I Signed Up for a Half Marathon + My Basic Training Plan

Happy Friday!

I took a big step.  I signed up for a local half marathon at the end of March.  That's a solid four months away.  I can do this.  Maybe.  I need these months to get back into running, and a race is the PERFECT motivator.  The last half I did was in April 2013.  Wow, two years flew by!  This will be my first race post pregnancy and with baby Sage in our lives.  Yay!

I'm not looking to be super fast (although that would be wonderful), I'm just looking to bring out the runner in me again.  She's been hibernating for quite some time now and she's ready to see the world (well, road and treadmill) again.

Check out my very basic plan.  It's meant to accommodate my life, which come the New Year will be very busy once I'm back working fulltime.  Sometimes being busy makes training easier though because you get the run in at the only free chunk of time you have.  Right?  At this point I can't really predict when that will be, but for now I'm home on maternity leave so hopefully it will be a little easier.  And I'm out of shape so it may be a bit painful at first.

Click on it to view larger

Let's start with the short term goal of really starting running next week.  I'm not going to do most of the runs in terms of miles, but minutes instead.  I'm not sure if it will be treadmill or outdoors as I see snow in the forecast.  I need to start small and progress slowly...

Have a fantastic weekend!

Are you up for training with me?!  Any race plans in your future?

Mamas:  How do you make running fit in your life?

Updated Marathon Plan - 12 Weeks To Go!

Hello!

Now I know I said I wouldn't be posting for a few days, but I wanted to share with you my updated Marathon Training Plan before I take a mini-break.  You know what's great about making your own training plan?  You can change it as you see fit!  My original plan was 20 weeks long so now that I'm 8 weeks in, I've got a better idea of what my goals are for the next 12 weeks.

Further, I was looking at the Chicago Marathon website (just for fun!) and they had some training plans posted.  I used one of them to help me modify my next 12 weeks.  The plan isn't drastically different, but the climb in miles is more gradual.

Also, I'm learning I need to stretch more.  Like it feels ridiculously good to stretch after my runs and I don't want to skip out on stretching as I really think it's important for me.

Alright, I'm off to NYC tomorrow for a few days and then back home to work hard!!!  It's my best friend's bachelorette weekend!  I'm the MOH - woohoo!  Did I mention that she caught the bouquet at my wedding last August and got engaged within 48 hours later?!  It's pretty awesome!  I'm totally taking credit - JUST KIDDING! :)

Do you find you sometimes need to modify your training as you get into it? 

What are you up to this upcoming weekend?



I'm So Excited

Since running my third half marathon on Sunday (and even prior), I've been having marathon thoughts.  I've now run three half marathons, two 15k's, and one marathon.  I think it's time to strive for another marathon!  I'm taking this whole week off from running to let my body recover and planning to start running again next Tuesday. 

I'm so excited because I have made an official Marathon Training Plan.  Making the plan is serious fun for me.  I just love scheduling runs and seeing all the potential on paper, and then working to achieve it!

 

September 2012 Half Marathon

I haven't run a marathon in two years.  The last one was a battle because I got sick a month before and ended up signing up for another marathon a month later, and by then I wasn't in nearly as good of shape having taken a few weeks off.  However, my husband and I struggled through the whole 26.2 together and literally laughed our way to the end because it was so difficult.  The homemade sourdough rolls we got at the end (part of the post race meal) were the most heavenly thing in the world.  We still talk about them often.

The training was a blast.  Honestly, I really enjoy the training just about as much as the race itself.  It's so much work and leaves me feeling so fulfilled.  There's nothing like going to work at 8 o'clock when I've actually been up since 5 o'clock getting in my run.  I sit down at my desk at work feeling like a champion.

 

New goal:  To run a scheduled marathon on September 22nd, 2013.  I've run the half marathon for this race in the city where I grew up twice, but I want to give the marathon a go!

 

Now most training plans are 12 or 16 weeks, but I really want to spend the summer running so I created a 20 Week Marathon Training Plan that takes me right until September 22nd.  It's a very gradual progression in the hopes that I do not overwork myself.  Of course, I do not expect to follow it perfectly, but it's a great outline.  The long runs are the most important and those I hope to follow the closest.

 

Training begins May 7th!

 

It's a 3 day/week running plan because I have found in the past that 3 days works best for me.  Rest days become crucial.  I might crosstrain on the other days, but as far as running, I like to stick to 3 days/week because it keeps me feeling good.

When I signed up for my first marathon, I literally printed off a 16 week, 3 days/week running plan and followed it religiously.  I had not run over 13.1 miles at that point so looking at the plan and seeing 20 miles was scary.  It's incredible though the way the body learns to handle those miles with the gradual build up of the long run each week.  I haven't run over 13.1 in probably a year now.   

 

Ok, here's the plan (check out Love A Latte's Facebook page to see it larger!)

Are you planning a marathon or any other races?  Are you already a marathon runner or aspire to be?  Share your thoughts! 

Half Marathon Training

Half Marathon Training Plan

See the plan larger here!  Today marks 84 days until my half marathon.  I get really excited about training because it's incredibly motivating having a race planned in the distant future.

For me, training can be just as fun as the race itself.  It may not have that same fulfilling feeling (especially on days when I've had a rough run), but overall the training for a race is half the battle, actually more than half. 

I have run one marathon, but I've trained for three!  Unfortunately, two of the times in my training I've gotten sick a month before the race and decided to withdraw.  But I can still say that I've had some  glorious 20 mile runs.  In fact, I'm really proud of those 20 mile runs.  My husband and I ran them together and we didn't have any fans cheering, but when we completed them we felt like we were on top of the world.

Training is a victory within itself.  I highly encourage you to find a race near you or far away and make it a vacation (whether it's a 5K, 15K, half, full) and sign up!  That is the first step. 

The first time I signed up for a half marathon I had been running casually for about a year.  I was running about 15 miles a week.  My husband (then boyfriend) told me he was doing a half marathon in a month and I was jealous!  I wanted to do that!  So I signed up.

The longest I had run at that point was about 7 miles.  The longest I had run before doing the half was 9 miles.  Something happened on that race day though.  I felt liberated.  I felt like a conquerer.  I knew this feeling was something I had been searching for. 

In the last year I've run a half marathon and a 15K.  For 2013, I'm hoping for a half marathon (or 2) and a marathon.  It's hard to plan, but I can always plan to train. 

And training is so much fun!

How do you feel about training?