13.1 Miles – The Flying Pig Half Marathon – done! It was tough, the hills were brutal, and I was slower than I thought I would be due to a variety of factors.
I’ve been up since four this morning to make it to the race for a six-thirty start. I will be writing up a short recap of the race tomorrow, but for now, I’m going to sleep!
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Sunday, Erica and I set out for longest training run before our taper: 12 miles. I spent a good bit of time Friday evening planning out a route, only to discover that we would have to make several detours throughout the run in order to make it work.
We set out at 8:30 in the morning on Sunday, with plans to run parts of the race course, to see what it had in store for us. We didn’t want to run the whole course, because I want to be a little surprised some race day (but I do still have a map printed out and hanging up at my desk), but we wanted to run bits of it, just to see. It was challenging, but eye-opening, and that is definitely a part of the course I will be ready for come race day.
Our first five miles went by pretty quickly. We chatted about our upcoming weddings (Erica is getting married later this year), engagements, summer plans, and everything in between. Once we hit five miles, however, we both started to realize that we were not as hydrated as we thought.
Fortunately, we both brought along our fuel belts, so were prepared with water. I had some PowerBar Gel that I consumed after our seventh mile, which definitely gave me an energy boost for our last five miles. At mile eight, I realized just how mental running is – something I thought I learned back in the earliest weeks of training. This was a different kind of mental – the realization that I had to run four more miles before being finished. That I could do it, but that it was not going to be easy. And, the realization that no matter how much I wanted it to, the runny nose I woke up with was not going away.
At this point in time, we both started to feel the effects of our run, and took to dividing our time between walking and running, with our only goal being to finish. At one point in time, we discussed stopping our run at eleven miles, instead of twelve, but in the end, ended up going just over twelve miles throughout our run. Sure, it took over two hours to complete, but we did it. The feeling I had upon completing our twelve-mile journey? Amazing.
I am ready for this half marathon. When it comes, I am going to give it my all, and even if I don’t finish in two hours, I WILL finish. I can’t wait.
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So, as my half marathon training plan had to be modified, I stopped – or rather, put on hold – my half marathon training vlogs. Running lower mileage than my plan indicated has made for some relatively uninteresting weeks of training. However, since it has been a few weeks since my last update, I thought I would share how my preparation has been coming along – especially since the race is just a few short weeks away.
Recently, I’ve taken to running between three and four days per week. I am running high-mileage weeks, just not up into the thirty-miles per week that I thought I would be when I first embarked on my half marathon training. Rather, I’m running closer to the low- to mid-twenties when totaling up my mileage.
This week, I am supposed to go on my longest run – 12 miles. This week happens to be the busiest week of my training, too. We’re having friends over, I have an eye appointment so I can get some new glasses, two of my bridesmaids and I are going to look at bridesmaid dresses (and accessories), and well, it’s shaping up to be busy, and I may have to squeeze my 12-miler in around my other activities. I know I can do it – I just need to keep putting forth the effort.
Additionally, I’ve been having some minor struggles with my allergies and asthma in the past few weeks where running is concerned. There has been more than one day where allergies made it necessary to push a run back a day. I know come race day, allergies or not, I have to run, but for training, at least for those few runs, it was better to stay in and move my run back a day.
All in all, I feel prepared for the race ahead. Regardless of what comes my way in the coming weeks, I AM going to run the half marathon, and I plan to enjoy every moment that I can that day. Training has not always been sunshine and rainbows, and has, in fact, been a learning experience for me in being flexible with my exercise, pushing myself to my limits, and dedication in the face of 20-degree mornings. I can’t wait to run my race.
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As I near the date of my half marathon, I’ve been looking back at the past three months and how much I didn’t anticipate in that time frame. I didn’t realize how intense my training plan was until I had to modify it. I didn’t know that we were going to get engaged halfway through my training plan.
Mostly, I didn’t realize what foods I would find myself craving as my training progressed. I’ve gone from craving pretzels, to craving pot roast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and everything in between.
I’ve found that after long runs I love reaching for comfort foods, and my favorite ones have been pancakes and eggs – especially from Mokka:
along with macaroni and cheese
I’ve been pretty good about giving into my cravings, all while trying to balance the more indulgent ones with healthier fare. I have found that as long as I am honoring my hunger, eating enough protein, fruits, and vegetables, that I have been good – and no longer wanting to eat the entirety of my refrigerator.
