Well Hello March! I know I shouldn't be complaining about the weather, I don't live in the midwest or New England but still...is it warm anywhere? Come on spring!
We're in the middle of a long (for Colorado) cold spell but I haven't let that keep me from running outdoors! In the past week, my 4 week "get back on track/get ready for Hawaii" training plan has morphed into an 8 week half marathon training program. What?! Since my move to TX is getting pushed back a few weeks, I decided to bite the bullet and finally register for the Horsetooth Half Marathon in April. I've lived in Colorado for a long time, consider myself a runner, but have always been too intimidated to do this race. I don't really have enough time to really train, have barely been running any hills, but I'm going to do it anyways. I feel like it's a MUST DO race around here. It's not like me to jump into something like this, but I'm starting to realize that there is never a perfect time to do a race. So...I'm just going to do it!
I'm not gonna lie. I'm a little scared. But even more excited! I finally have a race to train for! Here's what's ahead of me on race day:
We're in the middle of a long (for Colorado) cold spell but I haven't let that keep me from running outdoors! In the past week, my 4 week "get back on track/get ready for Hawaii" training plan has morphed into an 8 week half marathon training program. What?! Since my move to TX is getting pushed back a few weeks, I decided to bite the bullet and finally register for the Horsetooth Half Marathon in April. I've lived in Colorado for a long time, consider myself a runner, but have always been too intimidated to do this race. I don't really have enough time to really train, have barely been running any hills, but I'm going to do it anyways. I feel like it's a MUST DO race around here. It's not like me to jump into something like this, but I'm starting to realize that there is never a perfect time to do a race. So...I'm just going to do it!
I'm not gonna lie. I'm a little scared. But even more excited! I finally have a race to train for! Here's what's ahead of me on race day:
Source: http://www.horsetoothhalfmarathon.com/
Needless to say, I've incorporated some hills into my training runs.
For my first week of training, I'm feeling pretty good. I ran halfway up Monster Mountain for one run, got out for 2 shorter runs, and then did a 5 miler this weekend. I'm doing a fairly low-mileage training plan, since I don't have a great base to work with. My goal is to finish in one piece and have fun...not a PR race for me at all.
With perfect timing, I received two really fun things in the mail this week! First, this adorable shirt from Run Far Girl. I won it in a giveaway at the Deborah Zoe Blog! I seriously NEVER win anything so I was a little over-the-top excited about it. I'm loving how comfy it is, and of course the saying is more than fitting. I think I've found my new mantra for training! I highly encourage checking out this fellow mama/runner's shop. Her stuff is awesome! I'll be placing my own order again soon I'm sure.
I registered! Ready to "Embrace the Hill"...err...hills!
My other fun mail surprise was this pair of compression socks from Tiux. I've never used compression socks before but have been really curious about how they can help my runs and recovery. I'll be trying them out over the next few weeks and then I'll post a review on them.
Along with my running workouts, I'm still incorporating yoga and strength workouts into my weekly plan. I've been doing this core workout lately and it really gets the job done! Do 25 reps of each exercise. Go through the first set without rest. Take a 30-60 second break and then complete set 2. Complete both sets 2-3 times.
It feels pretty good to be going out of my comfort zone for this next race. I'll keep you posted on how my training is going each week!
how about you?
Have you ever signed up for a big race on a whim?
What's your favorite core exercise?
What's your favorite core exercise?
RSS Feed
