The Fargo Marathon week is finally here... and so is summer weather! Team Swanson at long last has been able to enjoy some beautiful weather during their last week of training. For the rest of us, well, we’ve been busy preparing for the annual Swanson Health & Fitness Expo that kicks off on Thursday. We’ve got a lot of awesome freebies to hand out, a special guest appearance by Dick Beardsley and a chance to win a $500 shopping spree! So if you’re in town or live close by, stop by, say hi and pick up some free samples.

For their last week of training, Team Swanson looks to be in great form (except for Chris... we’re going to need some fingers crossed for his knee). Let’s take one last look at marathon training 2013...

 

Nathan—Half Marathon Runner

Race week is here! Training has just been on cruise control this week with the race being so near. At this point, I’m just looking forward to lining up on Saturday at the Fargodome and running. I get the “runner’s high” that people speak of, so I enjoy all the training, but as the race gets close I get super anxious and just want to race. 

I suppose with this being the last post before the race I should include my goal time that I will be shooting for. My personal best for the half-marathon distance is 1:38:17, so at the Fargo Half-Marathon, I’ve set my goal to “PR” but I’d also like to get under 1:35. 

An old cross-country coach used to tell me, “the faster you run, the quicker you’ll be done,” so my plan is to run and run fast! Lastly, I’d like to wish all other runners during the Fargo Marathon best of luck in their races. The races seem long, but when you are amongst all the other runners, it seems to fly by... and before you know it, you will be back in the Fargodome crossing the finish line.

 

Kurt—Half Marathon Runner

Marathon week has finally arrived. I did one final long run on Saturday, but from here on out I’ll be laying low trying to rest up for the big day. I plan on getting a couple more short runs in over the next few days just to keep the wheels greased, but aside from that I’ll be backing off my regular workout schedule.

 I’ll be focusing on eating well and drinking plenty of water, getting a good night’s sleep, and taking time each day to stretch my muscles a bit. The playlist is ready, the weather forecast looks good for the most part (possibility of rain showers), and my body feels prepared. If all goes well I’ll be pushing myself to finish the ½ marathon in about 90 minutes. A lofty goal for sure, but I want to set the bar high!

 

Chris—Half Marathon Runner

Good and bad (maybe) news for the half marathon this year. Good news you say? Well, the cold is pretty much gone. I went through 2 bottles of Sambucol and I think it saved me from having that lingering gunk that everyone else is catching. I’m able to get deep breaths when I need them and the runny nose I can deal with, although it will be annoying--at least it isn’t plugged. I took the week off from running this week to try and get better, and I think it worked!  

Now for the bad news. I never got a chance to run my normal Saturday mornings, so I switched it to Sunday and it turned out to be a beautiful day with no winds and sunshine--a perfect day for a nice 8 miles I had mapped out before but just never ran. Everything was going spectacularly until about mile 6 when my knee started to click on me. I thought it was going to lock up until the pain started. I can run through a lot of pain, but that was something that I just couldn’t drag out. So... it’s ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome) for me, which means physical therapy (starts today) in hopes that I can get it loosened up enough to run.If not I’m out of the race until I can recover… Let’s hope it works!

 

Rachel—Relay Runner

When asked for her final update, Rachel simply and steadfastly replied: “Bring it!”

I think it’s a good thing she ended up being switched to the anchor leg of the relay... she will most definitely bring it.

 

Kaitlin—Relay Runner

This past week I killed it! I worked my way up to a 5.6 mile run outdoors and I probably could have kept going! Joints are feeling good, lower back isn’t hurting and I’ve maintained a healthy weight; I am ready for these 6.5 miles!

I’m just hoping the weather cooperates, because I am a giant baby when it comes to bad weather and exercise! This week I am going down to no more than 3 mile runs. Who knows, maybe next year I’ll step it up to the half marathon! (I don’t know if my coworkers could stand to listen to me complain through that training season!)

 

Scott—Relay Runner

I finally got outside for a run last week. It was also my longest run of the training sessions. I did six miles and even surprised myself (pleasantly) with a 55 minute time. My leg of the relay is 6.75 miles, and I feel like I had plenty left after my 6 mile run so I’ve declared myself ready!

I wanted to keep my training sessions up this week and maybe get one medium-range run in. Monday was a regularly scheduled training session, and right off the bat, I tweaked my back doing squats. I’m not too happy about that, but a day later it’s starting to get better. I may just take it easy the rest of the week or try a shorter run a couple days before the race. Either way, I still think I’m ready to run and get it done!