Training has been an adventure, and the coming weeks are the home stretch. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks are going to bring!
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So, I’ve been a bit of a slacker with my half marathon training lately. The training plan we are using is incredibly involved, with lots of running. It’s definitely set up to help us have success with our race, BUT, I’ve been modifying it. A lot.
Why? Well, after I got sick last month, I struggled with my runs for a good two weeks after, and then, everything on my street started blooming, aggravating my asthma. Coupled with some signs of overtraining, and I knew that in order to be successful with my race, I had to modify my training plan to include a good mix of rest, easy runs, and long runs. The only part of my training plan I didn’t modify was my long run schedule.
I chose to drop one run per week from my training plan, aiming to run every other day, instead of three or four days in a row. I also modified the mileage I was running per week, as toward the end of my plan I’m supposed to be running one eight-miler per week, in addition to the long run. While I know that those runs are there for a reason, I also know that when I was trying to get in six and seven miles in my early morning, I was struggling. I tried getting to bed earlier, and still felt tired. I want to finish the half in two and a half hours, and I think I am on track to make that goal.
Have I noticed a decrease in endurance? Speed? No, actually, my speed has remained pretty confidence, and as long as I’m getting 3-4 runs, including my long run, per week, my endurance is continuing to improve. The increased rest has definitely helped in my muscle recovery, and I am waking up feeling refreshed, not wanting to crawl under the covers for another few hours.
Do I think this will affect my half marathon? I honestly don’t know. My speed has remained constant, and I finished my 15k race in the amount of time I thought I would, so I am hopeful that allergies and asthma permitting, I will be able to maintain an 11:30-11:45 per mile pace throughout my half – even with the hills we’ll be running.
I don’t know if I will be running any additional long-distance races after completing the half marathon, or if I am going to turn my focus back to weight lifting, along with speed training for shorter races. I want to build my muscles back up and work on getting faster for some 5k and 10k races later this year.
All-in-all, I am content with how my training is turning out. I am getting enough rest, enough training, and am still loving the moment I get to go outside and run.
Have you ever had to modify a training plan? How did it work for you?
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This morning, I was up at six, out the door by six-thirty, and meeting Erica, her parents, and her fiance at seven. All for a 15k race through downtown Cincinnati.
It was an out-and-back course, loaded with hills. When asked what our goal was, our response was: “under two hours.”
Well, we accomplished both goals: we finished the race in 1:50:43, got our medals and bottled water, and sat down on the steps by Fountain Square. I feel incredibly proud of finishing – of pushing myself to my limits and to see what we can accomplish.
Today, I ran a 15k. In seven weeks, I am going to run a half marathon. I can’t wait.
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On Tuesday, I climbed out of bed and ran 6 miles in just over an hour. I felt great when I got back – speedy and excited for the week’s training. Every run I went on last week was amazing – speedy and great, and I was happy that my speed and running ease carried over into this week.
Wednesday I woke up and my left foot was sore – like I had bruised it. I knew when I was crossing the bedroom to turn off my alarm that running would be a bad idea, so I reset the alarm and climbed back into bed, waking up a few short hours later to begin my day. I took a “wait and see” attitude – if my foot was sore in the evening I would not run on Thursday.
Wednesday night I started feeling not-so-great. My head was stuffy, my face hurt, and my throat was sore. The Boy said he felt the same way Friday, right before he spiked a fever. I wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa to watch television with The Boy, and took a little cold medicine before bed, in hopes that I would feel better in the morning.
This morning – Thursday – I woke up shivering, with a pounding sinus headache and stuffy ears, and was grateful for the extra few hours of sleep. It would appear then, that I have caught a cold. I don’t think there is any question that I am taking the remainder of the week off from my half marathon training to recoup and recover. I can pick up again next week – when I get over whatever this is.
For now, I am going to drink a lot of juice and water, rest, read, and enjoy a few days’ break from my training.
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It's a day late, but here it is - my brief discussion of my eighth week of half marathon training!
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Disclaimer
I am not a personal trainer or a Registered Dietician (RD). My posts are based on personal experience, research, and opinions and are not in any way intended to take the place of the advice of a medical professional.
