Half-Marathon

Replace this with half-marathon, and this will be me in a year! Good motivation. Who knows, maybe I'll make it up to full marathon status someday. 

Running Outside

Just completed my run! I missed my run yesterday (oops!), and I was thiiiis close to skipping it today to study for finals, but I didn't. I went for a quick run outside, and it was beautiful! The birds were singing, the sun was out, there was a light breeze, etc. etc. It was so much more enjoyable than running around the track at the gym; the time went by so much more quickly.

(This is what I felt like when I ran outside today)

But I could feel the difference in my knees. I know they say that running on concrete is rough on the joints (and that running in general is rough on the joints). It was worth it for today; maybe the idea of being outside in the nice weather will be enough to motivate me to run during finals week!

Excuses Are Useless

Push Through It!

Last night was my good friend Ellen's birthday! After a late night of karaoke, and A LOT of cupcakes and cookies, I did not feel like running today. But I know that if I miss one day on the schedule, I'll start missing all of them, and I'll never reach my goal. I started out slow, as usual, but on the last lap I gained a little energy. I didn't feel like I was dragging myself along the track- it was like I was really running for about two minutes there! My mile time didn't change much, but that's okay. I had a little two minute victory today- I felt like a real runner for those two minutes! Next victory to achieve: not eating any more of the chocolate cupcakes (with peanut butter buttercream frosting- YUM) that are still in my apartment...

(This isn't a picture of the ones my friend made, but this is the gist of it. Delicious-looking, right?)

Mile Times

Today I discovered: If you have the chance to run now, run now! I had an hour or two free this morning, but it was a rainy day: perfect for curling up on the couch and watching tv. So that's what I did. I ended up falling asleep, missing my class, and I didn't have another chance to run until 9 at night (too late for my liking). Lesson learned.

I also recorded my mile time today: 10 minutes 33 seconds. Ouch! Not the time I was hoping for. I remember running seven and a half minute miles in grade school; granted, this was a long time ago, but I wasn't expecting to get into the double digits for time. Looks like I have a lot of work to do!

I won't be able to run more than a mile for a while, so I'm thinking that my schedule will be run a mile Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, walk two miles on Wednesday, then take Friday and Sunday off. Part of me wants to be more ambitious, but I don't want to over-exert myself. I might get overwhelmed and stop, or I might hurt myself (something else I keep seeing in my research: don't overexert yourself and get hurt!). So we'll see how it goes!

Training Schedule

I started researching some training schedules, and I think I found my favorite. All of the schedules were 12-week schedules, so I'm just planning on repeating weeks. Maybe I'll start out with the (A) path for the week and then do (B). Some sites recommend being able to run 3 miles at a time (never done that before), or already running about 15 miles a week before starting a training schedule. So, I'll work my way up to that point, which might take a while, then really get into looking at the training schedules. Until then, here's my plan:  

http://www.shape.com/fitness/training-plans/your-step-step-half-marathon-training-schedule?page=2

Week	Sunday (Rest)	Monday (Easy)	Tuesday (Cross  Train)	Wednesday (Easy)	Thursday (Cross Train)	Friday (Rest)	Saturday (Long)
1	Rest	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	Rest	4 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
2	Rest	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	Rest	5 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
3	Rest	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	Rest	6 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
4	Rest	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	Rest	7 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
5	Rest	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	45-50 Min	Rest	4 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
6	Rest	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	35-42 Min (4 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	45-50 Min	Rest	8 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
7	Rest	45-50 Min (5 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30-40 Min	45-50 Min (5 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	45-50 Min	Rest	9 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
8	Rest	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	35-45 Min	45-50 Min (5 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	45-50 Min	Rest	6 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
9	Rest	45-50 Min (5 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	35-45 Min	45-50 Min (5 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	45-50 Min	Rest	10 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
10	Rest	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	35-45 Minutes	45-50 Min (5 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	45-50 Min	Rest	7 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
11	Rest	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	35-45 Min	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	45-50 Min	Rest	6 Miles (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2
12	Rest	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	30 Min	30-36 Min (3 Miles) (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2	Rest	Rest	13.1 Miles Race day! Run/Walk (A) 3/2 (B) 4/2

To read the workout key,


Cross-train: Non-weight bearing activity. Examples are biking, swimming, rowing, or elliptical trainer. You want to maintain and build on your aerobic fitness, while also giving your body a rest from the wear and tear of running.
Easy Run: Recovery run. 65-70 percent for heart rate.
Long Run: Slow, long distance run, also known as a 'fat burning run;' keep a pace that makes it easy to maintain a conversation. 


I'm not sure how I feel about this part: 


The number to the left of the "/" indicates the length of time (in minutes) to run, while the number to the right of the "/" indicates the length of time to walk. For example, the (A) workout for the first week says 3/2, which means you should run for 3 minutes, walk for two minutes.


I'm going to do some more research about breaking up your run with walking. 

Mind Ruling Body

Something to keep in mind:


"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."


-General George Patton

I'm the chicken on the right!

Daily Mile

I found the coolest thing- Daily Mile! Notice the new widget on the right side of my blog page. You can track your workouts- what type of workout, where it was, how long, how you feel afterward, etc. etc. You can see how many miles you run every week. What a great way for me to see my progress! Not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about it.

website: http://www.dailymile.com/

The Game Plan

Well here it is, my first post! I decided to make this blog on kind of a whim- some of my friends recently participated in a half marathon, and it got me thinking- why in the world do people run so much?

 

(pretty much the only thing that would get me running)

I've always hated running. My only sport was cheerleading in high school, which did not involve much running. To me, it seems like a torturous exercise that people use to lose weight (There are so many other better ways to exercise, people!). It seems so futile- running for just no reason. I've been thinking lately, however, that there may be more to it. The self-discipline it takes to run consistently is unbelievable. I tend to have these quixotic goals- “I’m going to stretch everyday until I can do the splits!” (I can’t even touch my toes),  “I’m going to teach myself Italian” (I still have Italian for Dummies in the back of my closet), “I’m going to learn how to cook” (chicken salad or pasta, anyone?)- these goals that I never seem to accomplish. I start off really motivated, but after one or two lazy days, all my previous work and motivation goes down the drain, and I’m right back to where I started. When I see runners, I see people who push themselves beyond their laziness or discomfort, and run no matter what excuses they might want to make.

Another aspect about running that appeals to me is how natural it is.  Animals run. Humans run. People from all cultures run. And we’ve been running for a very very long time.  I can imagine there is some type of spiritual fulfillment in running that makes you more in touch with your physical self. Maybe not, but I guess I will find out!

 

(Look at those ancient runners!)

I am also excited for having a goal, working hard towards that goal, and succeeding. As I stated before, I don’t always follow through with my plans. But this time, it WILL happen. Part of the reason I started a blog is to keep me accountable- how sad will it be if I have to delete my blog because I decided I don’t want to run anymore?

So here’s the plan: Run a half-marathon one year from now. I started training today- I ran one mile on the track at my gym. Man, it was NOT fun. Every single person on the track passed me. What a humbling experience after my big dreams last night of crossing the half-marathon finish line with friends and family cheering me on, having thousands of hits on my new blog page, etc. etc. It reminded me that this is definitely not going to be glamorous, it will be sweaty and painful and really really difficult, but I am determined to do it!

(me today)

I am planning on looking up different stretches, diets, strategies, etc. etc. for training for a half marathon during the rest of the year. I will share these on the blog page, along with my progress and other comments I may have. If anyone has any tips, stories, or insights, let me know! Thank you to whoever may read this blog; wish me luck! =)