Training Blog for HM runners - all welcome (Read 983 times)

Very cool! Be sure to tell us about it. Hey, can you take some scenery pictures for me? I'm curious what it looks like.

I sure will!! I'm actually going to buy an extra card for my digital camera so that I can take a million pics!! I'll give you the km by km play of my scenic run!! It is a beautiful country.

On the hutch of my desk, above the computer monitor, I have taped a copy of the schedule I'm trying to follow for my HM training. I've decided to use a highlighter to mark out every workout that I do as I work my way down the schedule. I've been finding it very satisfying to be able to mark something out, and it doesn't seem so far away when I look at it this way. One thing I realized this morning as I was arguing with myself about whether or not I was going to go to the gym and do that strength training I'd planned, was that THIS was what the HM was really about for me. Running a half marathon's not really about that 13.1 miles on October 22. It's about getting off the recliner and running those 3 today and doing that strength training I'd planned. The race at the end is more like a final exam on a tough college course that you just can't cram for. It's where all that preparation you've been doing all semester (or not!) really comes out. Another way to look at it is that it's the celebration you have for completing those 15 weeks of hard training. I intend to finish that race, and as I finish, I will be celebrating every time I got out there and trained for it. I will be celebrating my victory, not over 13.1 miles, but over 90 workouts. And that, my friends, is worth celebrating.

^^^^^ What she said...

Uh, thanks.

I hurt a lot after my 80 minute run, last night (took 3 Advil to dull the worst of the aches). Only went 6.5 miles. Next Sat. I have my first 10k, so I'm going to take next week a bit easier than I had originally planned (I had been planning to run a total of 250 minutes, but have scaled it back to 200, including the race). I think my body is trying to tell me to take it easy for a couple of weeks. After I get back from LA (will be gone from 8/3-8/7) it's back to training harder.

Thought you said you weren't planning on popping a bunch of pills for those knees... Did I miss something? There's a difference between taking the day off because you're lazy (my problem) and taking the day off because your body needs time to heal up. Enjoy your time off in Aug, but consider throwing in a day off this week too. I guess you are, though, if you're dropping your time back. Besides - it'll probably help you race better. If you can, try to get your 5 mile split. I don't think we have enough runners to support a 10K division as well as 5K and 5M at this point, so you'll need to put your time in with the 5 milers. And NO, you can't race in the 0.2 - 0.5 mile division, I already told you, so stop pouting!!!

Welll walking a HM is what got me started running in the first place. And while I could hardly move the next day I got on line and signed up for the 2007 HM but to run it not walk! I have until 5 May 07 get into shape. I have been looking at hart monitors of late too. I remembered that the more I power walked the harder I had to walk to bring the rate up. I have been taking my pluse during my last 2 runs trying to keep it at 70% of my mhr, and I have found I run faster longer and breath better this way. I wanted to run our local 15k in on 23 Sept this year, but on some good advise from Wingz I am now planning for the 5k race instead! 15K is just too much right now!! And there is NEXT year to shoot for and that I can do!!

HM Training weekly check-in... I actually managed to follow my plan this week. Since I only had to drop the car back off at the shop and didn't have the hassle of having to pick it up (maybe next week?) I only had to time one run around an errand. Convenient! So, it went: Mon - stretch & strengthen Tue - 3 mile run Wed - 2 mile run Thurs - 3 mile run & strengthen Fri - Rest Sat - 2 mile run Sun - 4 mile run. What? No cross-training? The timing was inconvenient to get out to the gym (which is less than a mile away, so I can walk to it sans car) on Saturday, so I decided to run for about the same amount of time instead. Busted! The other possible cross-training day, Wed, I just plain old wanted to go running so I did. So there! This, you see, is why I am NOT training for a triathlon! I wanted to put a rant in here yesterday about my co-workers not understanding about running. I thought about it. I really did. And realized I've read the same rant probably fifty times from other people, and that particular thread gets kinda boring after a while. So I didn't. But let me say here that when my coworkers found out I was planning on running two whole miles after work Saturday, they were amazed and dismayed. When I reported back to them the next night (since they asked, "Did you really go running after work?") I pretty much got scolded for having gone out running! I can't believe these folks! These are nurses! They know better! In addition, not last night but the night before, one of the nurses had brought in a cheesecake to share, and for some reason our department got donughts delivered to us for free. Oy! In the past, I would have eaten as much as I could get away with. I love sweets and sugary stuff! I thought about it a lot that night, and had a piece of cheesecake. (Yum.) But I had to turn down repeated offers (almost insistances) to have a donught (or two!) as well. People think they're being friendly when they say "You should have one of these donughts. Go on! Have one!" People in my department don't listen when you tell them you don't want to eat something. Finally the donughts went away and I didn't have to fend of my coworkers anymore. I'm starting to think that I'm going to just have to develop a reputation of someone who doesn't eat anything that's brought in. Ever. They might be able to deal with that. They don't seem to be able to grasp moderation, because I've noticed that once I share one thing with them I get lots more shoved in my face. And the complaints I have to listen to from some of the nurses when they see someone else eating something healthy! Oy! One day someone had brought in a jar of pickle spears. "Too healthy!" was the comment I most often heard about those, "Get those things away from me!!!" ::sigh:: It's not lack of knowledge that keeps us bound to unhealthy habits. It's our attitudes.

I want to lose in large part so that these longer races aren't nearly so difficult (and I might have better time)--a half-marathon should be a lot easier and faster if I am carrying 10 fewer pounds, right?

Gosh, I hope so! I'll take any advantage I can get right now!

As I was out this morning on my nice, easy little jog (hard to think of it as anything else right now!!!) I happened to be going by work at about the time the shift was changing. I try not to do that, but today it just sorta happened. And as I was tooling along, three different people beeped and waved at me. Three! One of them, I know, is the woman who gave me such a hard time last week about going "two whole miles". ::scratches head:: People are strange! They give you a hard time, yet will beep and wave as they drive by! You know, for all that it's been less than a year, I just don't understand non-runners... Of course, it started raining about the time that lady beeped and waved. Wonder if she'll give me a hard time about running in the rain too... :: sigh :: Guess I'll just have to be patient with her. I don't think she'll understand if I say I've discovered I love running in the rain because it's the only time I'm not too HOT!!!

Well...I had wanted to get 1-2 runs in this week, before heading to LA for a few days, but today was deadly hot, so I ran errands with a friend in air-conditioned stores. Tomorrow looks like this: Tuesday...Mostly sunny. Highs 91 to 96. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Heat index readings 100 to 105. Weds. doesn't look all that much better for running: Wednesday...Partly sunny with a chance of light showers and thunderstorms. Highs 80 to 85. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent. I may try to run in the AM (my ILs are in town, so I could drop my kiddo off there, go run near their place, then shower at their place), then go do laundry and pack later in the day. This heat is KILLING me. I feel so wiped-out. We have a window unit in our bedroom, but it's still too warm to sleep well. And it's having an effect on my intestines...yucko. I'm torn between feeling like if I take 10 days or so off from running thta I will lose some of my conditioning and worry that if I overdo it in this heat I will make myself sick before my vacation. I guess at this point I will take the time off and just plan to work extra hard in the weeks after I get back and before my 10 mile race in mid-Sept. I hope backroadrunner will be willing to run slow with me. 10 miles is going to be a lot more of a challenge for me than it is for her.... k