"I am NOT a Runner"...Training for a 1/2 Marathon

[kristenrice]

I just finished the Calvin College Spring Classic 5K with my DD9. My official time hasn't been posted yet but my Garmin says I did 5.11 K in 37:17. I'll take it! We did a 5- minute walk to start and then alternated 5 minutes of running with 2 minutes of walking. I would have liked to run the whole way, but I don't think my time would have been that much better (PR is about 35:15) and DD would have been mad. My official time was 37:06. DD pulled a "Lightning McQueen" on me and lunged at the end to beat me by one second. Our next 5K together is the Cops and Robbers 5K in Ionia, MI on May 18.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[kristenrice]

I skipped yesterday. I had a very sore calf muscle and I have the beginnings of an ingrown toenail. I decided that it was best that I take a day off instead of making things worse. On top of that, I was supposed to only do a 40-minute non-running/walking workout on Saturday and I did the 5K instead.

OK, enough excuses...I got back to it today. Here's the stats:

Weather: 49 and clear, calm, 89% humidity
Total Time: 50:00
Total Distance: 4.00
Pace: 12:30

Definitely not my best, but I haven't got up at 4am in a while either. I do think my morning runs are slower than the ones I do in the afternoon. I've also managed to put on 5 pounds (it will go away in 5-7 days) so that may have been a bit of a factor too. I'm happy with my results. I am trying to stay under 13 minutes per mile so as I add distance and time, I am sure I will slow down a bit.

On deck for tomorrow is 4 minute run/2 minute walk repeated 7 times. Up until now, it has been 3/2 repeated 6-8 times so tomorrow will be the next step up. Luckily, I don't work.

 

[kristenrice]

Weather: 79, partly cloudy, 20 mph wind, 50% humidity
Total Time: 52:00
Total Distance: 4.19 miles
Pace: 12:25


This was definitely not my best effort. The sun and heat combined to give me a whopper of a headache about halfway through. I felt awful and just wanted to walk the whole way, but I managed to push through and run when I needed to run. Today, the intervals were run 4/walk 2 and repeat 7 times. It was so hard, just adding that extra minute. I'll keep practicing though.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Way to push through a hard run! Those are always hard, but it means the next one will be a good one!

 

[adkkev]

The sun and heat combined to give me a whopper of a headache about halfway through.

Sounds like you may not have hydrated enough before your run ...

 

[kristenrice]

Sounds like you may not have hydrated enough before your run ...

Yup! That was exactly the problem. I'd been out running errands with the husband all morning and realized that I had about an hour before the kids got home to squeeze in a 52-minute run. I started out and very quickly realized that I'd forgotten to drink my bottle of water. I try to drink at least 32oz of water about 20-30 minutes before I head out. Today, I forgot...and I paid the price.

 

[kristenrice]

OK...this was yesterday....

I was supposed to do 40 minutes of cardio, but I opted to take yesterday as a rest day. I swapped it for Friday (tomorrow) due to scheduling issues...

...now back to the regularly scheduled program....

 

[kristenrice]

Weather: 83, partly cloudy, calm, 39% humidity
Total Time: 60:00
Total Distance: 4.84 miles
Pace: 12:24

What an AWESOME day for a run!! I am so glad I opted to do the run today instead of yesterday. It was hot and sunny and I sweated like a sinner in church...but I feel GREAT!!

Alas, I have to work for the next 4 days straight so it will be rough to get the runs in. I found that I really prefer to run *after* work, but if I do not get out on time, I don't have time to run. I guess I will stick to getting up at 4am and running before work to make sure that I get the job done.

On deck for tomorrow will be 40 minutes on the boring elliptical.

 

[kristenrice]

I just bit the proverbial bullet and officially registered the hubby and I for the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon.

There's no turning back now.

 

[kristenrice]

Cardio Day!

I did 40 minutes on the elliptical (half awake at 4:30am!) and went 3.14 miles. Time to head off to work for my four-day weekend.

 

[kristenrice]

Weather: 59 and pre-dawn, 9 mph wind, 53% humidity
Total Time: 50:00
Total Distance: 4.20 miles
Pace: 11:55


Another early-morning run is now behind me. This is the first morning run that I've been under a 12-minute pace so I'm pretty excited about that. I brought a little handheld water bottle with me but I'm not sure it helped. I would take a few sips during my walking intervals because I know I need to get used to drinking while out on the runs. When summer gets here, those runs in the 90-degree weather will require a lot of water.

 

[kristenrice]

Ain't gonna lie... I skipped today.

It was a 40-minute cardio day and I just could not muster the energy to get out of bed at 4:30am. I really needed my sleep so I chose not to work out today.

Stay tuned...

 

[kristenrice]

I was "running" late (no pun intended) so I didn't get a chance to update after I finished my run.

