So, I thought my half-marathon training deserved another update today because, well, let’s be honest. I have passed the 3 week threshold that we were all so worried about (yes, I know you were ALL worried). On the right is my training schedule and you can see that we are now into Week 4 and things are going well.
Granted, I did have what seemed like one of the greatest existential arguments with myself lying in bed, as I debated the pros and cons of actually getting out of bed to do my Monday morning run…but other than that, things are great…I knew I really wanted to be able to keep this up for 12 weeks and while I was optimistic, I also knew my past habits…
And as of this morning, I’ve logged a total of 50 miles so far in preparation for my half-marathon on May 1. And that alone seems like something to be happy about.
Surprisingly, I think I’ve gotten to a place where I’m actually, starting to maybe be a little bit enjoying this odd t thing called running. I never understood “those people” (and still don’t really) but it feels good to get out on the trails/road and come back realizing that you just ran 3.5 miles or 5 miles…it’s a good feeling.
And definitely run with the help of my RunKeeper Pro iPhone App to keep track of my mile times, try and beat my previous times, etc. However, one thing that I was made aware of yesterday when I ran 3.5 miles, I’m really not out to beat anyone, to prove anything to anyone…I just want to finish.
Now, my times are improving, which is fun to watch. You can see two runs I did below that are the same distance (while different routes) and you can see that I improved pretty dramatically between the two. However, I pushed myself a little too hard to get the 8:59/mile pace, and didn’t feel that great for the rest of the day. So I am starting to feel like I’m finding what pace works best for me.
The other thing that’s been really key for me is dailymile.com. It’s basically “Facebook for Runners.” You input routes, find races you’ll be running and see who else is running them, have “friends” and a lot of other cool interactive stuff. I’ve found it to be an incredibly supportive online community, which has been really helpful. And now some other friends (both online and ones I’ve actually met) have joined so that’s pretty great.
Anyway – just wanted to give you an update on how the running has been going. I’m starting to get a little nervous (and excited) for the American River Parkway Half Marathon.