Sunday, January 8, 2012

First Week of Half Marathon Training

So that’s it, ladies and gents…I’ve completed my first week of half marathon training, which means I’m fully committed to this race!
This week I had to juggle the plan a bit because I was on vacation and traveling for the beginning of the week. Can’t complain though, because I was running in 70 degree weather until Tuesday!
Some scenes from the runs in Marco Island, FL:
Marco bridge
beach
It is honestly my most favorite place to workout because I have all of the time in the world and the best views to take in. We had a yoga instructor come to the house and teach all 10 of us yoga lessons a few morning that week.  We practiced outside by the pool-I can’t imagine a better way to spend vacation! I ran almost everyday, so while I didn’t follow the plan to the T, I did get a lot of great workouts in!
In other running news, I got this baby when we were in Marco…
Garmin
A Garmin Forerunner! This baby is pure running gold.  It uses GPS locators to accurately track your pace, time, and distance. It can also tell you your calorie burn among tons of other statistics. I’m in love!
Here’s what the 8 week Hal Higdon 10k training plan looks like:
image
Since I am starting the half marathon plan as soon as this one is over, I am skipping the tapering week and moving right along. I worked out on my own the first week because of the holidays, but I did as much as I could.
This week I started and finished the second week of the training plan this week.
Monday: I was still on vacation on Monday, so I ran to and from the gym and did a total body circuit while I was there. I used the stretching cage to get my stretch on. It was a butt-kicking workout that looked like this:
TBT
Tuesday: Tuesday was a travel day, so I wasn’t able to workout.  I flip flopped Tuesday and Friday and worked out on Friday instead and got my run in on Monday.
Wednesday: Half hour on the Pre Core machine while reading my Kindle.
Thursday: I completed my scheduled run on the dreadmill at a 5.5 mph pace.  I cranked it up to 6.5 mph for the last minute of the run.  I was surprised that running on the dreadmill felt pretty okay.  I thought that after a week of running outside in the beautiful sunshine, running inside would be a snooze but I was wrong. I distracted myself by listening to the Britney Spears station on Pandora and thinking of my New Year’s resolutions (post to come tomorrow).
Friday: For the longest time, I have wanted to be a morning exerciser.  It sounded so good to get the workout done before I did anything else and not have to worry about it after work. There have been so many mornings when I’ve set my alarm earlier but I don’t even think about it and turn the alarm off and go back to sleep.  I decided on Friday to get serious and move my phone to the other side of the room.  This way I was forced to get out of bed to turn the alarm off. I got out of bed ready to roll but I decided to do a yoga DVD which made me even sleepier. It was so tough to stay awake and I felt so weak even in downward dog. Note to self, no yoga in the morning.
Saturday: I rode the bike on a high resistance for 40 minutes while reading.
Sunday: Sunday was a big day! I ran the farthest I ever ran! While to many, 3.5 miles doesn’t seem like a big deal at all, it was a huge deal for me. I always wanted to be a runner but never thought I had it in me. My pace was 9:49 per mile, which is a little bit faster than I usually run.  Every time I tried to slow down I would find myself back in the 9 mile/hour range.  I guess that is where I am comfortable now. Every mile-stone I make in this training will be one step closer to becoming a real runner. After the run I fueled with tons of water and a shake of dark chocolate almond milk and whey protein powder.
Long runs mean lots of ice on my left knee and ankle.
icing
I’ve always had problems with my left knee, so I am going to make sure I ice it after runs and wear a brace when it bothers me. Don’t want any injuries during training!
So that’s it for this week’s training, I feel great about my progress so far. I’ll be posting my progress every Sunday night. Tata for now!

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