HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS! I FIND IT FITTING TO HAVE MY FIRST POST OF 2015 TO BE ABOUT RUNNING SINCE IT IS COMMON TO SET HEALTHY GOALS IN THE NEW YEAR. SO READ ON TO HEAR ABOUT MY LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH RUNNING AND MY NEW FITNESS GOAL FOR THIS YEAR!
WHEN I STARTED RUNNING 2 YEARS AGO THIS COMING APRIL, I NEVER EVER THOUGHT THAT ONE DAY I WOULD BE TRAINING FOR A HALF MARATHON. I COMPLETED MY FIRST 5K IN JUNE 2013 (GIRLS ON THE RUN) AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF RUNNING, MY FIRST 10K IN OCTOBER 2013 (PIT RUN), PLUS SEVERAL OTHER 5KS ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO LAST YEAR MY GOAL WAS TO DO A 15K AND THEN POTENTIALLY A HALF MARATHON IN 2015. SO, I RAN THE BOILERMAKER 15K IN JULY 2014 WHICH WAS DEFINITELY QUITE THE EXPERIENCE. HONESTLY, IT WAS THE WORST RACE I HAVE EVER DONE. I ALMOST HATED EVERY MOMENT OF IT, HAHA. BUT NOT BECAUSE THE RACE WAS BAD, HONESTLY IT'S A REALLY GREAT COURSE AND THERE ARE HUGE CROWDS THAT ARE SO ENCOURAGING AND FUN WITH LOTS OF ENERGY; BUT I JUST DIDN'T FEEL WELL AND LET'S JUST SAY I HAD TO USE THE PORT- O - POTTIES A LITTLE TOO OFTEN. =( BECAUSE I HAD TO STOP TO USE THE BATHROOM ON TOP OF NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN AS FAST BECAUSE I FELT SICK, I MISSED MY GOAL OF DOING IT IN 1 HOUR AND 45 MIN BY 2 MIN AND WAS PRETTY BUMMED ABOUT IT. SO I TOLD MY SISTER, AMY, AND MY FRIEND, TERRI, WHO ALSO RAN IT WITH ME, THAT I WOULD NEVER DO A LONG RUN AGAIN AND SAID THAT MY DREAM OF DOING A HALF THE FOLLOWING YEAR WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN....
WHEN I STARTED RUNNING 2 YEARS AGO THIS COMING APRIL, I NEVER EVER THOUGHT THAT ONE DAY I WOULD BE TRAINING FOR A HALF MARATHON. I COMPLETED MY FIRST 5K IN JUNE 2013 (GIRLS ON THE RUN) AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF RUNNING, MY FIRST 10K IN OCTOBER 2013 (PIT RUN), PLUS SEVERAL OTHER 5KS ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO LAST YEAR MY GOAL WAS TO DO A 15K AND THEN POTENTIALLY A HALF MARATHON IN 2015. SO, I RAN THE BOILERMAKER 15K IN JULY 2014 WHICH WAS DEFINITELY QUITE THE EXPERIENCE. HONESTLY, IT WAS THE WORST RACE I HAVE EVER DONE. I ALMOST HATED EVERY MOMENT OF IT, HAHA. BUT NOT BECAUSE THE RACE WAS BAD, HONESTLY IT'S A REALLY GREAT COURSE AND THERE ARE HUGE CROWDS THAT ARE SO ENCOURAGING AND FUN WITH LOTS OF ENERGY; BUT I JUST DIDN'T FEEL WELL AND LET'S JUST SAY I HAD TO USE THE PORT- O - POTTIES A LITTLE TOO OFTEN. =( BECAUSE I HAD TO STOP TO USE THE BATHROOM ON TOP OF NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN AS FAST BECAUSE I FELT SICK, I MISSED MY GOAL OF DOING IT IN 1 HOUR AND 45 MIN BY 2 MIN AND WAS PRETTY BUMMED ABOUT IT. SO I TOLD MY SISTER, AMY, AND MY FRIEND, TERRI, WHO ALSO RAN IT WITH ME, THAT I WOULD NEVER DO A LONG RUN AGAIN AND SAID THAT MY DREAM OF DOING A HALF THE FOLLOWING YEAR WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN....
