Today is the official beginning of what I’m sure will be a whirlwind journey towards becoming a full marathoner. I still can’t quite grasp that my first half marathon was in 2011. I still can’t believe I’ve done 7 of them so far. It hasn’t exactly sunk in that I’m going to be running 26.2 miles in February, only 4 months from now, and the same month I ran my first half marathon in.

The last long distance race I did this year was the famed Gate River Run 15k.

And the training plan since then has not existed. I didn’t adhere to anything concrete and I think I just wanted a mental and physical break from all the racing I did the past 12 months. So I’m actually looking forward to having a plan and sticking to it. I’m not kidding. I have a healthy fear of 26.2 miles so I am NOT deviating from the plan if I can help it.

FYI: This my best attempt at a stick figure.You clearly come here for the art. You’re welcome.

I’ve been able to swing half marathons in the past without proper training but I know there is no way I can do that here. So I’ve been preparing myself and others for the onslaught that is this epically selfish period I’m about to go through.Yipeeeee!

My Prep Work

Early morning wake-up alarm just for me (but everyone must suffer too)

I’ve been practicing the past two days by setting it earlier than usual and trying to get up. Umm… the process still needs work. Vast improvement seen though as I did not curse anyone out this morning (score!)….might be because I still hit snooze eventually after politely pleading my case that it’s better to run after work. You know cause it was really dark and scary out, and I just didn’t feel like battling hobos today. But I almost just almost got up…yeah. Never mind.

 Clean eating

Ah clean eating. I do really great in the mornings, lunch, and dinner has been proteins and salads lately. But the in between. It’s like a twilight zone.

I forget where I am and who I am because I swear I go into fat kid mode and devour any and all sweets available in our house. Don’t worry though, the plus is that I have indeed removed the danger of sugary temptations in the home through my rampage. Blessing in disguise.

Clean eating- Green light from now on.

Training Schedule

It’s ready. I have it at my desk at work, on my outlook calendar, on my bulletin board at home, written on my dry erase calendar, and written down in my running journal. You know, in case I forget or something.

This week’s schedule looks like this:

Tuesday: 4 miles easy

Wednesday: 4 miles hill

Thursday: Rest

And then, the Runner’s World Weekend skews things a little bit:

Friday: 2-3 miles easy with the Runner’s World Editors. OMG OMG OMG. So excited about this. Acting like a giddy school girl (Check)

Saturday: 5k (3.1 miles)

10k (6.2 miles)

Sunday: Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

My total mileage this week will be around 32-33 miles, or 7-8 miles over the 25 miles listed in my plan. I’ll probably need to adjust next week a little to even things out but I will see how dead I am how I feel first.

There’s only 2 more days until I board a plane to Bethlehem!!! ahhh! I’ll post the itinerary soon but just know that I am completely stoked about going to the Runner’s World head quarters, running their inaugural race, and hanging out with fellow FitFluential bloggers. I love those peeps.

Are you training right now or starting soon? What for? 

Will you be using races as part of your training? I’m signing up for a couple more halfs and a 10 miler on my long run days so that it’s more exciting to run far (Medal for running? um yes please.) I think it definitely helps when you run with other people too.

Ciao,
Road Jane

 

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