Week 2 begins

First week went very well.  Although there were some hot and uncomfortable days that I had to train on, I made it through the discomfort.  Sunday I ran 4 miles, and in doing so, I went somewhat off the beaten path.  I do that sometimes to shake the monotony of running the same familiar routes.  It allowed me to tune out my brain, and take in the sights. 

I discovered some huge houses and nice hideaways. The elevation was not extreme at all, which gave me a more relaxing longer run.  Sadly I encountered way too many stray dogs. I hate that these poor creatures are on the street.  They left me alone for the most part, and a couple were more afraid of me, than a threat.   People really need to be mindful of their animals, and to spay and neuter them.  I hope that in my future training runs, I don’t have to encounter so many lost little souls. 

Speaking of strays, we rescued another one on Friday.  This sweet girl was wondering around our neighborhood for over a week with an unfixed male.  She was extremely friendly, and even sat for a couple of photos, so I could get the word out about her.  The male was not as social, and was too skittish and aloof. We were not able to catch him.

When we got home from work on Friday evening, the lost girl was laying in a yard three houses down.  When she caught eye of us, she bolted full speed to our place.  I made the decision to give her a home.  She adores everyone in the house!  The other dogs are happy with her and love her too.  She makes a great playmate to our puppy, and they wrestle for hours. 

We had our vet check her out, and she is in perfect health.  She just needs to be fixed, and that will be done within the next few weeks.  Puppy-boy is first.

So running aside, please spay and neuter your pets. Also please consider a shelter dog; rescues make the BEST companions!

Anyway here was my Sunday run

 

Completed (Run): Distance 4.02 mi, Duration 0:48:31, Pace 12:05 min/mile, Speed 5.0 mph.

And So It Begins… again

Week one of Half-Marathon training is upon me! Day one… a rest day. I can dig that!

I put in a little over 4 miles on Saturday morning, and my legs were noticeably heavy. Not quite sure what the exact problem was, but I am thinking it was due to lack of proper hydration and supplementation; a wagon that I have fallen off of as of late. I am a preacher of drinking water. Drink at least your 8 cups (64 oz) of water a day, and more than that during the summertime. The injury got me off my game with training and with the above theory; I have just not been cognitive of my water intake. My food intake, yes I have been mindful of, but hydration has been forgotten.  Bad me!

I made it through the run, but did have to walk almost a mile at the end.  Walking breaks are fine, but when it is something that you have to take suddenly, due to performance issues, you have got to look at the “why”.

Today I am looking at training schedules.  It was easy with the marathon training because I had a couple of books that were dedicated to the topic.  However with a Half Marathon it is a little more tricky to find solid tried and true advice.  It’s out there, but you have to weed through the web to get it.  I believe I am settled on one of Hal Higdon’s.   I may just be overly cautious due to the fact that I am coming back from an injury.  I’m going to take this slow. REPEAT. I am going to take this slow.

For now, here is an inspirational quote –


“I don’t love broccoli, and I don’t love the treadmill, but I love the way I feel when I’m healthy and strong. It empowers me in all facets of my life. So remember, that although something may not be fun in the moment, remind yourself of the ultimate reward, and allow that to motivate you through the tough times. ”

—Jillian Michaels

Fresh Start

Woohoo!!!

I am super excited to announce that my training limbo is coming to an end, and that my Half Marathon training schedule begins this MONDAY!  My foot has finally healed enough for me to feel comfortable with hitting the pavement again.  I have been running an average of 5K (3.11 mi) three to four times a week, and walking the same distance a couple of times a week. Those have all been on my lunch hour at work.  In the EARLY mornings I have been taking our new pup on walks at least five times a week, so that has also added to my weekly mileage.

At first I started back up with my foot wrapped and taped, to help support my arch and to also stabilize that problematic navicular bone.   I have gone through about six rolls of athletic tape in the past three weeks! Ace Bandage should send me a Thank You card!

In the past 5 days, I have successfully ran two days without taping my foot at all – one was 3.21 mi and the other was an accidental 4.21 mi run.  I say accidental because I got a little lost and extended my mileage more than I intended. My plan is to still tape my foot on the longer runs  just to play it safe, but for the 3 to 4 mile runs I feel safe enough to skip the tape and just go.

I’m going over the 12 week training schedule, and looks like this is all going to fall into place!