Half Marathon Training Starts!!

So, I'm going to try something a little different this training cycle while preparing for the Phoenix Half Marathon. I'm going to try and blog about it! This is only my third year running again, and still my first year racing. I've done two half marathons and a few 5k's, a 12k and a 10k. So I'm still learning about what works for me and what doesn't. For my first half marathon I used the Runkeeper app and a training plan it had. It was A LOT of miles and I wound up grounded for three weeks with horrible IT band pain the month before the race. I still made it to the starting line, but I was still injured.

I had been looking into using a different training plan, but didn't know which one. There are so many out there, each promising to get you right where you wanna be. Then one night my best running friend, Brecka, messaged me and said she was pretty sure she's going to use the Run Less Run Faster program to train, and asked what I was going to use.

Now this is a plan I had looked at, but haven't heard much about. I figured, if I use it, we could train together and maybe it would help keep me on track to have a friend to run with and an accountability partner for completing cross training workouts. So I bought the app for my phone, ordered the book from Amazon, set a finish time, and got excited at the prospect of not having to run as much using this program.

Current read. We affectionately call it the "Running Bible" or the "RB".

I haven't quite finished reading the book, I'm almost done, but I LOVE the way training is set up! 3 running days and 2 cross training days. The running days include a track workout, a tempo workout, and a long run, all paces are worked out for you based on your time from a finished race and desired finish time. The cross training for each week has already been planned as well, all you have to decide is which of the two workouts you want to do. There's a lot of information in the book. If you plan to use the program I suggest buying it. Here at Amazon it's cheaper than in the bookstore.

I'm choosing to not disclose my finish time, simply because everyone has some kind of opinion of how fast someone should be able to run. If you follow the same plan, you may be able to figure that out of course.

I have chosen to use the swim as one of my cross training workouts and will alternate between the bike and rowing for the other one. I will also be adding in some strength training to help build muscle and for overall strength and health, even though the plan doesn't necessarily recommend that.

I've just finished week one. I'm starting off injured, which of course isn't ideal, but I know if I listen closely to my body, I should be okay. Monday and Friday will be cross training days, Tuesday track, Thursday tempo and Saturday long run with Wednesday and Sunday as rest days.

Monday's swim workout was actually quite easy. It involved 20 lengths of the pool only kicking with 30sec rest in between. I was a swimmer in a past life, so it really wasn't difficult and made me want to do more, but I'm going to trust the process and follow the plan as closely as I can. In the book it talks about how swimming can loosen the ankles of a runner and help with lower leg power. I also wear short flippers (Finnis Zoomers) which I've read help force your feet to kick the right way. I always wind up with minor shin splints when I start swimming again, I'm hoping that it's just all of the muscles loosening up and the issue will be a short lived one. I also lifted a small circuit of lighter weights for legs that day. I have a hamstring injury (likely tight muscles) and am trying to help strengthen my legs overall. I really miss lifting and am happy to be back in the gym again.

Tuesday was my first track workout and the first workout I was able to do with Brecka! She'd never done speed work like this before so I was pretty excited for her and for our chance to run together!! The workout called for 12 times 400 lengths at 2:00 each and a 90 sec recovery interval. My legs were pretty sore from the previous day's weight lifting, but I managed to nail each one of them at 1:59. We are also doing the required warm up and cool down, which I've never done before, but we're both pretty serious about not getting more, or re, injured!

Wednesday was a rest day, and thank goodness for that! I'm already tired!!

Thursday had me a little worried. The first two miles were to be spent warming up and working your way to your tempo pace. I had not run at any of those paces in a really long time and was anxious at the prospect of having to do so now. What if I bombed it?!! After a quick pep text from Brecka I finally made my way out there to tackle it. Not even a mile in, my Garmin died. That can't be a good sign right? I walked myself home and charged it up just enough to finish the workout. To my surprise, I completely nailed every pace and held the tempos 100% steady! That is a good feeling!
 

Friday was meant to be a cross training day, and I was looking forward to it, but I was having some serious pain in my lower back. I had inadvertently bruised some muscles while trying to roll out my upper back where there's another injury (super tight lats and traps). I decided to rest so I would be ready for the long run on Saturday. It was a good choice. I'll get the second cross training workout this week.

Saturday's run was pretty much perfect! It was amazing weather, a little cold, but not so bad it was uncomfortable, sunny (eventually, we started in the dark) and gorgeous! Brecka and I nailed paces, though a little scattered, and came in under the recommended pace time by 5 sec. Not something we should necessarily do, but GPS is a little wonky on the canal, so we'll make do.

Overall this week's training was pretty much perfect! I loved every minute of it. The sore muscles (not the painful ones), the nerves, the success, the friend! It was great. Some things I still need to work on... adding in upper body lifting. I'm recovering from too tight muscles in my left traps and lats and have been given permission from the chiropractor to start lifting light weights, but to be careful. I will hopefully have another appt this weekend to help work out the knots. I also need to start eating way better. I am not currently eating to perform, and that is not okay. The demands of training means I've got to fuel right. I'm learning, and I'll get there.

If you're still here reading, congrats! That was a lot to go through, haha! Thanks for sticking around and following my journey thus far! I am excited for this training cycle and where I could be in the next 16 weeks! Maybe a PR!

