Half Marathon Training

So call me crazy, but I decided to run another half marathon this year. Last year was my first one and while I made good time (2 hours and 15 minutes with an average 10 min/mile pace), when I crossed the finish line, my legs felt like a ton of bricks and my knee and hip joints were sore for over a week, despite taking Advil. And the 12 weeks of training I endured to prepare for the half marathon were absolute hell. So why you ask would I voluntarily choose to endure this pain again? Well despite the dreaded training and the pain, there is a sense of accomplishment when you set a goal and achieve it. Particularly when that goal is not something that comes naturally to you. I have always been active and enjoyed playing sports, but running for the sake of running has never been something that I have enjoyed. I think I enjoy a challenge more than anything. It started out years ago when I ran a 5k race...3 miles was easy enough to complete. Then I ran a 8k, then a 10k, then a 12k, then a 10 miler. Then I thought...what the hell, I might as run a half marathon, it is only 3 more miles.

So here I am again, trying to motivate myself to run 3 times a week to prepare myself to be able to run 13.1 miles without stopping. This year I decided to start my training early. One thing I learned about myself last year was that my body needed a lot of recovery time after long training runs. So this year, I devised a 16-week training plan...4 more weeks to train this year.

Each week, my training program calls for two "short" runs and one "long" run. I just completed my 4th week of training and I feel that I have such a LONG way to go...I don't remember training last year to be this hard.

Here is running log for the last 4 weeks...

Week 1 - two short runs of 3 miles each and one long run of 4 miles
Week 2 - two short runs of 3 miles each and one long run of 4 miles
Week 3 - two short runs of 3 miles each and one long run of 5 miles
Week 4 - two short runs of 3 miles each and one long run of 5 miles

And the last 5 mile run was so PAINFUL that the last mile my lefts felt like a ton of bricks and all I could think about during my run was food and how hungry I was. Probably defeats the purpose of burning all these calories, but all I can think about on my runs is food and what I want to eat. I am just starting to feel like my 3 mile runs are "easy," but my long runs are painful and at this rate, I don't know how I am going to be able to run 13 miles.

Let's hope the next 12 weeks of training becomes easier for me. I hope the Seattle Rock N Roll Half Marathon on June 26th is so much fun that it makes it worth all this pain.

Andrea's FIRST half marathon

Okay, I have been training for this half marathon for three months and while I felt like I was going to be okay, I was pretty nervous. I have never run a half marathon before and took missed a handful of short runs and even a few long runs during my training. The longest run I did was 10 miles and that was nearly a month ago, so I was nervous that somehow my legs wouldn't be ready. I definitely rested and well hydrated and woke up ready to go. Luckily, it was a sunny morning with no rain, so already a great start to the day. Being the trooper that he is, Clark got up early with me and dropped me off at the start line.

Here I am at 5:30 AM ready to rock and roll!

My runner bib number was 1078

Showing off my number to Clark so he can watch for me at the finish line

Stretching it out and getting loose before the big run

Getting the iPod ready - I filled my playlist with lots of upbeat songs - some of my favorites from this particular playlist are Bon Jovi classics like "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Halfway There," and "Living on a Prayer." Of course I also "Eye of the Tiger" on there to keep me pumped up and motivated

WOW, all this running actually helped me get skinny!

Waiting for the start gun

And we are off...here I go on my 13.1 mile journey!

I am one of hundreds running

Okay, the first mile I was just getting warmed up and all the energy of the other runs totally rubbed off on me. The first 3-4 miles flew by and I distinctly remember at the 4 mile marker thinking I could actually WIN this race for my age group!!! HA! I continued to feel really good through miles 5 and 6. It was around mile 7-8 that I realized I wasn't going to win, but I was going to finish likely without walking. I still wasn't tired, my legs felt good, no blisters, and no trouble breathing. It sure helped that it was a beautiful, sunny day and the views along the Tacoma waterfront and of Mt. Rainer were spectacular and totally gave me a nice, scenic distraction. By the time I made the final turnaround (around mile 10) that I started to feel a little tired. Still no urge to stop and walk, but I could tell I was getting a little tired. I allowed myself to walk through all the water stops so I could hydrate, but also take a quick break. I think this really saved me. About mile 11, which was up hill by the way, I was REALLY ready for the run to be over, but still not tired enough to walk. I figured I had made it this far without walking that I could hold out for the last two miles. The last two miles were uphill and the most challenging, but they had people cheering for runners and that was encouraging. It also helped that this is the point in the run that my Bon Jovi songs kicked in...man, they are motivating! I was singing along and didn't care that I was out of tune.

