Half Marathon Training

I am on Week 9 of my first half marathon training. I am up to 10 miles and feeling great. I have always enjoyed running, but never thought I'd go past my normal 3 or 4 miles. I don't really know what motivated me to try for a half marathon; I just kind of had the urge to do it. Five other Stroller Strides moms and 2 dads have also been training, so it has been great to have other people to run with. When I first started I had no idea what I was thinking!!!! I really didn't know what to expect going into it. I am doing much better than I ever thought I would. For my long runs, I am averaging 10 minutes a mile and for shorter runs I'm at about 8.5 minutes a mile. I have had to do some of my during the week trainings with Andrew and Ella, which definitely helps when I get to run on my own. It's a huge difference pushing 90 pounds! It makes my solo runs seem easy. I've gotten up to running 4 miles with them, and I remember last year after having Ella barely being able to run 15 minutes with them.

When I first started training, my goal was to finish the half without stopping. I wanted to run/jog the entire thing no matter how slow I had to jog. About half way through training I knew that wouldn't be a problem, so now I've started trying to think about a time frame in which I want to finish. It is my first half so I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself, but I need a bigger goal...something that is really going to make me push myself. That is what I have loved most about my training...it has been my workout. I motivate, encourage, and teach others to exercise as my job. When I teach Stroller Strides, I'm obviously moving and exercising, but it's never my workout...it's all about the moms. For the first time in a long time, I have a goal and I'm pushing myself to accomplish it. It feels great. Running really is mental therapy for me. I'm having a great time and doing so much better than I ever thought. I have to say I've impressed myself. Now, obviously when compared to other runners, I'm not going to place in the half or even come close, but for me I am very satisfied with where I am in my training.

I will say I had some hurdles to overcome. For the first 4-5 weeks, my knees hurt BAD. I literally couldn't get myself off the ground without pushing myself up with my arms. I knew they just needed strengthened, so I hung in there. I was testing my body physically and it overcame the challenge. My knees do ache some after my long runs, as they should, running is hard on your body. But overall they feel great. I also haven't had one of my side/neck cramps since the beginning of training. I ran a couple times with pulled arches, which I have struggled with my whole life. Overall, though, I'm feeling great. I go out and push myself at every run. It's not easy for me, but that's why I like it!

I am getting excited about the race and can feel the race day anticipation. It is going to feel so great to cross that finish line! I have 3 weeks left of training and I want to put everything in it I can so that on race day I can give it my all. This weekend we are doing 11 miles, our longest run all of training. I think after my 11 mile run, I'll have a better idea of what my goal should be on race day. We'll see how it goes...:)