  

Also, are you wondering about the wraps I'm wearing with the positive mantras on them?  Let me tell you about them quickly.  I'll do a separate post about them in further detail, later.  The company is called Momentum Jewelry and the wraps I'm wearing are Motivate Wraps.  I've recently become an ambassador for them, and I couldn't be more excited!!  Right now if you sign up at their website to receive their newsletter (don't worry, they won't spam you), you will receive a 20% coupon code to order from them!!  Sounds like a good deal to me!!  I LOVE my wraps and recently made a huge order.  I've already got in mind the next ones I want for my next order!!  Head over now and get signed up!!

What the Heck is Challengeville?

So...what's the big whoop about these silly little e-certificates that show up all over Instagram and sometimes on Facebook? Why would someone ever run 48, 93.3, 150, 200+ miles just to earn an intangible award? Why do runners have a mileage ticker at the end of their instagram post with the weird #oldguyrunning hashtag?

Graphic from Old Guy Running

Well, I'll tell you what it means to me, and likely what it means for a handful or more of the Challengeville participants. 

I'm a little more than a recreational runner. I don't just put on some Target running shoes and head out the door for a jaunt around the neighborhood. I love me some gear! I love reading people's reviews about their favorite running/compression socks, why they can't live without their GPS/heart rate watch and strap, their opinions on the very best hydration system, whether it be a handheld bottle, a fuel belt, the perfect hydration pack, or just hiding water bottles in discreet locations. I read about their preferred fuel and hydration sources...  the list of these options could go on forever!! I read about shorts and tanks....and shoes, oh my goodness the shoes! And then I shop. I buy what I've decided is the very best for me! I use training plans to give me some direction... long runs, short runs, speed work, whatever the case may be. There is some very dedicated planning to the type of running I do.

But, on the same coin, I'm not an avid racer. This past year I've been blessed with opportunities to run a handful of races. I've enjoyed them, and I'll always race some of my favorites or hit up a bucket list race, or try out a new one with a friend for fun, but as far as chasing down some serious time goals and earning all the bling... I don't think that's for me. That may change down the road, but for now, 5 or so races in a calendar year may be just about right!

That's where Challengeville comes into play.

Graphic from Old Guy Running

I heard about this freaking awesome group over a year ago while following a girl on Instagram. She was logging 150 miles for the title of Bigfoot! It was amazing to watch, and I wanted in on this. I started stalking the hashtags used and uncovered this wonderful community of runners just plugging away on the streets, trails, track, and treadmills trying to "claim their fame" in the form of an e-certificate. I'll admit, I thought it was a bit goofy at first and I considered not doing it, or at least not posting the cert when I was done. I chose the Tinman challenge first. 93.3 miles for the month and aiming for an even 100. I was sure I could do it, my training plan mileage suggested, it was in the bag with a little dedication. At the time I was training for a race I wasn't even sure I'd be able to do, but just in case, I was going to work for it.

The last day of July rolled around and I had spent nearly every other morning running the streets of my neighborhood and the local high school track and I chased down my first Tinman and locked in my 100 miles. Holy. Crap. I did it!!! I have never been so proud of myself as I was in that moment. Then I understood the draw to these little certificates that are lovingly generated by Old Guy Running himself. He is proud of his program, and he should be.

Each certificate I've been able to earn and July 2015 mileage goal met... and June goal failed!

See, Challengeville isn't about speed or crowds, although you can make it about that. It's not necessarily about PRs and tec shirts and medals (though maybe one day a component of this may be included =D). Challengeville was created to be better for yourself, push yourself, drive yourself. Do something maybe you've never done before. It's perfect for the recreational runner just looking for the motivation to push themselves out the door each day. It's perfect for the racer, who will be running the miles anyway, so may as well reward yourself during the months leading up to the big day. It's also perfect for someone like me, who dabbles a little in the racing scene, but enjoys a challenge that makes me better for just me (and let's be real, it's FREE!) I almost enjoy a mileage challenge better than a PR goal.

Graphic from Old Guy Running

In Challengeville I can run a 17:00 mile if I want/need to and plug away, not worrying about being the very last person coming into the finish. There won't be any police cars behind me and clean up crews picking up the course as I determinedly make my way to the finish of my goal. Racers and walkers alike, tend to finish the "race" within the same days as one another. In Challengeville I can also be the fastest runner that ever lived, and the end success, I would imagine, still feels the same. I consider myself a "middle of the pack" runner and I'm elated at the completion of each challenge!

 BUT WAIT

There's more to Challengeville than a mileage goal. It's the community. I mentioned within the hashtags lies one of the most supportive online running communities you'll ever find. Within these hashtags I have found friendships that I hold dear. Comradeship of like minded people after the same goals as me, though we may get there differently. They have acted as my mentors, my guides, my friends, and my family for more than a year. They have given to me more than I will ever be able to pay back. I hope to inspire people the way they have inspired me. Long before I joined Run Eat Tweet AZ, before I met up with Aravaipa trail running group, before I finally agreed to an MRTT run, and before I was paired up with my sweet buddy Jaylee through the I Run 4 Michael program, I had Challengeville. They were my very first running family.

Graphic from Old Guy Running

Would you like to join this amazing group on instagram? Would you like to see just how far you can take your goals? Do you just need a little more motivation to get you moving? I promise you, you won't regret this decision. You won't regret this goal. Even if you don't complete it (heaven knows how many months I didn't quite get done in time) there's still more benefits to joining than not. So in the words of my friend Barto, Old Guy Running, "How much can you run in a month?"

Are you just not a runner, or you're not quite there yet? No problem, walk those miles with pride. The distance is the same whether you walk it or run it. Just get up, get out, and move! Go check out the website, look at the challenges, look through the hashtags, sign up for September! I think you'll be glad that you did!

Graphic from Old Guy Running