Half Marathon Training Weeks 1-3

I wanted to keep a log of my half marathon training this time around. I have forgotten most of what I used to train when I ran my first two and only have a scratch paper calendar from my third. These have been big running accomplishments for me and I have enjoyed/struggled through each one. 

I will be running the Sunburst Half Marathon on June 4. Dean has run the full marathon here twice and I was pregnant both times so now its my turn. Except running a full marathon is still a little out of my comfort zone. My goal is 1:45. The first half marathon I ever ran was a 1:52-Run Girl in Houston. The second was 1:57-Run Girl in Houston and the last was 2:07-Frog Hill in MO. So, here goes nothing!

Week 1

Tuesday March 1

3 mile easy run on the elliptical.

This one had to be done at home. The weather and two kiddos with colds kept us in all day.

Thursday March 3

3 mile easy run on the elliptical.

Same as Tuesday. It was snowing again and had to be done early in the morning.

Friday March 4

4.5 mile long run on the treadmill.

It was so nice outside but it just didn't work into my schedule to run outside. It was too cold for the stroller but I did get to break out of the basement and run on the treadmill at the Wellness Center. Thankfully, Dean was able to watch the kids for that time. 

Total miles: 10.5

That was Week 1. It wasn't a lot of miles, which I appreciate. It's supposed to be nice this week so hopefully I can get some miles in outside!

Week 2

Tuesday March 8-5.27 miles

I finally got to run outside! It was very windy. I ran to the Township Hall to vote and then back to our house. Dean biked and pulled the kids in the burley cart. They didn't really stay with me, just waved as they blew past.

Thursday March 10-4 miles

I decided to do this run inside on the elliptical. I've had my share of knee issues and was worried so many outside miles and pounding the pavement would be more hurt than good.

Saturday March 12-7.5
I got up early and had a great run outside. I didn't push my pace too much but was able to run a little faster than I had thought going into it. It wasn't hard and for once I really wasn't intimidated about running that far!

Total Miles: 16.77

Week 3

Tuesday March 15-5 miles in the wind again while the rest of the family had fun at the park.

Thursday March 17-2 miles on the elliptical. I wasn't feeling very great so I didn't push it. Although I felt like I could have went longer.

Saturday March 19-10k Race in 50:18 and 2nd in my age group. I'm putting this down as a PR. I never used to keep track of my times and didn't run a lot of races so I am pretty happy about this. My last 10k in 2015 was 57;18. Plus, it was our first family race of the year.

Half Marathon Recap

Saturday, I ran my third half marathon. I'm pretty proud of myself so I thought I would write about it. I almost didn't run it because I didn't think I would be able to finish or get the time I wanted. I loved/hated my first two half marathons so I was nervous I would feel the same way this time. I didn't hate it at all!

 My training schedule was pretty simple. I only had five weeks to train and I didn't want to wear myself out running too much and adding miles too fast.. Instead of running x amount of miles every day, I used x amount of minutes. It was better for me because I had to push the double stroller on all my week day runs and it took off the pressure of getting so far each day. It is more difficult running with the stroller because my stride is different and I have to keep my hands on the stroller. 30 or 40 minutes was manageable to keep two kids happy in the stroller. I really think all the stroller pushing made me a stronger runner.

Long runs were really hard for me. About two weeks in, I just felt tired. Like I was working too hard and my body needed more rest. I was/am still getting up two or three times at night with Reagan and sometimes Bo and wasn't getting much sleep. So I cut out the long runs for rest instead. We ran a few 5/10ks on Saturdays but nothing longer. The rest really helped. My weekly runs got easier and I was getting faster. As nervous as I was about actually running the half, I thought I could do it.

Race Day!!
Saturday morning it was beautiful. A little chilly but almost perfect running weather. Dean and the kids were running the 10k. We got them all bundled in the stroller and were ready to go. 

I never run with music. Never in high school or college. I have tried several times but I just didn't like the distraction. I tried it again a week before the race and found it really helpful. Who knew?! I hadn't ever run with earphones though because I needed to hear the kids in the stroller. Amazingly, it didn't bother me too much. I had to switch playlists every 30 minutes which was a pain but it worked. I also ran with new ProCompression socks that I had only worn once before and a new SparklySoul headband, which I had also only worn once before. While trying something new right before a race is probably not the best idea, it worked for me. I loved both my socks and headband. 

 The start was kind of confusing. Maybe because we only got there 20 minutes before the race? There wasn't really a start line or timing mat so we all just sort of took off. We had a super long, downhill section and then would have a steep uphill at mile 4. These hills gave me both my fastest and slowest mile splits in a long time.  Lucky for Dean, the 10k turned around before the hill. It was a tough climb up but I felt pretty good and knew that I could use the downhill to my advantage on the way back.

Bo fussed so much Dean let him watch trucks on his phone. He really knows how to get what he wants.

My "realistic" goal time was 2:20. My "I really wish" goal time was 2 hrs. The course was pretty nice after the hill. There were a few small rolling hills but I felt pretty strong and good about my pace. I tried not to worry about my mile splits. I just wanted to run at a pace I felt good at. At about mile 8 I knew I could be close to finishing in 2 hrs. Next up was the hill. I tried to take the downhill nice and easy. Being that it was gravel and kind of steep, it was difficult. By the bottom my knees were trashed. It was much harder on my legs than I anticipated.

I knew that the last three miles were going to be tough. I have had knee issues for most of my running life but hadn't had any when I was training. I didn't think it would be a problem but my body didn't really recover well once I got to the bottom of the hill. I was hurting and just hoping that Dean and the kids were going to meet me somewhere around mile 11 or 12 to help me finish. There was also a guy running next to me who would run in front of me a little ways then stop and walk until I passed him a little and then do it again. It went like this for my last three miles and was so annoying. I tried not to let it mess with my head and just run my own race but it was difficult.

Dean met me at mile 12 and ran with me almost all the way to the finish. I am not always very nice to him when we run together but I was so thankful that he was there that last mile. Even when he told me the finish was right around the corner and it wasn't. Surprisingly, I had enough left in my legs to speed up the last 100 meters through the finish. I finished in 2 hours and 7 minutes. I got 4th in my age group and Dean got 1st in his and third overall.

I feel good about the race I ran and I know I left it all out there. I know I couldn't have shaved 7 minutes off my time so I am happy with it. I did what I wanted to do and now I'm ready for another one. Well, maybe in the spring and maybe with less hills.