Let's Talk About The Half Marathon

12 solid weeks of consistent, hard, fun, challenging, emotional ups and downs, learning, growing…basically ALL THE THINGS! I say that phrase a lot, but it pretty much sums up life. And it definitely sums up when training for anything really that requires discipline and consistency. Two words that I LOVE and resonate with me, especially when it comes to my training! I am an athlete and I always have been. I love moving, pushing my body mentally and physically, sweating, competing, the runner’s high, becoming stronger physically and mentally, the sense of accomplishment. It’s addictive and it’s why I continue to do it day and day out!

Training for this half marathon has ignited something in me and I am so here for it! There is a fire in my belly that has me wanting more. I can’t pinpoint it just yet, but it’s happening and instead of waiting for the perfect moment, or when I have enough confidence, I think it just has to be done and I will then see where that road takes me. All I know is that I am strong, happy, loved, and supported and with those things I can really do ANYTHING!

**Please note that I repeat myself a lot in this post…You will hear the words consistent, listen to my body, and simple!**

RUNNING

I love to follow a schedule and for as long as I have been running ½ marathons I always do Hal Higdon’s training plans. They are easy to follow, straightforward, and totally manageable. I print it out OLD school and smack it on the fridge, so that once the workout is done, I can cross it off with my Sharpie. It is such a satisfying feeling!

I love to train for ½ marathons, because it isn’t just focused on running, it still allows me to do all the other things that I love…Strength training, yoga, and walking…And the mileage isn’t too intense that I feel completely depleted after long runs. It is the perfect amount for me at this time. I feel strong. I feel faster than I did two years ago. I feel happier and more confident when I run. I loved training for this race. When I was talking to my GF the other day, she said you have trained in all the conditions too…which is 100% accurate…I ran in the cold and snowy conditions on Nantucket…I ran in the desert, wind, and dry AF conditions in AZ…and then the humid, flat, sunny conditions in CHS. BOOM!

STRENGTH TRAINING

I did NOT slack on this and I made sure to keep up with a consistent strength training schedule, throughout these 12 weeks. I’m 43 and lifting weights is important for me whether I run or not, but if I am training for a run, it is definitely necessary. Throughout the 12 weeks, I would say that I was lifting weights at least 3 times a week and this felt GOOD! It was the right balance between running, yoga, and even walking. And I made sure to focus on my whole body, not just certain parts.

As far as my workouts were concerned, I really didn’t change a thing. I kept it simple. I did full body circuits. I would alternate between heavy/low reps and lighter/high reps. I listened to my body and stayed consistent. The last two weeks of the training, I wasn’t lifting as much and honestly, that felt good, as I knew I had to taper and just get this body ready to run the damn race.

I think I am going to sign up for THIS to get some inspiration for some new workouts, as I find Sally to be one badass inspiring woman and I really like what she is doing and her workouts look just like the kind of things I want to do.

YOGA

I definitely cut back on my time at The Works, but I still stayed pretty consistent, I just was very careful to not over do it and to listen to my body. The heat and the intensity of the classes can sometimes be depleting and I didn’t want to feel that way throughout the training, so I signed up for the classes that I knew would benefit my runs and my overall strength and flexibility. What I love about The Works is that I was also able to get my strength training in as well, so for 60 minutes I could squeeze in cardio, strength, plyometrics, and flow. BOOM! I am going to write another post about The Works and why the classes and the community mean so much to me.

NUTRITION

OOF…I could talk about this subject a lot, because these 12 weeks really opened my eyes to how important fueling truly is. I have a lot of work to do. I have a lot of calories that I need to start adding. It’s really hard to admit this, but by the end of the training, I was ravenous and realized that I am not fueling enough. So there’s that…I have let it out into the universe.

In the beginning of the training, I felt really good. I felt energized, I made the necessary tweaks, I was eating more and more consistently. I was cruising…BUT…when the mileage started to increase, I wasn’t increasing the food, which was no bueno. And it really started to catch up with me, because the last two weeks I was freaking RAVENOUS. I was waking up hungry. I was getting some of that brain fog. I wasn’t sleeping well. ALL SIGNS OF NOT PROPERLY FUELING!

The last week was the hardest, especially since I was tapering and wasn’t working out as hard, but my body was just craving nutrients. I actually felt a little lost and a little confused and realized okay Katie, you need to eat more, you need to just do it. 

As far as foods that I consumed…just like my workouts, I kept it simple and consistent. I ate a lot of oatmeal, sweet potatoes, salmon, steak, vegetables, avocados, peanut butter, eggs, and Rise Bars. My meals were easy and simple and worked for fueling my runs. I didn’t experiment too much with new recipes or foods, but next time, it’s on the list of “to dos”.

GOALS moving forward after this race…I need to geek out, read up, educate myself more on proper nutrition for athletes, I need to eat more, be consistent, get a little uncomfortable, let go of the control, trust the process, and do the damn work. I have said this before in the past, but this is the hardest part of my health journey, but if I don’t do this, I know that I could cause some serious damage to my body and that CANNOT happen in my eyes, so thank you ½ marathon training for making me aware of what I NEED TO DO!

I realized that I said I NEED a lot when it comes to nutrition, but I also WANT to do this and I WANT to make the necessary changes. Major plus…So now it’s time to buck up and again keep doing that damn work!

SOUL WORK

Let’s be honest here, because it is never JUST about the run, the strength workout, the yoga class, the #KatieWalk, it is always something deeper that we are working on. 

What’s next on the calendar? I have some races that I am eyeing, that are making me a little excited and a little nervous. The Steamboat ½ Marathon keeps popping up, but running a race at altitude scares the shit out of me, but damn it would be a good challenge, plus Steamboat means so much to me. It’s where I grew up skiing and it was my Dad’s favorite place to ski, so it would be great to revisit it and do something in honor of him.

Otherwise, I am just going to keep on running, doing me and what I always do, and plan this wedding, because we are coming down to TWO MONTHS already…How the hell did that happen?

See y’all next week and THANK YOU again and again for all of your support! It means so much to me!

xoxo