Last week was vacation week - for my younger daughter. She went to Arizona with a high school friend and stayed with my parents. That is usually MY April trip. But I stayed in the East during my vacation week (the week right after Easter) and grabbed some time with my older daughter. I got my walks in and some tennis! I suppose it was cross-training of a sort.
And therein lies the subject: cross-training. I have not been doing much cross-training. I got in a handful of ski days this winter. And that's about it.
The marathon trainer recently reminded us about the benefits of stretching and cross-training exercise. So, with less than a month to go until the Marathon, I am buckling down and "planking" and stretching.
I hope I am not too late (I can hear the inner voice saying, "It's never too late!") because there is one more 20-mile training session this coming weekend (oh, no ... don't worry I won't go on and on about that ...) Suffice it to say that I will have company this time around - at least that's the plan. I will be a mentor this weekend and get my walking buddy Jen through the mileage. I think "planking" and stretching this week will help my mood as I work up my attitude to complete another 20 miles.
My plan for getting Jen through 20 miles? Simple. The trick is to NOT talk with Jen all week so we have plenty to talk about on the road on Sunday as we walk from Bennington to Arlington. Our school weeks get so busy that we don't interact much. So it worked out this past weekend that we had plenty of conversation as we walked 10 miles (much talk centered on the weather as on the return 5 miles we faced a headwind that I think added 2 miles in terms of energy spent!)
So there you have it ... instead of focusing on the idea of a marathon medal, I am focusing on cross-training and stretching. Oh, and that 20-mile date I have on Sunday!