Posts Tagged ‘Half Marathon Training’

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I Am Now the Owner of a Nathan Trail Mix Hydration Belt!!!

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

Last weekend, I went for a 9.5 mile trail run. It was amazing to hit the trail, get a run in, and soak up some of our beautiful Colorado views. My only regret that day was that I did not have any water or a little pick-me-up. Towards the end of my run, I felt a little sluggish, but nothing that a quick drink of water and a peppermint wouldn’t have cured.

Well, I’m going to head out again tomorrow for another 10 mile trail run – YEAH! And…I am the proud new owner of a Nathan Trail Mix Hydration Belt. It is small, fits around my waist, and has two 10 ounce flasks attached to it for water. There is a little zipper pocket on it too. The pocket is large enough for some candy and even my cell phone.

We had a bunch of rain over the last few days, but that’s not going to stop me from heading out on the trail first thing Sunday morning! I’ll let you all know how it goes!

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A 9.5 mile Trail Run – Check!

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Wow – goals are great! I told myself I wanted to run 9 to 10 miles, preferably on a dirt trail – and that is exactly what I did on Saturday. I am lucky enough to live in an area where there are hundreds of trails that are maintained by the city and county of Boulder. Some trails are wide and flat, while others are narrow, strenuous, and very mountainous. Over the years, I’ve walked, hiked, and mountain biked across many of these trails, so when Saturday morning approached, I knew exactly where I wanted to go.

There is a series of trails in Boulder that encompasses a bit of all of these features. I started off on a wide dirt trail. It has a few steady, uphill climbs and a few gentle downhill descents. The next portion is rather flat, but follows a meandering stream leading to the foothills. The last portion is…well…an uphill battle. It is narrow, steep, rocky, and probably a home to a hungry mountain lion.

I had planned on running 5 miles out and back for a total of 10 miles, but that last portion was so steep that I stopped about .25 miles short. We had lunch plans in Denver and I was running out of time (and steam). So, 9.5 miles was fine for me.

I decided a few things after this amazing run. First, I needed a trail pack/runner’s pack of some sort. Second, I love running on trails. I had ZERO problems with my knees and my legs never hurt the next day. Third, I cannot wait to run this route again. Hopefully, I’ll beat my time! (Now, if only my ½ marathon was on dirt )!

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Eight Miles and Counting…

Friday, April 16th, 2010

I’m feeling pretty good about my training so far. I logged in eight miles the other day. I wanted to go further, but there was a glitch in my training route. My goal was to run from my home to a lake about 4 miles up the road. Then, I figured I’d run a time or two around the lake and head back home. Well, I made it to the lake – no problem. The problem was that once I got to that lake, there were signs EVERYWHERE saying that the lake AND the jogging trail around the lake were private property. The signs made it clear that violators would be prosecuted. Well, who wants to go to jail over a running route. So, I headed home, without running around the lake….Thus, the eight miles.

This weekend is another long run for me. I may just stick to the sidewalks and roads; however, there are a few side trips that could make my run more interesting. I may try to run on an open space trail, as well. I’m thinking it will feel good to get off the pavement for a day. My goal is nine or ten miles on Saturday….

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And I’m On My Way - 13.1 Here I Come!!

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

I spent last week getting my running legs back again. It felt GREAT! We were visiting family and friends away from home, but I quickly found a short little loop that I fell in love. Every three times I ran the loop, it equaled one mile. The cool thing about that loop was that it had a large hill on the second half. To run three miles, I had to run the loop nine times – that meant NINE HUGE hills over a three mile period!!

After running that route a few times, I was ready for a longer, less hilly route. So, I headed to a neighboring lake that has a running trail around it. The map said that one lap around the lake was 3.7 miles – so I ran it TWICE! The 7.4 miles took me about 1:20, but I felt great when I was finished!

Back in Colorado again, I ran a 4.6 mile route yesterday and plan on running 5-7 miles on Friday! My goal is to run in the morning at least one day a week to get my legs used to the early start on race day. (The half marathon starts at 6:45 am and apparently parking is limited so they are encouraging people to get there by 5 am – not fun!!!) I’m still really excited to see how I’ll do and I know there is ALWAYS room to improve – but you’ve got to start somewhere!

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Finally Back on Schedule

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Well, I finally feel like I’m back on schedule for my half marathon in May. May 16th will be here before I know it and I plan on being 100% ready. I had to switch training schedules to something a little more compact and a little more strenuous, but I think it’s going to work.

I swiped my new schedule from the April issue of Runner’s World Magazine. Basically, you still run a few times during the week and have a long run on the weekend. The main change is that the weekday runs are much, much longer – like 5 to 7 miles. Completely doable, just a little more strenuous. Also, instead of a 20 week schedule, it is a 6 week schedule. Perfect – given the amount of time I have less!

This week was the first week I was able to run in over a month. BOOOO! I knew I wanted to build my stamina up, so I headed out on Monday and again on Wednesday. I ran a 3 mile route each time, but the main change was that I did a route with lots of hills. In fact, I ran NINE large hills over the 3 mile course. I felt good each day and plan to do it again on Friday. Also, I hoping to get a 6 mile run in on Sunday. Then, next week starts the Runner’s World training schedule.

