I just agreed to run the New Orleans Half Marathon in March with AB Chao, Linda and Eliza.
It’s possible that I need my head examined, but there is something symbolic about running a half-marathon almost a year to the day I had Abigail. Which, coincidentally, was a year to the day I ran the half in 2010.
I am not planning on having another baby in 2013. I don’t think we need to make a habit of all of this.
I am thrilled, but terrified. I am just about the world’s worst runner these days – boot camp? Crossfit? Spinning? Yoga? I AM THERE. Running? Oh Lord. The furthest I’ve run without stopping SINCE THE HALF MARATHON IN 2010 is A MILE. That’s right. One mile. And I think I’m going to go on ahead and run 13.1 in five months.
I think I can do it. Really, I don’t have much of a choice. Of course I’m going to do this. I am interested in anew half-marathon training plan if anyone has any to share, other than Hal Higdon’s, which I used last time and didn’t like. Any suggestions?
The race is March 4. I start training on October 2. Lord help me. Also? Lord let me hit the lottery so I can afford to buy a treadmill for my basement.
*****
I’m down 17 pounds and another size. I quickly zoomed out of the jeans I was wearing when I got pregnant with Abigail, at least to where I can’t wear them without having to wash them after each wear so they retain their size. Crazy, right?
The other night I was looking at my old weight loss charts and it has taken me in four months to achieve what it took me almost seven months to achieve when I first lost weight. Certainly now I’m armed with knowledge that I didn’t before – I know what to eat, how much, what I like, what I don’t, the things that set me off, etc. – but I also think I was much more rudderless in 2002 than I am in 2011.
I’m losing weight, not curing cancer, but getting healthy and taking care of myself feels a lot more purposeful than it did all those years ago.
I’m also a lot less social than I was back then – I don’t go out, and I certainly don’t drink as much. I know about impulse control, and I’m not nearly as frightened of the world around me. Age and experience have their benefits…
Ah yes, socializing. Funny how if I hole up in my house and stick to my eating/exercise schedule I can lose a pound or even two in a week… but when I go out and have fun with my friends I gain that amount in a week! Ahhh! I need to find a middle ground where this is concerned!
P.S. What is up with Paul Konrad’s Canadian tuxedo this morning!??!
Erin,
You can do it! You did it once before, know the coarse, you are smarter about it this time, right? It’s like having a 2nd baby! (I kid)
I am running my 2nd half this October, 2 years from when I ran my 1st. I am hoping to run it faster and light too. It is nice to have others to train and commiserate with.
I have a treadmill, and it is nice. But any distance over 6-8 miles is not so nice. Guess you are going to be doing long runs in Chicago winters. Have fun! ; )
I am usin this training schedule because for my first half (which was earlier this year), I used the one for beginners in Runner’s World. It worked really well but I wanted something different. I am on week 6 and I like this one a whole lot better.
http://www.shape.com/fitness/training-plans/your-step-step-half-marathon-training-schedule?page=3
I set a goal for July next year and wonder if I’m crazy. I signed up and prepaid for “Camp Do More” formerly known as Turbo Camp. I did this in 2009 and I think it might be what started my knee issues. At least it didn’t help. Knee surgery is on November 2nd and after I’m healed I guess I’ll see how I’m feeling and if I think I’ll be up to an entire long weekend of Turbo related group exercise. Its a nice goal but sometimes I think I’m crazy and should use the money for something else.
You might not love this idea, but I suggest that you check out some of the Jeff Galloway run/walk plans out there. I’ve done 20 marathons and even more halfs and though it took me a long time, I’ve become a believer. The races are more fun – the training is WAY more fun and the recovery time is much quicker. Most important, it doesn’t make you slower. It can even make you faster (crazy, right?)
It seems like your motivation here is not so much a serious time goal but to celebrate your ability to cover 13 miles with your friends. If that’s the goal: to finish, to enjoy it, and to feel like you want to do it again? Run/walk is the way.
Oh, you can totally do it! Out of curiosity, what did you not like about Higdon’s plan? Knowing that will make it easier to point you in the right direction.
Just wanted to say YES to you signing up for another half! Of course, you can totally do it.
I’ve heard good things about Galloway’s run/walk plan. I had a friend/coach who developed a plan for me for both half-marathons I ran. The basic gist was four runs a week: two easy three-milers; one midweek longer run that went from four to six miles during the course of training, with some pace/speed intervals toward the end of training; and a weekend long run. I started at five or six miles for that and worked up to 13. On two other days, I did strength training, and one day was a rest day. My training was about four months long. That’s a high-level overview but it might give you some ideas…
I used the Cool Runnings intermediate plan for my first half, and it worked out awesome. I just made sure to run everything except the speed workouts at an extremely slow pace (we’re talking 15-minute miles or slower). It’s a lot of mileage, so it’s time-consuming in that respect (and bear in mind I did not even have a job at that time, much less a demanding job and a child) but I smashed my goal time–OK, so I’m not what you would call “fast” on the best of days, but I wanted to do it in 2:30 and ended up doing 2:15:49 with ease and feeling great the whole time. I never had a hint of pain or injury at any point before, during, or after the race. I think the fact that I actually ran further than the race distance prior to race day made it more fun and relaxing to do the race itself. I did skip a few of the shorter runs here and there when I felt I was getting run-down or overly tired. Actually I think “not overdoing it,” except in some sense for the speed workouts, was pretty much the key to that race for me.
My second half was not nearly so fun as I had gained at least 30 lbs. in the interim and had also half-assed a less demanding training program. So it was painful commensurate with that.