the season. Today was my first time at this training site. Last year, we trained from Ansley Mall and I thought the hills in that area was bad. Today, those hills put the hills in Virginia Highlands to shame. We had a great participant turnout and some of them even got in extra miles for their respective race prior to the training event.
I ran with the 9:00 min/mile pace group and today was a struggle for me since I am getting over a knee injury from falling on Monday. The hills were steep and so close together so I found myself walking quite a bit. As my knee heals, I hope to progress as a trainer to assist the participants. I am proud to see returning participants from last year’s program.
For those who are planning to run their 1st or 100th half or full marathon, I would highly recommend an organized training program, whether it is through a running club, running store, or a group of accountable run buddies. Training works! Training is like studying and preparing for the final exam, which is the race.