Last Long Run Before “THE” Run & 1/2 Marathon Training Tips
By admin
Before I get started, I have to say… there is no better feeling than getting in the shower after a long run and feeling the salt from your sweat run off! Talk about refreshing!
Happy Saturday! I hope yours started off on the right food foot (yup, you know what’s on my mind). Mine certainly did, and the left one.
That’s because I woke up, tossed on my running clothes, pulled my hair back, chowed down on a slice of sunflower toast (with banana slices), laced up my running shoes and hit the streets for one fine double digit run before the 1/2 marathon.
The half is in exactly 15 days and I can’t wait! The hotel is booked, plans are finalized and I am ready to knock this off my bucket list.
Next weekend I’ll be substituting my Saturday morning run with the USMC Mud Run which is why today was the final long run.
It started off great! I was energized, my feet felt light and I was grateful to have this as my backdrop:
It wasn’t until about mile 6 that my body seemed to remember all the pain it has been forced to endure this week and my calves decided to tighten up a bit, nothing crazy but it was apparent. Then my hammies also seemed to remember all the squats that I did on Thursday. Thanks guys.
Luckily at around mile 8, they both decided to chill out and live with the fact that the week had been rough and there were just 2 miles left. I pounded them out and finished strong. In fact, my last mile ended up being my fastest! Go figure.
Here’s how my run finished:
Finishing 10 miles isn’t the most that I have done in the past few months but it did get me to do some serious thinking about my training.
Just 5 months ago, I was recovering from a sprained knee and unsure how long it would take to recover. I remember those first few trips out of the road, I was barely able to break 11 minutes and I was scared with each step I might blow it out again.
I had to teach myself to run all over and gain my confidence back.
Then with time, patience and persistence I have gotten to where I am now. I never thought I would be in a race position where I would get 1st overall in ANY race! Now I am looking to take my running further.
It wasn’t always easy, but it was always awesome.
Highlights & 1/2 marathon tips I’ve learned over the course of my 4 month training
Don’t go for what’s cheapest… go for what’s best. Running shoes are expensive. As someone who has suffered from stress fractures, shin splints and back pain over the years I knew if I was going to do this right, I needed the best shoes for my gait. Here’s how I ended up with the Mizunos.
Slow & Steady. It would have been easy for me to push myself to the limits every time I ran. That’s just how I handle life. But I wanted to train safely and effectivey so I made sure to take baby steps upping my miles. I started at 6 miles and worked up to the whole 13.
Blisters suck. My second toe is bigger than my big toe. I can’t tell you how many blisters these guys have had to recovery from. Those toes have now lead me to think about getting a 1/2 size bigger with my next shoe purchase (next month).
Adios crazy weekends. Saturday morning wake-up call comes fast. Dan has been a trooper about going to bed early with me on Friday nights, and then early again on Saturdays because I am drained. He calls us a little old couple, but that’s okay with me. Maybe when it’s all said and done, we’ll celebrate with a late night out on the town… probably not.
Foam rollers work! Dan convinced me that we needed a foam roller a few months back. It ended up in a corner of the house never being used. Until I started to have some IT Band tightness after runs. Now it’s my best friend and we have our moments together after every long run. No one puts foam roller in the corner!
Running is addicting. I used to do it because i enjoyed being outside. Now I do it for that, but also because I love the challenge of seeing how far I can go, how fast I can go, and what I can see. I NEED to run!
Hydrating is key. I know it’s a no brainer, but sometimes I apparently don’t have a brain. I am terrible at drinking water during the day. I can’t tell you how often I get headaches and muscle cramps simply because I need water. I’ve gotten better though! All the sweat, reminds me how much water I need to take it.
Listen to your body. I promised Dan that at the slightest pain or sign of an issue I would quite running. i have held on to that promise, I am much more in touch with my body and what it can and can’t do on a given day. I understand we have days where we might have a killer run and then there are days where we are lucky if we can do a mile. Don’t push harder than you should! Lesson learned.
So that’s all from me today! We have gorgeous weather and I am craving a cold glass of wine out on a patio somewhere so that’s what is on the agenda!
But I’ll be back in the kitchen tonight… experimenting away!
- What’s the farthest you’ve ever ran?
- Do you like to run?
- Saturday plans?