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.

Half Marathon Training: July 28th-September 17th

So it has been a while…been so busy running that I’ve forgotten to blog about it!

I am about 7.5 weeks out from my half marathon on November 7th.  I’m going to summarize where I’ve been each week that I missed blogging about (to the best of what I can remember)

Week of July 28th

Did majority of my maintenance runs inside due to the weather.

-Running sprints

-45 minute recovery run

-35 minute run

Long Run: I was aiming to do another 10k on Saturday August 2nd but ended up only running 4 at a 15:17 pace…I ended up chafing very badly due to my shorts and was unable to even run it became so bad.  After that I retired my nike tempo shorts from running!  I remember being very frusterated just because my 6 mile run from the weekend before did go so well.

Week of August 4th

Again did a lot of my maintenance runs on the treadmill due to the weather outside.  Though the gym was just as sticky and hot which made for very difficult runs.

-running drills

-45 minute recovery run

-25 minute run

Long Run:  Since it was so miserably hot out I did my long run on the treadmill.  Since I hadn’t had a successful 10k the weekend before I went for 6 miles again and successfully completed this time on Saturday August 10th.  Overall it was a better running week but my work schedule and the weather were making training very difficult

Week of August 8th

Again a very busy work week and sticky humid and hot weather left me doing many runs on the treadmill.

-running drills

-45 minute recovery run

-25 minute run

Long Run:  Feeling confident enough to add a mile I tackled 7 miles outside on Saturday August 16th.  I had to go into work in the morning so didn’t get started until around 11am and it was HOT out.  The last mile or two I remember being almost unbearable but got through it!  Ran at a 12:50 pace which I was pretty happy with

Week of August 18th:

Hot, humid, sticky and busy at work..same old thing!

-35 minute run

-running drills

-50 minute recovery

No long run this week:  Training schedule called for a 5k pace race.  Decided to sign up for a local superhero 5k.  Race started at 8:30am.  Not my best 5k did it in abou 36 minutes.  The humidity was terrible!  Overall was a fun event though

Week of August 25th

Training plan began calling for more days of running this week. Was a challenge to get everything in especially with a holiday weekend approaching.

-35 minutes easy

-running drills

-45 minute recovery run

-25 minute run

Long Run: It was time to take on 8 miles!  I was leaving on a tubing/camping trip around 10am on Saturday August 30th so I knew I needed to get up SUPER early to do this run.  Think I started running around 6:15am.  Ran at a 12:31 pace so finished at 1:40.  After this run I really started feeling like I was going to be able to do this and continue to get better, faster and stronger.

Week of September 1st

Had a HORRIBLE 55 minute recovery run on labor day..3.93 miles in 50 minutes.  Trail was packed with tons of bikers which made concentrating on a struggling run very difficult.  Did the rest of my running inside this week.

-35 minute run

-running sprints

No long run this week: Went to my parents house and did a 5k on the treadmill.  Didn’t get up in time to beat the humidity and heat!

Week of September 8th

-35 minute run

-running sprints: Did these WAY too fast and ended up giving myself a side stitch

-55 minute run: Struggled with this a LOT since I did it the day after my running sprints.

Long Run: Due to the few weeks in early August I did 10k’s I threw myself off the schedule so it was necessary to stretch 2 miles at somepoint.  Since my 8 miler had gone fairly decent I decided bumping up to 10 miles would be a good idea.  Felt decent until about mile 7.5 when I began to feel lightheaded and a little naucous.  I had brought a 5 pack of gummies with me and was staying hydrated (maybe overhydrating.  I stopped mutiple times to refill water).  Finished in 2:06:32 at a 12:33 minute pace.  I’ve never felt so exhausted from a run in my entire life.  I think a large part of it was shock to my body as I’d never run that much before, improper fueling during the day of food and it was very hot and humid out.

When I woke up the next day I didn’t feel well at all.  After a breakfast sandwich and some powerade I started to feel a little more human!  Had a 4k beer “race” (tap n run) on Saturday which I ran very little of mostly just walked.  It was painful at the time but I do believe getting out and doing that did help stretch my legs out putting me in good shape for this week.

Week of September 16

And here we are!

Monday I was at work until very late so decided to let my legs rest another day.

Tuesday (yesterday) did my running sprints.  Legs and feet felt pretty good.  I keep pushing myself too hard and going to fast as I did get another side stitch towards the end of the warm down mile.

Going forward in the week my plan is tentatively this

Today: Working with my trainer followed by a 2-3 mile run

Thursday: 2 mile warm up, 3 mile pace, 1 mile cool down

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Pirate and Princess 5k

Hard to believe that has been the past 7 weeks!  Right now I’m feeling confident about being ready for this race.  I’m nervous about an 11 mile run next weekend but feel like if I properly prepare during the day so my body can get through it I’ll be in better shape than the 10.  And then I’ll only be 2 miles from 13!!