Tag Archives: training

1/2 Marathon Training Plan

Posted on by

5

I’m back at it. My half marathon is the first weekend in June, and I’m so excited! We (my husband and I) ran the Williamsburg Run for the Dream 1/2 Marathon last year, and it is by far my favorite route in the world. I’m always looking for an excuse to run in Williamsburg, and I always look forward to those glorious 13.1 miles.
We have a lot of changes potentially coming down the chute in the next couple months, so I started my training a little earlier than necessary… just in case there are some ‘set-backs’ to my long runs.

Last weekend I enjoyed my 7 mile run in my favorite park, it was about 40 F so I was bundled up for the first couple miles and discarded my gloves once I warmed up. On the first mile, I found a brand new smart phone! I called a few of the last contacts and left it at the running store I was running with. Hopefully it found its rightful owner.  295550_345102265606645_866713775_n

About a week ago I ran on the boardwalk during the sunrise. I paused to catch my breath, and looked like a total tourist to take some pictures. I tend to do my shorter runs on the boardwalk because it’s about a 6 mile loop, and it would just be the end of the world if I had to run a lap or something. How can I not love running when it gets me our in God’s beautiful creation every morning while the rest of the world is still asleep?

549327_10152588662280357_340013857_n

Where do your runs take you? When is the best time for you to run?

Close of 2012

Posted on by

4

What an amazing year… how can you begin to cover the highlights of such a fabulous year?

At midnight tonight, the gorgeous ball will drop in Town Square, and we will toast to a New Year! We’ve got the wine chilling, the treats tucked away in the fridge, and our bags packed to head back to Virginia in the morning. I love the holidays, but I also love the chance to a new beginning. I know that while 2012 was amazing, 2013 is also going to be phenomenal. One of the reasons is because I was able to graduate with my undergraduate degree this December, and I am truly able to begin afresh in January. So, while everyone is wildly excited about our new year: 2013, I’m still recovering from 2012!

So I’m gunna go ahead and brag (haha),  you can see why it’s been an exhausting year.

Here are a few highlights:

  • got a great promotion at work
  • ran two awesome half-marathons
  • did a little traveling
  • completed my undergraduate degree
  • ran over 500 miles (which was my goal)

Needless to say, I’ve spent my Christmas break sleeping! Regardless of all this, I still reached my goal of running 60 miles in December… Despite all my days spent traveling :) They were mostly short runs, around three miles, and my longest run was five miles. Considering most people drop off the fitness planet in December, I’m pretty happy with it!

December Run Goal
I’m planning on posting all my New Years goals later this week, things like the races I want to run and PR’s :) My goals aren’t just about fitness, but about keeping my life balanced… so keep posted for all of that!

Some of our New Years Resolutions

Some of our New Years Resolutions

Ask a Runner: Dealing with Injury

Posted on by

11

Question from one of my readers, Jessica:

I began training for my first full marathon in June and have been experience knee pain on runs longer than 3 or 4 miles…a shooting pain behind my knee cap and outside of my knee. If I stop and stretch my knee area, it goes away for about 3/4 of a mile but returns. I’ve tried taping, which helped some but will still only allow me to run about 7 or 8 miles. And braces have proven far more uncomfortable than they’re worth. I have been a pretty consistent runner since 2009 and run about 3 half marathons per year. I have never had knee pain before and don’t want to stop running, but I also don’t want to hurt myself and interfere with my marathon training. What can I do?

My Perspective:
I haven’t really had to deal with a lot of injury during my short running career, and I think most of that is because I’ve always been too busy to log a lot of miles. For the first couple years though, I was using cheap running shoes from TJ Maxx and this began to give me excruciating pain behind my knees earlier this year! After a run cut short, I was mad and threw them in the garbage, and my husband and I marched over to a running store and I was fitted for shoes that I needed. I was lucky because this was all I needed to get back on track. Get your shoes fitted at a store that has you walk on a treadmill and monitors your gait.

It sounds like you’re an experienced runner, and the pain shouldn’t be from adding distance. If you already have shoes prescribed by a specialist, I’d recommend visiting an orthopedist who runs and/or who treats runner. I’m a firm believer in not running through injury’s, you must let the injury heal or you’ll be stuck in a cycle, and an orthopedist may help you run pain free.