Let the fun begin! Oh wait, it already has!

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Back on the Half Marathon Training Wagon – Again!

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

The kids, hubby, and I have been very busy the last few weeks. Busy being sick! As a result, I have taken a few weeks off from running. After all, who can run with a hacking cough and a stuffed nose? Throw sick kids and a sick husband into the mix and, well, we’ve been a mess!

A new week is about to start. I’ve edited my half marathon training schedule and everything starts tomorrow. I’ll be taking this week a little easier. That means I’ll be running a few less miles each day, but hopefully I’ll add an extra day or two of running onto the schedule this week. I’m hoping to run about 20 – 30 minutes Monday thru Thursday. Then, Friday I’ll take off. Then, a longer run on Saturday or Sunday (whichever day has better weather).

My goal is to get the legs and lungs back to how they were a few weeks ago. Then, I’ll start adding on miles for the long, weekend runs starting next weekend. May 16th will be here before I know it and I want to be as ready as I can.

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6.5 Mile Run – Another “First”

Monday, February 8th, 2010

I’ve finally gotten to the part of my half marathon training where my long runs are really – long runs (for me). I have never run further than a 10K or 6.1 miles until this weekend! When I saw that my half marathon training schedule listed a long run of 6.5 miles, I was immediately excited!

I’m the type of person that gets a kick out of “firsts”. It’s the little things – like the first time I travel to a new place, the first time I try a new beer, and now the first time I ran 6.5 miles. This training program that I’m following is perfect for me because every other week I’ll add another mile or two to my run – all will be “firsts” for me. Not only are “firsts” fun for me, but they also motivate me. I believe that anything that motivates a runner is beneficial to that runner.

Now about my run: For the first 3.25 miles, I ran pretty steadily and fairly quickly. I think I averaged about 9 minutes per mile. The last part of the 3.25 miles was uphill. My goal was always to be able to the library and I can happily report that I met my goal this weekend. Then, I ran (and walked intermittently) for the next 3.25.

When I made it home, I felt great!!! The next day I was a little worried that I’d be sore, but I guess I stretched the right muscles (Thanks Runner’s World!). I could also tell that my workouts during the week are paying off – I felt stronger and could run longer than I usually can during my weekend runs. Anyhow, I’m making the slow trek towards 13.1 miles – adding a few miles at a time.

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My Running Theme Song: Against the Wind by Bob Seger

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Yesterday afternoon, I stepped out of my house for my 30 minute run around the neighborhood and was immediately greeted by a gust of wind. Oh-oh, not wind! As I continued to run down the sidewalk, I kept hoping that the wind would let up – just for 30 minutes; but, it didn’t.

The run was both mentally and physically strenuous; however, the good thing was that I actually completed it. On a mental level, I didn’t cut it short, even with the 30 to 40 mph wind gusts. On a physical level, the constant headwind made it a really tough workout.

I kept telling myself that the wind will only help me to run stronger. And…I now have a theme song: Against the Wind by Bob Seger. The entire time I was running, I was “running against the wind” - literally. A little cheesy, but it made me smile!

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Posted in Half Marathon Training, Running, Running Theme Song | 2 Comments »

Good Run Yesterday – Just in the Nick of Time

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

In keeping with my goal of running every other day, I headed out yesterday for my 30 minute jaunt around the neighborhood. I felt good and ran the entire time. In fact, I averaged slightly over ten minutes per mile. It’s about time!!

My secret – now, not so secret - goal is to run almost the entire distance of my half marathon in May. I’m hoping that by keeping up with my half marathon training schedule, I can accomplish that goal. So far, so good.

Now, for the second part of this blog post - Just in the Nick of Time. I returned from my run feeling great. Chatted with my family and immediately went to the kitchen to get dinner in the oven. While I was seasoning the fish, sickness hit our house, AGAIN! This time my three-year old has the stomach bug. Poor guy!

Anyhow, had tried to run even an hour later, I would have missed my run for the day. Taking care of my little people is most important and I couldn’t have enjoyed myself if I knew one of my kids had a painful tummy bug. So, I got my run in – Just in the Nick of Time. Hopefully, everyone will be recovered in time for my Thursday afternoon run!

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Five Miles in Less Than One Hour – Yeah Me!

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Today is one of those days – everything has been falling into place perfectly. After spending most of the week indoors with a chest cold, I was finally feeling well enough for a run…but not just any run…a whopping five miler.

I took a different route than I normally take and it seems to have paid off. I usually like to run on a path that runs behind the homes in our neighborhood, but this time I ran on the sidewalk. It was much hillier than I was used to – but hills are good. The wind had stopped, the sun was out, and the run was great. All in all I finished my five miles in less than an hour.

The five mile goal was part of my training plan for my Half Marathon in May. I’ve been doing really well with my long runs on the weekends; I just need to work on my weekday workouts now. Sometimes all it takes is a great day and all the motivation is back in full force – even after a week long hiatus. Hopefully the motivation and excitement I feel right now will carry on through the week!

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