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Laura at the
1998 Reindeer Run

The Mommy's Guide to
Marathon Training...

(Or, Training for an Olympic Trials
Marathon on Just Ten Dollars a Day!)

By Laura Murphy - RunMichigan.com!
1/3/99

I really thought I'd have trouble getting excited about the 2000 Trials after being there in 1996, but there are so many different reasons that I am looking forward to it this time around. Last time I really thought I'd try to see how fast I could run a marathon - it didn't work. The course is hilly and the midwinter training in the Midwest just doesn't cut it as far as getting the quality of runs that are necessary for me to run a marathon faster. This time, I will see some old friends and get to know a few new ones better and visit with family in the area - though the family enthusiasm for actually watching the race is noticeably less than in 1996 when they really thought I had a chance to make the team!

Many people have asked about my training schedule. Some want to know what it is I do and others how exactly I do it. Without giving away too many training secrets, I hope to answer these inquiries. My training schedule started the first of November - more of mental thing than an exact training science based on the number of weeks. I had been hovering around 50 miles a week since early September and merely bumped up the mileage a bit and added some more regularity to my workouts and tempo runs. It is easy to just not go that hard when no predetermined schedule is weighing heavy on my shoulders. I will eventually get up to 70-75 miles in a week for two weeks or so and then taper down to whatever feels good the week before the race. Many marathoners say how much they dislike the taper, but to me (a miler at heart!) it is the reward for all the hard work and a time of mental preparation.

This time around, my schedule has some flexibility to it so that bad weather can push things back a week or so and I will still have time to get a long run in before I REALLY need to taper. If the weather is good, I can just make the taper more gradual. The discovery that I will actually stick to the schedule when it is realistic was a turning point in my marathon career. For this reason, I didn't have a big week scheduled for the holidays - why put it on there if I'm not going to do it? We traveled to Morgantown WV where the hills are big and it some times snows making for difficult runs. I would rather do a long run at home where I know my surroundings (i.e., restrooms locations) and don't have to worry about getting lost.

OK. No big deal. Not much different than most other marathoners do it. I stay home with two toddlers who play well together and love to run. They weigh a combined 60+lbs now, and pushing them is getting very tiresome. Casey and Abby think it is tiresome, too. They would rather run by themselves now and stop when they see something interesting like a stick or rotten berries still on the bushes. And this is where it gets tricky. So that I am able to go more than 4 miles a day, I have employed two loyal, trustworthy, dependable babysitters for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Tuesday nights, Kathy Rink and I are able to get in a good workout on the Paint Creek Trail in the dark. It isn't too bad except for trying to see the watch. There are no cars to worry about and only the occasional dog-walker or cyclist is caught by surprise when we come by.

Megan, our sitter since Casey and Abby were newborns, sits during this time. She is saving for a car and prefers the Tuesdays that are also my twins club meeting nights - she can stay extra long on those nights! The Tuesdays that are not twins club nights, Kathy drives Megan home. Wednesday afternoon, our 16 year-old neighbor comes over for about two hours while I do a long run in the daylight. She comes after school which is usually great timing, as the kids are up from their nap, snacked, watered, changed and happy.

It is an easy job, because the kids think she is there to play and they see her all the time in other situations outside in the backyard and going from house to car, etc. On Thursdays, Mark and I meet in Royal Oak and switch cars. He takes the kids home and I run a tempo run with a pretty fast group including Kathy. Casey and Abby think the running store is a big treat. Maybe because it is. They get Gatorade and PowerBars - their choice - also known as "running juice" and "running bars".

This is a one time per week treat and I guess it is slightly better than candy or cookies (not much). I'm not sure how much Hanson's looks forward to our visit on Thursday nights, but it sure is a highlight for the kids! I think I pay well, which allows me to do things I would not otherwise do and find it worth every penny. It is not a lifestyle to which I can grow accustomed, but for now it gets all of our needs met and the benefits of having more than one sitter on a regular basis is becoming apparent when I leave the house. They will sometimes attach themselves to my legs or grab a jacket string, but for the most part, they are fairly comfortable with the people with whom I leave them.

My children have 100% of my attention during the times I am at home. It is fun, it is a learning experience and it is very intense. The twins club I mentioned earlier, GOMOMs (Greater Oakland Mothers of Multiples - I do the newsletter and will give them a plug since they have a link to this column on their site www.gomoms.org), has supported me in my parenting journey in countless ways.

One way that I truly appreciate, and it took time to accept, is the value of time without children. I can be by myself, with my spouse, with other adults, with other adults and THEIR children and it is all enjoyable and I can give others or myself full attention. Here's to sitters! I know I will do some extra special holiday shopping for my helpers, Megan and Erin. All the other helpers in my hectic schedule will get goodies too - like my mom, Mark and Eileen, our 8 year-old neighbor who loves to play with Casey and Abby!

My family hopes your family is as fortunate as we are to have so many people who care. We all hope you have a very happy new year!

-- Laura

Laura Murphy does her running in Rochester. She lives there with her husband Mark and their young twins, a daughter and son. After attending Romeo's Powell Middle School, she moved to Buffalo, New York, where she graduated from High School. She went on to compete in Track and Cross Country at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She moved to Michigan in 1989. Laura holds a Master's Degree in Labor Relations. Her current full-time job is being a Mom to her 2 year old twins.