Training Tuesday: Tips For Training For Your Next Half Marathon

Sorry for the late post! I've been having issues with my server most of the morning. I think (& hope) it's working for good this time!

It's finally cooling off here. It was in the 70s yesterday afternoon during my run and in the low 50s (with some humidity ahhhh so refreshing!) for my 6.81 miles this morning. I always used to lvoe ending my runs on the .5 or .0 marker, but I've relaxed a bit over the years ; )

Since I decided to make a half marathon my training goal for this Fall I figured it would be helpful to share some of the things that I've learned to help you train smart for your next half (whether it be your first or 50th)! I love running the half distance because training is never crazy-intense and you can still do other fun activities while training for one! I think it's taken me several marathon training cycles to realize that half training isn't as intense as I *once* thought it was!!

• Know your course & train for it. If your course will be hilly, make sure to throw in atleast one hilly run a week. If it's going to be downhill, maybe do a few longer runs on the treadmill on the decline option. 

• Map out your prior commitments and know how you'll still fit in your training that week/day. This is something I DIDN'T do during my first half training cycle and ended up missing a few long runs towards the end of my training cycle. If you know you'll be out of town on the weekend, maybe plan to get your long run (or harder run) in before you leave. 

• Have a target pace range for what you want to run the race in and then know what your "easy" pace will be. I didn't start to vary my training paces until the last few years and WOW did it make a difference! My easy paces are typically 2:00-2:30 minutes slower per mile than my target half marathon pace range (7:40-8:00 min/mile). 
• Try out various gels and chews during your longer runs. Long runs are a great opportunity to test out various gels/ chews/ water/ nutrition before the run and how often you need a gel. I would only typically take a gel after 6 miles, but found that I actually needed one every 4.5 miles to keep me from potentially bonking. 

• Wear your race day outfit at least once on a longer run before the race. Maybe your perfect race day outfit works great for a three mile run, but it starts chafing at 8 miles. Knowing that your outfit is still comfortable in those later miles will make all the difference come the big day. 

• Train in the climate that your race will be at. Will your race day typically be hot or rainy or at night? Try to get in a few runs to help acclimate and simulate race day temperatures. I know for running Las Vegas Marathon last year (it starts at 4:30pm), I would do one marathon-paced run a week starting anywhere between 3 & 5pm after work. It wasn't the ideal start time for me, but I learned to make it work and practice my nutrition leading up to the start time. 

• Don't give up if you have a bad training run (or two). When I was training for my first half marathon I remember getting really frustrated with how many times I had to stop and walk during those 8 miles. I didn't take into account how little sleep I had, how hot (and humid) it was outside, what my nutrition leading up to the run was like, etc. Accept it and move on. Bad runs happen to everyone- don't dwell on it. 
• Adjust your goals if training isn't going the way you'd like it to. Not able to get in all the mileage on your training plan or something came up that made you miss an entire week of training? Regardless of your circumstances not every training cycle will go perfectly and know (and accept) when maybe this training cycle isn't meant for you to chase down a PR, but have fun or wear a crazy costume or focus on nailing a negative-split. There's a season for everything. 

What else would you add to the list of tips?

Rainy (but slightly humid runs)- love 'em or hate 'em?

Favorite temperature (and time of day) to run in? --> probably 50s/ low 60s cloudy 8am. 

JULY MILEAGE

Last day of July! Can you believe it?!? This month definitely FLEW BY for me. I think starting the month off with our vacation really made this month super funky and go-by with a bit of jet-lag. 

I hit my HIGHEST MILEAGE WEEK EVER this month and am still in shock! I'm so awestruck that I was able to run this much this month (including a week of only 20 miles) and am really excited to see what else is in-store for me during this training cycle. I'm feeling fitter and stronger than ever. 

I remember when I first started running and my long-runs would consist of running and walking (I think I was definitely battling Anemia as well) and would feel really disappointed after each training run. My legs would feel really heavy and I would just be defeated and continue to beat myself up about it. Now that I've over 50 miles longer than that milestone, I just feel really lucky, strong, and capable of so much more! It helps to have something stable in your life like running when other things in your life are unsteady and unknown. 

I love how running is always there. Like your favorite sweater, it just fits and works with you rather than judging you if you maybe gain those 5 extra Ibs around the Holidays.

