^^Ditto. 
Iām giving MOWC some recovery time before I start pestering her with questions! As much as I would like another round of coaching itās just not in the budget right now. Thanks for the input!
It is not a Meet-Up or affiliated with REI or LLBean or Sierra Club āwhich Iāve learned are all options in our area. I found this group by Googling āhiking clubā and the nearest major city.
I have also been out with two different Meet-Up groups. Each group or club has been a little different, although there is some overlap in the members.
The times/dates donāt always work out for me because of my work hours, but Iām seeing that if you get to know some more people and connect, thereās the option to do an unofficial hike with new friends. A couple of women encouraged me to join an area cross country ski club that they felt sure I would like.
Another hiker told me he was saying heād always wanted to go to such and such National Park, and before you know it, he and two others were planning a trip and they all went together! So, there is definitely opportunity.
There are plenty of people on the hikes that are single, divorced, or have a spouse who doesnāt hike. It doesnāt feel weird at all to be there by yourself.
I normally work weekends and that is turning out to be a hurdle. Iāll just join when I can.
^thatās great, Midwest67! I have found that too ā met some people in my meet up groups where we now interact outside the group. I bet there are a lot of people who want to get out there and hike but do it with like minded people. Itās a great way to stay motivated ā makes exercise fun.
I would be glad to help you with your training for free. Iāve coached in the past. I donāt have the expertise of Coach Liz, but Iām pretty good! Yes, you have enough base for marathon training. If you can run 10 miles, you can start marathon training. The key is in the longer run!
I could definitely use the help - thatās an offer you may come to regret! I feel charged up again - usually a sign the worlds going to collapse around me - but I feel much better prepared to train than I did last year.
@sabaray I find that thereās a delicate balance between long runs and cross training. If your time is limited, one or the other tends to suffer from neglect. I canāt imagine training for marathon and fitting in your cross training, unless one gets short shrift. My CF workouts, which consistently include short runs (also Airdyne/wind type bikes and rowing), take about 75-90 minutes. And then I typically run 3-5 miles on my non-CF days. My legs tend to have no life in them. I have no idea how my legs would react to 10 and 20 mile runs. And where Iād find the time.
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@sabaray I wish we lived closer together. I feel much the same way!
Actually I think a mix of cross training and long runs would be a good mix for your marathon. I think ramping up some high mileage is asking for trouble.
I would definitely need to make some changes to what Iām doing now. @sushiritto, your cross training sounds a lot more intense than what I am doing - most of what I do is a complement to running. Training the first time, I only ran 3 times a week and cross-trained 3 days, rested one. Second round of training, I ran 5 days a week and it was a struggle. I appreciate everyoneās input!
Did you find the first approach got you just as ready, sabaray? I want to train smarter for the next marathon I do. I actually bought that book you mentioned but canāt find it! Itās here somewhere.
Another topic: has anyone heard of a āmini 10kā? I didnāt know what the āminiā referred to (is it shorter than a regular 10k)? Turns out itās a 10k for women. Isnāt that cute. Not. Iām hoping there is some legitimate reason itās called that.
LOL. Not much has been called āminiā since the 80s when they had āmini marathonsā (halfs)
To me the keys to marathon training are: (1) the long run and being comfortable with being on your feet 3 or 4 hours in training. The long runs can be really slow. (2) mid distance weekday run of 7-9 miles. Sabaray is good at that. I didnāt do it. (3) Figuring out your nutrition and hydration plan (4) not getting injured
Iām good at that, too!
I think the first approach was a better one for me. My two runs during the week were each 6-7 miles and then I followed a high/low schedule on the weekends. I did two sessions a week on the elliptical plus Pilates. I also had scheduled walk breaks during the long runs. The race went well - weather was a big factor in a good way. Iām better at running for distance than running for time - I like knowing how far Iām going to run rather than how long Iām going to run - I get anxious Iām not doing enough when Iām running for a certain amount of time.
Sabaray, for what it is worth, I trained for all of my marathons using the Marathon Rookieās PDF guide. It is very similar to what you think might work for you - there are run-free days and there is specific mileage slowly ramping up to a couple of weeks before the race day, then taper. I did free weights and body weight stuff on the non-running days.
http://www.marathonrookie.com/support-files/16weekmarathonschedule.pdf
(Yeah, I am lazy. 
)
^ I like that plan. Very straightforward and not insane.
You recommended that to me Bunsen, and I used it as a guideline! Itās a really good plan. The only thing I did was drop one of the running days, I think, and did longer mileage on two days. My longest run was something like 24 if Iām remembering correctly, and thatās because I was so nervous about finishing - I needed that confidence boost.
Oops, my bad - I remember posting it here but did not remember why I posted itā¦
I keep checking the weather for this Sunday (half marathon). Itās gone from rain and thunder to cloudy to sunny. I know it isnāt reliable until about 24 hours out.
I never planned on doing 3 races back to back but this one (and the 10M) count toward our club points and standing. Apparently the 50+ ladies contingent is battling for 2nd place so every race til year end is important.
Kid is signing up for a tri in Ohioā¦ and she is shopping for a new bike because her bike is no good for semi-serious racing. Sigh. I have seen one of our posters here experience the joys of parenting an adventurous triathlete and I am less than thrilled at her choice of athletic activity. Another sigh.