Here I am (in the red shirt) in the home stretch to the finish line. At this point, I was SO flipping tired that I really wanted to walk and the only thing keeping me from doing so was that I could see the finish line.

Here is me looking at Clark...I am not sure what my facial expression says about me, but I am VERY tired here.

Me crossing the finish line at 2 hours and 15 minutes (the half marathoners took off a half hour AFTER the full marathon runners, which is why the clock reads 2 hours, 45 minutes).

Here is me stretching and immediately my legs started to get hard and stiff...get me Advil ASAP!

Taking off the runner chip off my ankle

Smiling and happy becuase I am DONE and got a cool medal to prove it!

My legs hurt and I am tired, but I am smiling because I was told we were now going to eat brunch - YUMMY!

My big sista, Michelle, and my cute little niece, Maddy, came to cheer me on at the finish line and have brunch with me

At this point, I feel awesome that I finished, but if I don't get food soon, I am going to be cranky!

Me holding Miss Maddy Moo

At brunch at Paddy O'Coynes - yummy!

Auntie Andrea and Maddy

I love watching her smile and hearing her laugh

Okay, with that run behind me, time to pack for my week long vacation to Palm Springs! This wasn't so bad after all...not sure if I could double this amount of effort to run a full marathon, but I could definitely run another half marathon again. My next running adventure is the Sound to Narrows 12k in June and the Bank to Bay 10k in September. All I can say is, I DID IT!

Half Marathon Training

I decided to run a half marathon for 3 reasons: (1) I have never done it and it's something I'd love to say I have done in my lifetime; (2) I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in April 2007 and it was surprisingly easier than I thought and the thrill of the run was also surprisingly addicting; (3) I thought it would be a good way to get in shape and drop my last 10-15 pounds that I have been wanting to lose.

So that being said, I decided to run the Tacoma Half Marathon on May 3rd. I started a 12-week training program in early February. My training program consists of two short runs during the week and then one long training run on the weekend. I just completed week 6...it has been a tough process, but I am starting to feel like the training is paying off. Slowly, I am able to run longer distances without my legs feeling like a ton of bricks and I am recovering faster and faster with fewer and fewer days of stiffness and soreness. Most runs I average 10 minutes per mile.

Week 1 - I did two short runs of 3 miles each (I took Lucy with me!) and my long run was 5 miles. The weather was pretty bad the first weekend in February, so I did it on the treadmill. Not the ideal situation, but I did it.

Week 2 - I did two short runs of 3 miles each (again, I took Lucy with me) and my long run was 6 miles. I did this long run outside and mostly on the UPS track. My legs started to get heavy around mile 5, but knowing I only had one mile to go, I was able to get through it.

Week 3 - I did two short runs of 4 miles each and my long run was 7 miles. Again, I did this run on the UPS track and while my legs felt heavy, I was able to get through it. I was a little sore the day after, but seemed to have fully recovered a couple days after the long run.

Week 4 - I was supposed to do two short runs of 4 miles each, but between walking Lucy and tennis, I ran out of time during the week and was only able to get to one short run. I still went ahead and did my long run of 8 miles, and this was my hardest run yet. I had to stop to walk a few times throughout the run and my legs felt heavy after mile 3...so I knew it was going to be a long run.

Week 5 - I did two short runs of 5 miles each, but somehow ran out of time over the weekend and never made it to my long run (supposed to be 7 miles). I fretted about it and worried about how it would affect my training, but figured to just stick to my training schedule.

Week 6 - I did two short runs of 5 miles each and faced my longest run yet...10 miles. I was nervous, especially considering 1o miles is the longest I HAVE EVER RUN. I was also worried that the last two weeks I had missed some of my training runs. However, I was pleasantly surprised with my performance. I made it the whole way WITHOUT stopping or walking. I finished in 1 hour and 50 minutes. I averaged 11 minutes per mile, which is a little bit slower than usual, but I didn't even notice. I actually felt like I ran faster than normal. My first two miles were slow (as usual), but after I was warmed up, I felt great. Miles 3-7 felt great and I felt like I could run forever. Mile 8 I started to get a little tight in my calfs, but my quads didn't feel heavy (like they had in the past). By mile 9, I was just so happy I only had one mile to go that I felt like I sprinted home. No stiffness or soreness that night or the day after...only some minor knee joint pain that went away after I took some Advil. I actually ran from my house all the way to Pt. Defiance Park and then back. For those of you familiar with Tacoma, you can appreciate the distance!!!

So, here I am half way through my training...I am headed into week 7 where I hope to run two short runs of 5 miles and another long run of 10 miles. I have done it before, so I am feeling mildly confident that I can do it again.

I will keep you posted on my training progress. Wish me luck!!!