Half Marathon Training: Cold Weather Running

So if I didn’t know any better I’d say it was beginning of January outside.  It is currently 45 outside with a high of 50 today and low of 28 degrees.  It was around 16 degrees this morning.  Winter coming early couldn’t be worse for my running.

Last week I slacked off quite a bit with my working out.  I think it was a combination of still being tired from the race, not wanting to run, social things seemed for fun etc etc.  I went to a Zumba class on Monday, ran 3 miles on Thursday and worked out with my trainer on Saturday.  I ate and drank horridly all weekend so by the time Monday rolled around I was looking forward to getting back on track..until the arctic blast hit.

Monday evening I took a Zumba class and last night I needed to run 5 miles.  I did such inside since it was close to 30 degrees when I left work around 6.  It was miserable.  I am trying to push myself to run this next half faster but this might not be the time to try to break any of my own records.  I did 5 miles in 55:46 so at an 11:09 minute pace without any intervals.  I decided not doing intervals for anything under 5 miles was a good idea for training..yeah that will probably be changing.  Not only was I exhausted by the end but my left foot was hurting bad.  I probably pushed it too much considering I hadn’t run more than 3 miles since the race.

I still need to do a 7 mile run and a 4 mile run this week.  I am traveling to Tuscaloosa AL this weekend for the Bama homecoming game which is complicating my running plans all around.  I packed clothing to run outside after work but my experience running in the cold is minimal (cold being low 40’s/high 30’s).  Ideally I’d like to get the 7 miler done tonight but realistically I may not be able to stand the cold.  I’m going to give it a try and hope I can get at least 4 done.  If I still haven’t done 7 after tonight my plan is to leave work early on Friday and knock it out before I get on the road.  If I do get 7 done I might still leave work early to do 4 or just do it Saturday morning pre-game festivities.  45ish minutes on Sat morning seems more doable than 1:20ish.

So we shall see.  I never expected when I signed up for a February Half Marathon I’d be dealing with 30 degree temperatures in November!  Just a part of the fun I guess!

Half Marathon Training: It’s Race Week!

Happy Monday!  So it is race week!  Only 6 days until my Area 13.1 Half Marathon.  For so long it seemed so far away and suddenly it’s here.  I’m feeling good overall.  A bit nervous but trying to stay as positive as I possibly can.  I’ve done everything I can do to prepare running wise and followed the training plan which wasn’t easy with 4-5 days of running per week.

Last week I ran 5 miles on Monday evening which wasn’t too bad of a run.  I had planned to do my 8 mile run on Wednesday evening but due to a very intense weight training session on Tuesday I was super sore and my body was not feeling more than about a 5k.  With Halloween and a cold front moving in over the weekend I knew an 8 miler would be a challenge to fit in. Saturday I was tired and the weather was in the low 40’s so I passed on running then.  Yesterday it warmed up a bit more by mid day into the 50’s so I started my run around 1pm.  I am definitely not used to running in the colder weather and with wind.  It impacted my breathing quite a bit.  Around mile 3 I developed some pain in my lower abdomen, felt like a side stitch but different.  I’ve had it happen once or twice before.  I’m starting to wonder if its the gummies I’ve been using.  May try to buy a different kind because would rather not have that happen on race day.  I ran fairly slow the first 6 miles (12+ min pace).  My body was tired and trying to adjust to the colder conditions took some getting used to.  I settled into my normal pace around 6 and ran 6-8 at a (10:30 ish pace) feeling much better.  Total time was 1:35:25.

So this week I only have about 5 miles to run.  I plan to do a 5k tomorrow and then 2 miles on Thursday.  I am going to weight train on Wednesday.  Everyday I plan to stretch, foam roam and do my footbaths.  I’m going to keep myself extra hydrated, eat well and attempt to get more sleep than I normally do.

I’m very happy to be at this point.  I’m so ready to be able to conquer my first half marathon and cross that finish line.  It has been a long and difficult road to get to this point so I’m trying to keep positive and mentally remind myself I am ready for this.

As excited as I am to do The Disney Princess Half I do wish I had a little more time before jumping right back into training.  I’m giving myself a “recovery” week with 2 5k runs and a 4 miler for my long run. But after that I’ll jump back in to Tuesday 5 milers, Thursday 3 milers and Saturday Long runs.  That is my own decision maintenance run wise.  The beginner/intermediate plans only call for either 2 30 min runs or 2 45 minute runs.  I think its important to have a least 1 5-6 mile run per week to maintain the mileage.  I like having the 5k time to work on speed.  I’ll cross train on Monday’s and Wednesdays.  I’ll see how that works if I need to up mileage I will but considering majority of my maintenance Tuesday/Thursday runs are going to be on a treadmill I’m not really wanting to do more than that.

The holiday weeks are going to be the worst.  The upside is I’ve tweaked the plan so I don’t have long runs the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years (New Years week I’ll also be moving so a long run is the last thing I need) but will still have 3 days of running.

More than likely I’m going to take a break from Half’s after Disney Princess until Wine & Diner in November.  I kind of can’t imagine going into another training program right after I return from Disney but you never know.  The most challenging thing will be to maintain what i’ve built up to if I do take a 5 month break from Half Marathon training.  But if I continue running at least 2-3 days per week with an occasional long run (more than 8 miles) I think that will keep me in good shape.  I just miss all the cross training I used to do and want to incorporate that back into the mix a bit more.  That will also help me work on getting faster and strong so concentrating on that during the “off season” might be just what I need.

So I have a lot to think about.  I do think its a miracle I don’t absolutely hate running at this point.  When I think about the fact I couldn’t even run for more than a minute at a time the beginning of this year it does put all the hard work into perspective.  I’ve learned a lot and know this is only the beginning of my journey with running and continuing to lead an active lifestyle.  So positive affirmations and lots of stretching, good foods and rest await me this week.