Guten Tag Steemians! I mentioned before in my previous post (go check it out if you haven't already, maybe give it a quick upvote/resteem :) https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@cryptonewb/update-new-ideas-to-share-with-the-community) that the way to make it as a young steemian in this steemit world is to basically find your niche and to post regularly to build up your base of supporters. So going off of my own advice. I am currently sitting in a beautiful log cabin in Holcombe, Wisconsin along side a lake on vacation with my family. Life can't get much better than this folks, and I thought this morning would be the perfect morning to share my journey to run in a full marathon (26.2 miles/ 42.2 km). I felt this is something I could share with the community in hopes to entertain/motivate you guys to possibly go out achieve your own running/fitness goals, no matter how big or small they may be! This is my first post about my marathon journey, but certainly not my first time training for it. I began my training about a month and a half ago and the marathon takes place on September 22nd. For those who are new to the running scene, the average time it takes to prepare for a marathon (if not conditioned prior) is about 4 months. So hopefully I am well trained by them. Training for a marathon is more than just going out and running. The gist of your training should be to gradually push your body's limits in order to increase your overall VO2 max (endurance). There are different "ways" to do this when training for this journey to 26.2 miles. -

Base milage

- Building up a base milage is essential when training. Throughout your weeks of training, you want increase the amount of miles you can run at a certain time without getting overly exhausted. It sounds tough, but it does get easier to run farther from week to week. -

The long run

- Doing a long run every 7-10 days so your body can adjust gradually to long distances. Each time you do the long run should be further than the previous. -

Speed work

- Practice intervals and tempo runs to increase your cardio capacity. I like to think of this one as "running with a purpose". It's not a lazy run, but running for a good time per mile. -

Rest and recovery

- Adequate rest helps prevent injuries and mental burnouts. This may be the most important step of the four. It doesn't matter how much of the other three you do, if you don't give your body enough rest it will come back to bite you in the ass.

Today's Journey

https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeoDju8hy8Fsyxpk9L75rsmA25tjfH9iN2nEbLVGCJE5p/IMG_2896.jpg Today I focused on speed work. My goal for the day was to run 6 miles at a pace of 8 minutes per mile or better. I use the app on my iphone "MapMyRun", it is a great free app for anyone who wants to run or walk while keeping track of milage and times. Each mile you run this app lets you know the average pace you are on and also the split pace you just ran for your previous mile. At my 6 mile mark, I was pleased when the app let me know that I was averaging a pace of 7:45 per mile, so I continued to push myself to the 8 mile marker with a pace of 7:50 per mile. Overall I was very pleased with my results! My goal for the end of July is to average a pace of 7 minutes and 30 seconds (7:30) per mile for at least 8 miles for my 'speed work' category. The back roads around this lake were beautiful to run on. Nice and narrow with plenty of nature to look at so it helps pass the time while running! https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbjqZXkSGCstCG8bgDnUPHEGU3FqWL8DM9DnSyza7eeqV/IMG_2897.jpg (don't worry I kept my speed below 35 mph while running) If you guys have any questions about my journey, whether it be how to train or just in general, please drop a comment in the comments below. May as well leave an upvote while you're at it :) -*As always, stay classy*