Since I was down for the count and in vacation recovery mode on Monday, I didn’t post my usual last week’s workouts or talk about fitness. Since this is something that’s really important to me and I want to keep it as a key part of my blog, today I’m linking up with two awesome girls, Kristen and Raven for Inspire Me: Healthy. I’m not going to talk about weight loss or anything like that. More about how to stay fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle!
Thursday: 4 mile run in Gulf Shores! {8:46 mile/min pace}
Friday: Beach soccer and long walks on the beach
Saturday: 4 mile run ON THE BEACH {10:05 pace} so hard to run on sand but so fun!
Sunday: OFF
Monday: 3.35 mile tempo run {8:28 pace}
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: 3 mile easy run {8:57 pace}
Thursday: 4 mile tempo run {8:42 pace} – yes, I ran this morning!
Clearly I’ve been doing a lot of running and not so much cross training. It doesn’t help that I haven’t had access to my gym since I was on vacation and now I’m dog sitting at my parents house. However, I’ve been sure to keep up with my workouts with makes me proud.
Now let’s talk about running for a bit. I am currently on Week 2 Day 6 of training for my first FULL MARATHON. Let me go ahead and be honest and through it out there, I’m terrified. 26.2 miles. That’s a lot of miles. I don’t even like to drive for that long, let alone run it! To date, my longest distance is about 15 miles. I’ve run 8 half marathons, I am running another in November and a 30K in December. That’s a lot of miles if you add them all together, but still 26.2 is quite daunting. I’ve always said that the thought of running a half marathon and getting to the finish just for someone to say, “Okay, now turn around and go back to the start.” Doesn’t sound to great does it? However, I’m comfortable running half marathons. I know that without training I could still finish right around 2 hours {I promise I’m not trying to brag here}. The point is that I need a new challenge. A new feat. A new goal to reach! Running is my passion and I love it. I’m not the best, I’m not always disciplined, but I’m a runner. And now, I’m going to do what so many people dream of being able to do. I’m really doing it y’all!
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| Half marathon #8 – I got this! |
Here’s my training for the rest of August:
Can you believe there are only 2 weeks left in August?!
Before I go, I want to address one thing that people ask me fairly often: how can I learn to love running or what can I do to make myself enjoy running. Obviously you really can’t force yourself to love or enjoy anything. However, I will say that it’s all about the mindset. Running is an incredibly mental sport. You can physically run or run/walk or power walk and gradually increase your pace, but if you head isn’t in it then your body will respond accordingly. Try and make it a game, switch things up, challenge yourself! You’ll feel good about it in the long run and the more you do it, the better you get! Personally, when I’m good at something, it makes me want to do it even more!
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| 5K back in May |
Another thing I’ve found helps me to enjoy running even more is having a goal. Pick a race, any race, any distance, and go for it! Having a structured training plan keeps me motivated and excited about running! I love being able to cross a workout off of my calendar and seeing how much I improve throughout the training period. In June 2009, I woke up one morning and decided that I was going to run a half marathon and started training. That was it! That’s all it took to truly spark my passion and love for running. Still a newbie and not ready to tackle any daunting distance? Couch to 5K or C25K. It’s a nine week training program to help ease you into the sport and get your bootie in gear!
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| Dominating Houston half in January |
So go ahead, get off the couch, get out there and get active! There’s no time like the present. Just do it: Inspire Me Healthy!
Until next time…
With love and God bless,
