FFC Chicago Marathon Training Program

I posted earlier this month that I'm running the Chicago Marathon with Team Bright Pink and I couldn't be more excited! Read more about the Bright Pink organization and why I'm running with them to raise money in my post here. You can also help me reach my fundraising goal by donating! Just click here or on the banner at the top of the page.

One of the great things about running with Team Bright Pink is that we get to participate in the FFC Chicago Marathon Training Program. This is free for all Team Bright Pink members and we still have post-close spots so contact me if you're interested!! You can also join the training program on your own for $299 for FFC members or $575 for non-members, and you get full access to the FFC gyms.

I did my first and only marathon in 2010 (also Chicago) and while I finished just shy of 5 hours, it was painful and I really need to train properly this time. The group runs on Saturdays will really get me motivated to get the mileage in and the speed workouts are also going to be great for me trying to reach my goal of 4:00 for the marathon. The training program starts June 10 and includes:

Short Weekday Runs
 - Mondays at 6pm at FFC Union Station
 - Wednesdays at 6pm at FFC East Lakeview

Weekly Speed Track Workouts
 - Thursdays at 6pm at the Lake Shore Park Track

Weekend Long Runs
 - Saturdays at 7am (6am as weather gets warmer) at FFC Gold Coast

I definitely can't make the weekday runs at FFC East Lakeview because I work in the suburbs but I'm going to try to make the Monday runs and especially the Thursday track workouts. I'm going to have to get to work early those days to make it back into the city in time which means I won't be able to do crossfit in the morning. Working 9 hours a day with an hour commute each day doesn't really allow me to do two workouts a day, which would be nice for marathon training. So, sadly, I'm going to have to ramp down crossfit and just pay per class instead of do a membership. I also haven't decided if I'm going to continue spinning classes this summer. I do value cross-training but I really have to put the mileage in!

One last thing, I went to the Chase Corporate Challenge race last Thursday to cheer on my boyfriend Ryan (on the right) and his co-worker as they represented Sears in the 3.5-mile run. Ryan did awesome as usual with a time of 21:37 (6:10/mile pace!) and he came in place 201 over all. Unfortunately, I had to miss the Chicago Blogger Network 500th member celebration party to cheer on Ryan but hopefully there will be plenty more events this summer!

How much cross-training do you do while training for a long race?

Have you done a marathon training program before?