Tuesday, August 26, 2014

#TeamLovie26



I've written this post in my head over many, many miles of running but as November nears, and since my official training plan starts this week, it's time to put my thoughts into a post. On November 2, I will be running my first half marathon in Raleigh! I've been putting in a lot of miles lately and trying to get on a good running schedule in order to prepare myself for the many more miles ahead.

The decision to run this half marathon was not completely my own. My west coast sister is coaching my sister Andi to run her first FULL MARATHON through Saucony's 26 Strong program. My littlest sister and I decided it would be more fun to run with them halfway to the finish line so here we are. We have collected a few other lovies along the way to run 13.1 with us and...to make things even better...Mark is also running the full 26.2! I can already feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins when I think about our big day in Raleigh at the City of Oaks Marathon/Half Marathon

When I started really working out in college, I remember feeling like I would never be able to run ten minutes on a treadmill. Shortly after I got into a good routine, paired with smarter eating, I ran my first 8k (The Charlotte Turkey Trot) and I felt the biggest sense of accomplishment. My body transformed in ways that I could have never imagined and I was better for it, both inside and out. Over the years, living a healthy and active lifestyle has been something I am passionate about. 



Most of my runs during the week are done pushing Will in the BOB and I honestly believe it has helped my running tremendously. I've decreased my average pace on my solo runs and overall I feel like I am able to push myself a bit harder. While I was pregnant, I ran up until about 30 weeks or so. Even after that, I did light jogging combined with lots of power walking. I remained active throughout my entire pregnancy and I thought that I would be back in the swing in no time, but with an unexpected c-section, my recovery took a little longer than planned. I got back in the groove slowly and really listened to my body. It was mentally hard knowing that I couldn't give my body that extra push I was used to, but giving myself the proper time to rest was so important. By the time Will was 6 months old and big enough to ride while I ran, I started out slow. My friend Julie introduced me to her interval training and it seriously was the best thing ever! Run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute. This was the greatest way for me to get back into a good running routine and kept me feeling strong. Slowly, I was able to lengthen my minutes of running and before long, I was back to solid 3 and 4 mile runs 4-5 times per week. 



I'm looking forward to pushing myself and having a goal to work towards. It's been so much fun having all of the running lovies to pump each other up on a daily basis! We check in often and encourage each other on the days that we are just not feeling it. I know that there will be great days and there will be days that I'll wonder how I will ever make it 13.1 miles, but I'm up for the challenge. Here's to pushing my limits, positive self talk and overcoming mental barriers. 



Get stoked. (that was for you, lovies)

4 comments:

  1. I'm so excited you're running the City of Oaks half! I am running a half marathon with Allison the next weekend in Savannah, but will probably be there to cheer on a few friends who are running that. Looking forward to cheering you on as well! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yay!! Good for you puffin!! Are you going to run intervals for the training and race?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't been running intervals in awhile. It was great to get me back into the swing but I'm training to run the full 13.1!

      Delete