Today I ran a half-mary. Not a race but 13.1 miles and just a touch more since I had to walk back to my car so 13.31 total. 2 weeks ago I ran 12 miles with my friend from high school and it was a total disaster! It took us over 3 and half hours and my ankle was killing me so I couldn't actually run after 7 miles. It was so hot and I started off too fast. It was also on the road, which really killed my ankle.
I gave myself last weekend off. I started a new job and wasn't sure about barely being able to walk after trying to run a half-mary.
Today I set myself for success. I picked an outdoor track that would be nice to my ankle. I ran in the morning so it wouldn't get too hot. I got it all done in just under 3 hrs and 10 minutes. I smashed that 12 mile time! My ankle did well. I'm tired and sore but not so much that I can't move, just moving a bit slow.
The Nac Half is in a few weeks Nd despite hearing it is super hilly, if time allows I want to run it. But even if that doesn't happen I am still going to keep training up to a marathon. I really believe I can get one done before my 40th birthday. So onward and upward!
So a long time ago, I wrote about training for a 5k and then a 10k. I did run those races and finished them and then roller derby and a full-time job took my focus away from running. Then I was going to start training again and I had a baby. So I took another long break but now I'm back!
For the last few months, I have been working with runlife365.com to train for my first half marathon in November (the Nac Half). Then to run the Houston Marathon in January. The work out Sharon Mayes of RunLife365 created for me is a full body 16 week plan. Today's 8 mile run was the completion of week 9.
Back in the day, high school days, I use to run cross country and for that training we focused on running the whole race. After some research and talks with Sharon, I decided to start using the Galloway method of training, a run/walk combination. It really has made a huge difference in raising my confidence and allowing me to get past my 10k mental barrier.
Sharon's plan includes my roller derby workout with a HIIT workout included and something that I absolutely hate - strength training. She also has something that I had never done before - Fartleks. For the non-runner readers, Fartlek is Swedish or Finnish for speed run. Currently I rotate between a couple different Fartleks on the NikeRunClub app. My favorite has been the one with Kevin Hart. I actually laughted out loud in the middle of a run; Kevin is so funny.
Now I think when you say you are a runner people want to know that your time, pace, and weight are doing. So here is what I've done and learned so far.
1 - Indoor runs are easy compared to running outside. If you plan to run an outdoor race, you need to train outdoors.
2 - My pace fluctuates between 11 min miles and 15 min miles. It completes depends on temperature, run surface, and if I actually remember to eat before hand. As to my ultimate pace goal - keep it under 15 min per mile. Any run I'm under that is gravy!
3 - my weight and inches do not seem to care that I'm running and training all of the time. Honestly, I haven't changed my eating habits so I eat anything and everything (gf of course) and manage to keep my curvy shape. I could change my eating but one thing at a time. Right now the focus is getting the miles not changing my shape.
So there you go. I'm a runner again. I'm a plus-size runner. I'm a brown runner. I'm a fairly slow runner. I'm a runner!
