Weeks 5 and 6

Almost done with week 6 of training. Week 5 went well. I increased my mileage to 4 miles 5x a week. Cardio-wise I was ready, but the increased mileage really did some damage to my shins. I completed week 5, but had to take it easier on week 6. Monday I could only do 3.1 miles instead of my scheduled 4 because my legs were not having it at all. Tuesday was a speed play or "Fartlek" day. Warmed up at a slow, steady jog for 10 minutes and then did 1 min on, 1 min off x 4 and then 10 minutes at a jog to cool down. This ended up being about 3 miles as well. Wednesday was a very busy day at work and I had to pack for out of town, so I didn't make it to the gym at all. Thursday I got my 4 miles in, but Friday I traveled all day and Saturday was Christmas Day, so I gave myself the day off as my Christmas present! Tomorrow I will still be in Amsterdam but I scoped out a local park where I can get my running in. When I get back home I know my training schedule will go back to normal. Next Saturday is the New Year's Day Resolution Run 5k. This will be my first 5k in almost 2 years. Want to set goal to beat in future 5k's. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Weeks 3 and 4 of Training

Weeks 3 and 4 of training are over. The mileage increased to 3 miles 5x a week. Last week we ran a total of 15 miles and this week we completed 16 miles. Next week we increase the mileage to 4 miles 5x a week. The group training sessions seem to be the best runs so far. I think it is so much easier when you have other people to push you. I have also had easier runs because I discoved an awesome website www.motiontraxx.com . These are free podcasts that are usually about an hour long and the music is recorded at certain beats per minutes so that you can pace yourself. This has allowed me to run at a steady pace and I feel like my strides are more even. I

I am still battling shin splints, but taking ibuprofen before the runs usually keep the pain under control. I have also taken out any other cardio/leg workouts from my schedule other that cross-training so as not to strain my shins any further. I want to incorporate more swimming and biking into my training to help take some of the pressure off of my legs. I am doing Pilates and/or Yoga about 3-4 times a week in addition to the running and cross-training and so far this has given me a good balance.

2nd Week of Training Completed

Week 2 of training completed! Training was difficult this week because of Thanksgiving and the schedule had to be tweaked a little. I uppedmy mileage to running 3 miles 3x this week for a total 9 miles. My cross training consisted of a 55 min Spin class on Tuesday and an hour on the elliptical on Friday. Saturday was our group run. It was really COLD and we were all still stuffed from Thanksgiving leftovers, but the run went really well. Saturday I also went to a Level 2 yoga class at a studio in Cartersville, which felt amazing after the run that morning.

Running has been a little better this week. My shins are still hurting after running, but not nearly as bad as last week. I still take Ibuprofen about 30 min before running and I bought some calf compression sleeves to help as well. So I am ready to enter week 3 of training!

1st week of training completed

Just finished my first week of training for the Berry Half-Marathon. I have been battling shin-splints this week. The mileage doesn't bother me at all, but by the end of the 2 miles my shins are screaming in agony. It is really frustrating! I finally went on friday to Just Sports and Tennis to have someone watch the way I walk and actually measure my feet so that I could be fitted with the right running shoes. I was told that I have really low arches and that I overpronate when I run. I got a really good pair of shoes and some inserts, but when I ran friday afternoon my legs were still in pain. I am hoping that the new shoes will help my shins get better, until then I am downing Ibuprofen and icing my legs!

Training for the Berry Half-Marathon

I have been running for about 2 years now and I have run 3 5k's, but I have always wanted to push myself past that 3.1 mile marker. So I began looking for some local 10k races to begin training for and found one at Berry College in March 2011. Luckily, the local YMCA was getting together a training group for the race. I went to the first training session on Saturday morning along with my friend Samantha. Lo and behold, the training schedules that they handed out were not for the 10k race but the half-marathon! 13.1 miles!! Samantha and I thought about it and decided to REALLY push ourselves and train for the half-marathon instead of the 10k. This is going to be a long, tough journey but we really feel up to the challenge. I am going to try to blog about this training process as much as possible. I think it will be a nice outlet to share this amazing experience. The official training schedule begins tomorrow. . .here we go!