The hard work...

Some have asked what my training looked like last fall.  In case you're wondering, it went down like this:

The Week in Running (October)

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: 11 miles
Thursday: Speed work and stadium stairs
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday: 22 - 26 miles

In August and September I very gradually built myself up to this level.  The three weeks in November were a gradual taper.

Runs were usually followed with some variation of the following: pushups, situps, lifting bricks, pullups, tricep dips, planks, and jumping rope.

One of my Sunday runs in October was the Atlantic City Marathon.  I took it easy and just treated it like a training run, but the race atmosphere was great mental preparation for Philly.

Food and Drink

I ate A LOT last fall.  There were times when I would down a 12" Subway Sub and two glasses of milk and 15 minutes later wouldn't feel anything in my stomach.  Strangers would come up to me at my local sandwich shop and comment on the size of the salad I'd made myself from the salad bar.

I tried to get in as much variety as I could: fish, poultry, eggs, yogurt, salad, fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, etc.  My go-to dinner was usually some kind of chicken and vegetable dish, or pasta with vegetables.  I ate a lot of fruit too, and drank inhuman quantities of skim milk (nothing new there, actually).

I completely cut out alcohol from September 28th - November 21st, and soda from October 1st - November 21st.  I almost completely cut out junk food and fast food.  I did not cut out desserts like cookies, cake or ice cream.  I didn't want to drive myself completely crazy.

Injuries

I was incredibly lucky in that I never injured myself.  The worst was a slight strain in the calf, which felt fine after two days of ice/rest.

In the end, I can't stress enough that it's all about the hard work.  I didn't follow an online training plan.  I never ran with a training partner or group.  I never went to a store to get my pronation checked.  I can tell you my shoes are Nike and that's it.  I never spent $200 on a Garmin; didn't even use a watch for the majority of my training as my old one broke during a run.  I never kept a training log. When the weather got bad I didn't head to the gym because I don't belong to one.  I never relied on music to get me through runs because I don't own an iPod.  Nothing against any of these things, but my point is they aren't as essential as you think.

In short, I kept it old school by focusing on the running and not much else. That's the best advice I can give: focus on the running, and tune everything else out. Only the hard work will make you a better runner.

And possibly give you six-pack abs for the first time in your life.  Just sayin'.