half marathon | Keeping up with Kate

Half Way There…

Posted on February 27, 2015 by keepingupwithkate91

Good morning! Taking a vacation day today to catch up on some things at home (like cleaning – yuck) since I’ve been traveling so much for work. I’ll do another post at a later time on my whirlwind travel.

I’d thought I’d take a break from cleaning (which honestly I haven’t done much yet) and give you an update on my Half Marathon Training. First off I can’t believe I’m halfway through the training. We are in week 5 – 5 more weeks to go until the BIG DAY – March 29th – The Philly Love Run!

In 5 weeks I’ve accomplished the following:

Completed my first 5K – using my Run/Walk cadence (2 mins running / 1:15 walking). I’ve done many 5Ks – but it has always been walking. And this 5K gave me a dose of hills – wow!
I’ve completed the following Sunday (sometimes into Monday) Runs – 6, 8 and 9 miles – I only missed the 7 miles because I hadn’t joined a gym and it was bitter cold out. Each week is 1 mile more and each week an achievement for me as my longest run!
I’ve spent a small fortune in outdoor running apparel! 🙂

But even more importantly I’ve learned the following about myself:

I actually enjoy the 2 – 3 mile run / walks – For those who know me – shocking I know!
This whole 13.1 Miles still scares the crap out of me – but that is OK – Challenges should – I’ve been in my comfort zone for a long time (in many aspects of my life).
Once I give myself a pep talk and actually start running – I’m good.
After my 9 miles this past Sunday – I was wiped out and a bit sore – I listened to my body and took 2 days off. I so needed it and the rest really helped me do well on my hills on Wednesday.
Making myself a priority – committing to getting my training runs and other training in during the week is just as important as the Sunday long runs.
I enjoy running by myself. I know many like running with someone. I love the solitude. I spend so much time on the phone with work this is my time to enjoy the scenery and let myself worry about one thing – am I running or walking!
I’m sure there will be many more as I continue this journey.

I’ll leave you with this song from my playlist – the timing is perfect when I’m halfway through my miles for the day – gives me that extra push! 🙂

Training Day 1 Lesson(s)

Posted on January 25, 2015 by keepingupwithkate91

Today was my first official training day for my half marathon. Welcome to winter running – I’ve been spoiled the first month of my unofficial training – we’ve had an unseasonably warm winter and sans snow. Well that changed on Friday night into Saturday with a touch of wet snow (say ice for Sunday).

This morning we met at the park – where they hadn’t even plowed the parking lot – rough skating rink. So we met as a group to find who was in our running group. I was partnered with Charlotte. We’ve both been doing a run/walk program (her’s 3 min/1 min and mine 2 min / 1:45) (more on that later). We both consider ourselves non-runners – so a perfect match. 🙂

We left that park and drove to a spot where we could warm up without falling and started our 5 mile loop on Edinburgh Road. And off we went on our run with an adjusted pace of 2 minute run and 1:30 walk. It started off great but I knew about a mile into it – it was messing with my breathing (I will tell you that has been one of the things I’ve been so proud of on my prep – my breathing has been great). Anna (my trainer) was checking on all the runners and she immediately noticed how winded I was (and I know my face was super red – although that is normal for me) and I told her what I did. She reminded me this is MY RACE (journey) and not to adjust – so I adjusted my gymboss app midway and got myself back to my 2 minute run / 1:45 minute walk.

How did I do on my first ‘official’ day of training (and this journey I’m embarking on…):

Mileage: 5.17
Time: 1:08:56
Pace: 13:20 (best: 12:09 / most realistic: 14:19)
Avg HR: 166
Max HR: 179

Day 1 in the Books!

So what did I learn today?:

Run / Walk on my terms
Listen to my body (aka my breathing)
I need to warm up a bit more (and cool down) – my arches totally seized up post 5 miles
Continue to leverage my mantras – I Believe, I’m Resilient, I’m Strong and Be Patient!!!
I like the solitude of running

Until my next post!