WELL... HOW WRONG I WAS, HAHA. I REALIZED THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR THE BOILERMAKER WAS THAT I HAD TO WAKE UP AT 4AM IN ORDER TO GET THERE IN TIME TO RUN THE RACE (IT'S HELD IN UTICA, NY ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY). THIS THREW MY BODY OUT OF WHACK BIG TIME WHICH RESULTED IN THE MANY BATHROOM TRIPS, PLUS JUST RUNNING IN GENERAL CAN DO THAT TO PEOPLE, SO THE COMBINATION WAS A NIGHTMARE. HOWEVER A COUPLE MONTHS PASSED AND I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT RUNNING LONG DISTANCES AGAIN. THE ONEONTA RUNNING GROUP KEPT MENTIONING THE GREATER BINGHAMTON BRIDGE RUN HALF MARATHON THAT IS IN MAY EVERY YEAR AND HOW WONDERFUL OF A RACE IT IS. HOWEVER BINGHAMTON IS YET AGAIN AN HOUR FROM ONEONTA SO I REALLY WAS CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING UP EARLY AGAIN BEFORE THE RACE.
SOON AFTER, MY BOSS TOLD ME SHE WAS THINKING OF DOING THE BRIDGE HALF AND THAT SHE WAS GOING TO GET A HOTEL THE NIGHT BEFORE SO SHE WOULDN'T HAVE TO WAKE UP AS EARLY- AND IT GOT ME THINKING. SO I ASKED MY SISTER AND A COUPLE RUNNING BUDDIES (FRIENDS FROM THE CRAZY HARD BOOTCAMP FITNESS CLASS I GO TO, CHRISTINE G'S BOOTCAMP) IF THEY WOULD CONSIDER RUNNING THE HALF WITH ME AND THEY ALL SAID YES! SO WE BOOKED A HOTEL AND ALL PLAN ON STARTING OUR TRAINING OFFICIALLY ON FEBRUARY 8TH. IT'S A 12 WEEK TRAINING WHICH I HAVE ATTACHED BELOW. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH SOME KNEE ISSUES BUT THANKFULLY I SAW A SPORTS DOCTOR RECENTLY AND SHE GAVE ME SOME STRETCHES THAT SEEM TO BE HELPING A LOT! AS I TRAIN I JUST NEED TO REMIND MYSELF THAT I AM NOT SETTING ANY GOALS EXCEPT FOR FINISHING SO I DON'T HAVE ANY PRESSURE THIS TIME. I WANT TO HAVE FUN WHILE I AM DOING IT INSTEAD OF BEING MISERABLE LIKE I WAS FOR THE BOILERMAKER!
SO FOR THE 15K, I FOLLOWED HAL HIGDON'S TRAINING GUIDE AND PERSONALIZED IT. YOU CAN FIND THAT HERE. I LOVED HAL'S GUIDE SO I DECIDED I WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW HIS HALF MARATHON TRAINING GUIDE FOR NOVICES THIS TIME AS WELL. THE ABOVE PICTURE IS HIS ORIGINAL TRAINING GUIDE I REMADE TO LOOK PRETTIER =) BELOW IS THE TRAINING GUIDE THAT I CHANGED UP TO GO WITH MY BOOTCAMP SCHEDULE. FEEL FREE TO PRINT EITHER ONE AND USE FOR YOURSELF!
BEST WISHES TO YOU IF YOU ARE ALSO TRAINING FOR YOUR FIRST HALF! I KNOW YOU MAY ALSO BE NERVOUS BUT WE CAN DO THIS!!! ONE THING I HAVE TO KEEP TELLING MYSELF IS THAT IF I HAVE TO WALK IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL! MY ONLY GOAL IS TO FINISH IT! =)