Here's the stats from yesterday. I ran at 4:30am and I forgot what the weather was like. It was mild, not too humid and not raining.

Weather: pre-dawn
Total Time: 50:00
Total Distance: 3.84 miles
Pace: 13:00

Terrible pace! But I was running right before I started my 4th 12-hour shift of the weekend so I was really out of gas. I purposefully took it easy and I can honestly say that I never really got winded the entire time. Since I am really shooting for a 13:00 pace overall, I was still within my goal range. It wasn't a 100% effort by any means, but I still did it and completed the program.

 

[kristenrice]

Weather: 77 and mostly sunny, 7 mph wind, 31% humidity
Total Time: 52:00
Total Distance: 4.20 miles
Pace: 12:23

It was another beautiful day for a run. I got the kids off to school and I was just pooped out. So I took a little nap and then went for my run. I didn't feel like I was going too fast and my pace was definitely not my best, but I am back under the 12:30 pace so I am certainly not disappointed.

I'm going to get some new running shoes today. We have a Color Me Rad 5K in a few weeks and I am fairly certain that my current shoes will get really messy! They have a lot of miles on them so it is time for some new ones. I currently have the Saucony Grid Cohesion 5 ($55 at Shoebuy.com before 20% discount). They haven't given me any problems so far so I am going to buy the Cohesion 6 to run in for the summer. Then, I plan to upgrade to the ProGrid Guide 5 for the fall and the 1/2 Marathon.

 

[kristenrice]

Cardio day....skipped it.

I've decided to try and focus just on the running for right now. I know that the cardio is really an important part of the training, but I am finding myself very run down and tired instead of energized. I think I am pushing a little too hard by working out every day. I've decided to stick to the running part of the program, but I am allowing myself to skip cardio days. I also have to rearrange the workouts sometimes because it is just not going to work when I have to run 90-100 minutes on a day I have to work.

 

[kristenrice]

Weather: 80 and mostly cloudy, 2 mph wind, 20% humidity
Total Time: 1:10:00
Total Distance: 5.76 miles
Pace: 12:10

Another great day for a run! I took a super-hilly route today and I really didn't think I would make it back home before my timer ran out...but I did. I really had to power-walk during my cooldown, but I finished it! Tomorrow is calling for a rest day so I might just try a "short" 2-3 mile run without any walking. That will compensate for the two days of cardio that I skipped this week.

 

[kkmousealow]

Great job! I am also "not a runner" and have started training for a 5k. Seems difficult now, but a, really inspired to know that you did it and are now going so much beyond! Keep at it!

 

[kristenrice]

Ugh! Felt good all morning and got my errands run. Then, around 1pm, I suddenly got super tired so I took a nap. When I woke up at 3, I had a raging sore throat, headache and nausea. So I crawled back in bed. Now, I'm laying here with a 103 fever and sore joints in my lower back, hips and knees. I'm sure I'm sore simply from cowering under the blankets ( I'm freezing!) but, needless to say, there will be no running today...probably none tomorrow either.

In going to keep on the ibuprofen regimen and slurping down the water while I hang out and watch my Tigers play ball

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[kristenrice]

After spending all day in bed yesterday with a fever and sore throat, I finally broke down and went to the urgent care this morning. My neck is swollen (lymph nodes on both sides) and my ears hurt. As I suspected, I have a nasty case of strep throat. I received a shot of steroids and antibiotic and a prescription for two more days of steroids and a week of amoxicillin. My running is officially on hold for now. I called in sick for work tomorrow and I hope I will be better by Wednesday. That is he day I hope to get back out running.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[kristenrice]

I just re-read my journal and realized that I didn't sound to healthy after my last post.

Well, I'm fine.

Since I last updated, I joined the Official 2013 Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3021244 so I've been doing a lot of my journaling over there.

I've altered my training and I have tried to stick to running 3-4 times a week. I have not been to the gym or done any extra cardio for several months which I know is a bad thing. I've also gained about 10 pounds do to poor summer eating choices. I am paying much closer attention to what I eat again and I have already lost 3 pounds.

As far as my running goes, I have been using the run/walk method for most of my runs. I usually run 4/walk 2 minutes and I am usually in the 11:30-12:30/mile pace. Some days are faster than others. I have increased my distances and typically do not go out for a run if I do not have time to do at least 3.25 miles. I have gone 10 miles twice already and I am trying to lengthen my short runs to 4-6 miles. Time is the problem right now, but that should be resolved next week when the kids go back to school.

My next experiment is going to be to change my intervals to run 8/walk 4. I am hoping that this will allow me to cover more distance during the run portion and still have adequate recuperation time during the walk portion. If I can maintain a 12-minute mile under this system, I think I will stick to the longer intervals.