Because I’m not a doctor, I’ve included a few links to check out based on your issue:

Jessica, I wish you a speedy recovery. There’s nothing worse than not being able to get out there and run, for whatever reason! Listen to your body and never, ever run through pain.

If any of my other readers have an opinion, please weigh in!

Dead Last Trumps Did Not Start

Posted on by

2

If you run without any reason, you are just chasing the wind.
Wesley Korir, 2012 Boston Marathon Winner
This weekend I biked down to the boardwalk and tried to run. After about 3 miles, I was exhausted. Do you guys ever feel that way? Thus, I found this picture extremely inspiring… because I’m proud of myself for getting out there. After beating myself up, I biked back and worked on my strength training routine I’ve been working on. Surprisingly enough, I was able to hold my planks and V-sits for longer than I’d ever done before! I may not be running my best right now, but I’m about to have some ripped abs :)
I’m really thankful that the weather is cooling down this week, and I’ll be able to get out and do a longer run! I’ve got to get some training in to be able to run in the Wicked 10k at the end of October! I’m planning on running it with friends, so we’re going to start our hard-core training soon (yes, I’ll still need to train for this race since I’ve been taking it easy this summer)! Here’s my post from last year: Wicked 10K, which I did in 59:24. My goal this year is to shave at least 10 minutes off that time, and get a time of 45:00 or under!

Breaking a Sweat Without Breaking the Bank

Posted on by

1

In this fun beach town, it can be expensive to work out in the gyms in Virginia Beach. But there are multiple ways to do your workouts without breaking the bank! A number of stores and studios are now offering free classes which will have you working up a sweat:

Monday:

Bay Swim: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Tuesday:

Run Track: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Wednesday:

Run Club: 616 Virginia Beach Boulevard. Lululemon: 6:30 pm

Bay Swim: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Thursday:

Run Tempo: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Saturday:

Run Club: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 6:30 pm

Yoga: 616 Virginia Beach Boulevard. Lululemon: 9:30-10:30 am

 

Do you have a complimentary workout I missed? Share it in the comments!

I’m going to keep updating this post to reflect any new workouts I find!

Get Back At It

Posted on by

1

It can be especially challenging during the summer months to keep a regular exercise routine, and my excuses vary from being on vacation, the overwhelming heat, to too much BBQ last night to get up and get an early run in before work.
But when the break from running is more than a day or two, and grows to weeks or even months, it’s hard to get back in the rhythm.
Here’s how to approach those first runs, no matter how long you’ve been away to avoid injury.

The break -> a week or two
On your first couple runs back in the groove, just take it 2 or 3 minutes slower than usual and run about half of your usual distance. Also include walk breaks.

The break -> about a month
Alternate your workout days with a walking/running routine. On Monday run 15 min and using a ratio of 60 seconds running, 30 seconds walking. Tuesday: Walk 30 minutes. Wednesday run 20 min sing a ratio of 60 seconds running, 30 seconds walking. Use Thursday as a rest day, and Friday repeat Wednesdays workout. Saturday: walk 30 min. Sunday run 25-30 minutes using a ratio of 40 seconds running, 20 seconds walking.

The break -> 60 days or more
It’ll probably take about a month to get back on track. Follow the routine for week one listed above, and on week two run 30 minutes three times a week using a ratio of 40 seconds running/20 seconds walking. For week three use the same running routine, 25 seconds running/35 seconds walking. On week four, go back to week two’s plan, running three times using a ratio of 40 seconds running/20 seconds walking.

If you’ve taken a break from running, I Hope these tips were helpful!

 

Source: Running World, “Back on Your Feet” August 2012 edition.

 

Back from Vacation!

Posted on by

4

Just came back from the best vacation ever! Tyler’s family is much more relaxed on vacation than my family was, so it was an adjustment… and I had to FORCE myself to slow down! We didn’t even have Internet.  Even though it was more relaxed than what my family does, we still did a lot of stuff, and kayaking was one of them! We went twice last week, and I got stuck a couple times because the water was so low- AND I almost died getting stuck over a water fall with rocks jutting out at the bottom! Don’t worry; we only had class 1 rapids on the first two miles, and the rest was pretty calm. :)

Since we were nestled in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, there were plenty of hills to train on. Not that I’m actually training for anything right now, but I can pretend. :)   I was seriously sore every day that I ran. I did a couple four-mile runs, but on those mountain trails, it felt like twice that! It was so awesome to run on such gorgeous trails.Williamsburg Run for the Dream

I did terrible on not eating sugar during our trip, and I’m going to have to pay for it for a couple days. So back to the strict diet from here on in! :) How are your summer fitness goals coming along? What do you find the hardest to maintain during the warmer months?

