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Wordless Wednesday

 

Let's Run About It // Half Marathon

I had originally set out to start a running “series” back at the beginning of June. I wanted to track my progress leading up to our local Spooktacular Half Marathon in October. However, I won’t be running the half marathon at this local race anymore. I’ve opted to downgrade to the 10k instead. And it’s not because I fell behind on my training or got injured. In fact, it’s the opposite. I had already started increasing my mileage by the end of June and was ahead of my training schedule. In August I had already done a handful of double-digit mileage runs. And then, this past Saturday, I actually completed the half-marathon distance goal I had for myself! So, I think this “series” will be more about running in general. New gear, speed work progress, new shoes, fuel options, and an overall update on my running journey.

My “training” wasn’t an actual training plan I got from somewhere or someone. Though, if you have a Garmin watch they have some great adaptable plans. My training consisted of building up mileage and cross-training. At the beginning of each month, I would increase my Saturday long run and then try to hit that mileage every Saturday for that month. For example, in June, my long-run goal was 6 miles. So, every Saturday I would try to run a minimum of 6 miles. In July, my goal was 8 miles. So, every Saturday I would try to run a minimum of 8 miles. And so on, and so forth. This helped me get comfortable with running those longer distances consistently. I would also run shorter distances twice a week. And in August, I also started to incorporate cross-training twice a week. This was just the standard weight lifting machines at Planet Fitness for 30-45 minutes each day. This helps to prevent injury, and I'm desperately in need of core strength. Anyway, I stuck to this routine pretty consistently and I noticed a big difference in my endurance. 

Still, there were some days when I didn’t reach those distances or didn't feel like going to the gym. There were two weeks when I wasn’t able to run due to illness or previous obligations with Emery’s after-school activities too. I did do my best to stay on top of the long-run goals though. The plan was to hit 10 miles consistently by September, and then in October, I would hit 12. Finishing it off with 13.1 by the end of October - in time for the Spooktacular Half Marathon. This past Saturday, as my running friend and I  started out the morning we discussed how much we didn’t like the idea of half-marathon and full marathon races. We each had started our running journey for fun, a want for a hobby, and for mental health benefits. There was this enjoyment and carefree attitude attached to it when we had started. And once we started training for these longer races we realized that it was taking up much more of our time than we had originally anticipated. Also, when we didn’t reach weekly goals it would affect how we felt about ourselves. It also caused us anxiety because we felt we weren’t going to be ready in time. Then there was the fear of getting injured or sick. Having to train had sucked the joy right out of running and we were both feeling mentally tired of all the stress that it was causing. 

This past Saturday our goal was to just do 10 miles. But as the run progressed I was feeling really good! When we hit 10 miles I knew I could go further. So, my friend and I hit up one of our local running club aid stations and then pushed through the last 3.1 miles. I did one final little loop and heard the "DING" on my phone signaling my latest achievement of 13.1 miles. And I felt this huge wave of relief when we stopped. I was done! I had just hit one of my 2023 Distance Challenge Goals: Run a half-marathon by the end of October. There were no cheering spectators or a medal at the finish line, but I had done it! I had had a good run day, and still felt strong as I walked a bit to cool down. If you're a runner then you know that this isn’t always the case for some of us. This achievement came at the hands of super early mornings, a lot of run club encouragement, many failures, and several “dumpster fire” runs. It felt great, but also like I had been beyond ready to be over it. 

While I'm super grateful to be able to run, and really proud to have finished 13.1 miles, I’ve come to the decision that races longer than 10k are not for me - right now. I think 6.2 miles is the sweet spot. Maybe if I get some more 13.1 distances under my belt I’ll feel comfortable enough to pursue those races. But for now, I’m going back to running for fun. I’m doing away with 4 a.m. wake-up calls, and going to focus more on shortening my interval times. I want to finish the year on a good, carefree note. I’m going to relax, and hopefully start out the new year with an overall yearly distance goal that’s challenging for me. Then I'll re-evaluate this decision sometime next year to see if I still feel the same. For now, here's to finishing out the year with easy runs and hitting my overall yearly distance goal of 350 miles!