The first full week of the month was spent getting back into work and day-to-day rhythm and also building up my base mileage before marathon #5 training would begin the following week! 

The next three weeks were spent building up mileage by 5 miles each week and now I'm at a point where I'll stay pretty steady around 45 miles for about 4 weeks before adding on a few more to get to 50!

I also got the new Brooks Ghost 10's and have seriously been LOVING them the past 2 weeks! I wish I could wear my running shoes ALL THE TIME. 

I'm still debating adding in a half-marathon into this training schedule either in September or October- any thoughts? I'm torn between wanting to keep building my base and keep chipping-away at my speedwork sessions and also really try to trim-down my half marathon PR to the time that I know I'm capable of! I'm really always into being adventurous and "going for it", but I also want to play this training cycle safe and come to the starting line ready to run it all out. Hmmm...I have until tonight to make my decision on the September race (the price increases by $10) and I'm giving myself a deadline (the end of this week) to decide on the October race! I just really love racing! 

I also had my first double-digit run since the marathon last month (10 miles) and it felt really strong. My training plan had me running at my long-run tempo pace of 9:29 min/mi and I was a bit skeptical of hitting this pace since I didn't start my run until 1pm on Saturday (it was overcast, but still over 80 degrees outside) and my legs were pretty sore from the week of tough training runs. I stopped a few times during my run to get in the shade and cool my body temperature down and take in some extra fluids to prevent dehydration. I kicked it up in the last mile (the bad thing about my garmin is that I'm unable to see what my average pace is throughout the run and only what my current pace is) since I knew I'd be close to hitting my average pace and couldn't be more excited to see that I hit my pace EXACTLY at the end of my run! This was such an uplifting feeling. I'm hoping to have more training runs like this!

I took Sunday as my rest day and ran 6.15 miles on the treadmill this morning to get me to 150 miles for the month at slow recovery pace (my heart rate didn't go above 150 so that's progress!). 

How was your weekend?

Thoughts on racing a shorter distance before a big goal race? 

Any big milestones for you this month or training plans scheduled for August?!

Beginning of trip recap- 2, 225 miles to Maine

We left Steamboat at around 5:30 (later than expected) and had to get to Maine by Friday evening (or Saturday morning at the latest). We definitely had a bit of a time-crunch to get there! 

Stealthy photo taken of Stella spying on us while on the road! The first night we drove until somewhere in Nebraska until around 11pm and stopped for the night at a hotel. 

We were up and out of the hotel by 7 and back on the road the next morning! Hello extra caffeine! Within 40 minutes of leaving the hotel, we crossed the Central Time Zone and added an hour onto our drive (bummer). Driving through Iowa seemed to take forever (it's really really flat there), but we finally hit Illinois and started feeling like we were actually getting somewhere!

We arrived in Indiana in the late afternoon and decided to stop there for the evening. That left us about 11 hours (12 with the time change) left to drive on Friday to get to Maine! 

The hotel that we stayed at (hellllo Quality Inn #2 - also never staying at another one again because we somehow only got these hotels through our priceline deals) had a gym hotel so I got in a quick 3.25 miles before we left around 7:30. 

Also Indiana has REALLY nice rest stops. They had Panera and we couldn't resist not stopping for some healthy eats while on the road. Fuji Apple Chicken Salad #1 please!

We hit the Eastern Time Zone again within an hour of leaving the hotel (definitely a pattern that followed throughout our entire trip) and soon enough we were in New York!

Driving through New York brought back so many fun college memories (I went to Syracuse in upstate NY) and we drove right by the exit that I would get off at when I drove to school after vacation breaks! I wanted to stop, but when we hit it at 6pm and knew we had 7 hours left to go, Alex wasn't all for it...ha ha. 

We arrived in Vermont around 9pm and drove right past Alex's parents house (so of course we had to stop there at 10pm at night and surprise them)! They were pretty surprised especially when we told them several times that there was "no way that we could stop there". 

We finally arrived in Maine at 2am on Saturday morning (pure adrenaline keeping us going at this point) and crashed until 10am! 

