13.1!

Hello bloggers!

I hope you all are having an awesome weekend and taking this Sunday to relax and gear up for the week ahead!

As the title of this post implies, I am training for a half marathon! I know I've made reference to this a few times in previous blog posts, but I've never come out and said I"M RUNNING 13.1 MILES!!!! Okay, maybe I got a little too excited there.

I've been debating committing myself to this challenge for almost 6 months now. To be honest, though, I'm scared....like really scared.

What am I scared of?

Telling the whole world I'm running a half marathon, having people put their faith in me, and failing.

What if I become too busy and can't keep up with my training schedule?

What if I let my disordered brain get the best of me and don't fuel myself adequately?

What if I get burn't out and training becomes to much of a chore?

What if my time is disappointing?

Dear worry wart brain, please shut the f*** up! Excuse my French, but honestly, I know I can do this! Before I started working freakishly long hours at my summer camp, I was out running 10 milers in the heat for--well--for the heck of it. For the enjoyment of running. To say I could.

And if I do fail for whatever reason, who cares? Life moves on. There are other pursuits in life. There's always another chance. it's not the end of the world.

Although I haven't run over 6 miles in a couple months, I'm following a 12 week training plan to get my legs and mind back into distance mode. I'm currently 2 weeks in, and the half marathon I'm planning to run is November 6th. I started the training plan a few weeks early, so I can repeat a couple weeks when life gets to hectic and I can't follow my training plan adequately enough.

When choosing a training plan, I struggled greatly to find one that meets my needs:

Skill level

Love of biking and weight lifting

Busy schedule

After google-ing my little heart out, I decided on this guy.

Training for your first Half

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
2	Stretch & Strengthen	3 m run	2 m run or cross	3 m run + strength	Rest	30 min cross	4 m run
3	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
4	Stretch & Strengthen	3.5 m run	2 m run or cross	3.5 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	5 m run
5	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	6 m run
6	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	5-K Race
7	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	7 m run
8	Stretch & Strengthen	4.5 m run	3 m run or cross	4.5 m run + strength	Rest	50 min cross	8 m run
9	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest or easy run	Rest	10-K Race
10	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	9 m run
11	Stretch & Strengthen	5 m run	3 m run or cross	5 m run + strength	Rest	60 min cross	10 m run
12	Stretch & Strengthen	4 m run	3 m run or cross	2 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon

Hal Higdon's Novice Training Plan

Now let me explain....I'm NOT a beginning runner! I've competed in countless 5ks, a handful of 10ks, a few trail racers, and a good number of 5 milers. I've been running on and off for the last 6 years and solidly and competitively for the last year. However, I have never run a half marathon before. On top of that I'm busy, and as much as I love running, I want to be able to cross train. Finishing a half marathon despite my time will be an accomplishment enough for me.

Also, I'm not following this schedule to an exact tee. I'm getting my long runs in and running consistently, but I'm shuffling days around and doing what works best for me.

Let's take a look at what I accomplished this week!

Week 2
Monday: 30 minutes elliptical/ NROLFW Stage 1 workout 6A
Tuesday: Rest-Walked around six flags and outlet stores all day
Wednesday: 4.5 mile run/ 12 mile bike ride with friend
Thursday: 15 mile bike ride (to and from gym)/ NROLFW Stage 1 workout 6B
Friday: 4 mile run
Saturday: 2 mile run/ 18 mile bike ride with dad
Sunday: 4.5 mile run

Ok, well I'm off to lunch with a friend, but I'll keep you updated on my half marathon progress.

Did you have a good weekend? 
have you run a half? Did you follow a training plan?