Saving my Skin

Posted on by

8

Since amping my mileage to train for these half marathons, I’ve noticed it stressing my skin… so I slap on a little sunblock and keep my face clear of sweat (by wiping it down every 3 minutes), but my feet haven’t been so lucky. I keep my toenails painted pink to help out, but my poor feet are covered in blisters and and finally calluses. Thankfully I’ve been saved from the notorious fungus that runners usually complain about.

Since I wanted to run trails, I ended up buying an awesome pair of Salomon XR CrossMax 1, which are incredibly stiff and gave me huuuuge blisters for two months after running in them. I read in my awesome Runners Word magazine that I needed thicker socks, so I proceeded to steal my husbands on a regular basis since I’ve given him about 100 pair of running socks over the last year and a half. He thinks this gives him free reign to tease me about everything of his that I “borrow”. Like his sweatpants that have had their ownership transferred to me. I can’t help it I’m always cold. Or his sweatshirts when we’re on the boardwalk. Or his shirts to sleep in. Now his socks.

In my opinion, he has absolutely no grounds for his teasing.

Anyways, about protecting our skin and feet. Apparently if they get wet (from sweat or mud or rain), the trapped moisture can cause maceration (when the skin looks paler than the surrounding skin) and is prone to fungal infections (Runners World). Ewwww (Just did a foot check to look at my between-the-toe-skin-color. I’m safe.)

The most helpful thing I can pass along is keeping clean, Keeping the running clothes and socks clean. Products like Blister Aid (Mission Athletecare blister Armour Anti-Friction stick) will definitely help with the blisters! Annnnnd lastly, Stuff the shoes with newspaper to dry them out between runs.

My goal: 50 miles in April

Posted on by

0

We had a lovely weekend. It was warm and breezy, and we spent the majority of it outside! On Friday evening I went running with a friend and almost logged 8 miles! We ran straight to the beach, on the boardwalk, and back in a little over an hour. Talking with a friend while running makes time fly! She told me about getting a bike this weekend, so hopefully we can ride around this summer together.

Since I got a good run in the night before, I was a little sore for my Saturday run that I did with some girls from school in the park. The pollen was out and I could hardly breathe… so I took a few walking breaks I our 5 mile loop… slowing down the pack L so sad! I seriously tried to keep going, and I did my best, which is all I can do!

I’ve been wanting to amp up my mileage, and my goal is to run 50 miles this month! I’ve already run 30 miles, which is 62% of my goal in 14 days.  I’ll be so excited to hit another 50 mile month, which will be my second this year. For all you runners out there who are running with increased heat (or pollen), don’t forget to hydrate! I’ll be running with a water bottle on my long runs where their isn’t fountians… even though I hate running with one.
And another amazing pin I found on pinterest… always running… I’m glad I CHOOSE to run because I love it, not because I’m being chased!

A HUGE shout out to all those Boston Marathoners out there today! Best of luck to all of you :) Drink tons and take it slow in the heat!

Getting Stronger

Posted on by

0

I’ve been running a 5 mile cycle pretty regularly now, which is my new 3 mile circuit. I’m still painfully slow, and yesterday had to walk about a half a mile to catch my breath… because my friend and I were talking so much. But it sure made the miles fly by… and we felt great when we were done! I’m still working on my Half Marathon Training for the Novice Runner by Hal Higdon, and it’s been kicking me in the butt!

I can feel I’m getting stronger, and running is coming easier, but who am I kidding? It’s still a struggle to get out the door and pick my route. My muscles have been in serious pain (I’m a wimp, I’m not injured or anything) so I bought a Stretch and Strength Foam-Roller with the super-awesome  amazon gift card my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday (YES)!  It’s purple and lovely.

I think it’ll help with my increased milage I’m planning for the spring.

Friday I’m going to do a lone run of 8 miles, and Saturday I’m heading out with a group of girls for a ‘chill’ 5 mile run (Since WHEN is 5 miles chill?!?). Hah.

YAY for the weekend!