It was a really long trip and I think if we could have left a bit earlier on Wednesday, that would have made the last leg of the drive easier, but we really didn't hit much traffic and kept our stops to around 10-15 minutes (but would stop every 2-3 hours keeping our minds/bodies refreshed). The weather on Friday was pretty terrible as well (pouring rain almost the entire day), which slowed us down too- driving on the highway with hail/wind/rain= not so much fun. 

Favorite Running Memes

Since we're busy driving the day away, I figured I would share with you a few of my favorite running memes! 

The memes below seriously depict how I feel about running/training sometimes and that's why they're so great!

Running really is my favorite and that's kinda surprising because I remember when I used to think of it as a CHORE! Now I will actually find myself waking up at 5am to go run 10 miles and I can also sometimes become like a small child in a candy store when a race is coming up (especially any Disney or Rock 'n Roll races). 

Well, maybe not Nikes exactly, but definitely running shoes! Want to know the perfect gift to get a runner? A giftcard to their favorite running brand (ahem... Brooks)- you seriously can never go wrong with this one! Getting a new pair of running sneakers is better than Christmas Day to me. 

Buzz Lighter ladies and gentlemen. He knows exactly how many of us feel about the pure joy that running 13.1 miles does for us! He was always one of my favorite Toy Story characters and now I know why...

Another Disney-related one, but it is SO true! A good pair of sneakers can bring about tears, laughter, growth, excitement, and fancy finisher medals! I remember when I ran my first half-marathon and was seriously wearing running sneakers that were TWO TIMES bigger than my shoe size! They still are such a magical pair to me. Running shoes > glass slippers

You HAD to know this one was coming! 

Favorite running meme?

How's your Dream Beyond Your Comfort Zone Project going?

Here are my three things that I am thankful for today:

1. healthy body

2. Stella

3. laughter

How I went from focusing on the entire run to just one mile at a time

I truly believe that if you only see a run as the total numbers of miles you have to run, it'll seem daunting and intimidating. I think this is my biggest advice to those just starting to run or going from training for a half marathon to a full marathon. Take one mile at a time, very similar to taking it one step at a time.

I also really like this strategy when running a race. Just focus on the mile that you're in, you can't change the past, and thinking about the future will only help you go so far. Stay in the moment and enjoy it! 

I also definitely think this can be applied to anything in life. If you worry about the things/items that may come about the next day, you may never sleep. I've heard a lot of people say that it's good to be nervous/stressed about a race or big interview the next day because that means you care, which I agree to a certain extent, but worrying doesn't get you very far- it certainly won't provide a fantastic race day for you or get you the job. 

SO, worry less and enjoy the ride. As we're finishing up packing and getting ready to head onto the road tomorrow back to New England, I feel like I've needed to remind myself to stay in the moment every ten minutes. It is pretty stressful trying to get everything done before vacation! But, you know what? So what if not everything gets done or something gets forgotten? It really isn't the end of the world and definitely isn't worth the immense stress that we put on our bodies. **I need to try to remember this when those difficult workouts come on my training schedule again**

Onto my day recap! Tuesday was spent doing the usual work (I attempted to get up at 5 to run before work, but getting up early has been really HARD lately) and went for my 3.6 (supposed to be 4 originally) mile run in-between the end of work and before coaching. 

It was in the mid-80s out and super warm. My garmin said that I had 61 hours of recovery time afterwards, I guess that's what I get for 1. trying to fit in a certain amount of mileage in a short period of time 2. going faster than my post-marathon body was ready for 3. running in the HEAT with no water bottle with me

I also came across this sign on a section of my run:

I've seen moose in this area before, but no luck today! Probably for the best, since the trail was pretty busy!

After work, I grabbed us a pizza for dinner and a few snacks for the road trip before heading home. We finally finished up packing (at least I THINK so) and are ready to hit the road tomorrow evening!

It's always a bit of bummer to know how quickly vacations go by and I know this one is no exception, but just take it one day (or mile) at a time! 

I had this Siggi's Yogurt before my run for a snack and it was super delicious! Siggi's really is the best yogurt out there- I'm convinced.

That's all for me today and maybe by the time you're reading this we'll be out of Colorado and on our way headed back East! 

Favorite way to visualize a run?

Favorite snack pre-run?

Favorite way to make sure everything gets done before a vacation?