Today is the day that I have anxiously been looking forward to. Not because it’s a holiday, birthday, or a no work day. Rather, it is the day that my training for the RnR San Antonio Half Marathon begins. Originally, I had taken the intermediate Hal Higdon training plan & tweaked it to suit my current needs… Resulting in a 12 week schedule. However, with my pelvic tilt being something I’m still consciously working on correcting, my “coach” Jason thought it’d be best to do a 16 week plan. That way I can stick to the 10% rule every step of the way and not risk inflaming the Bursa.
I’m not entirely thrilled about it. While the 10% rule is smart, it also can be a bit conservative. But, I am going to do whats best for my body and will get me my goal time, as well as launch me into full marathon training with a happy, healthy body.I’m looking forward to training this time around 10 billion times more than training for Columbia. I know this time around that I can totally tackle the distance. It’s all about doing it better. Being stronger & faster. On top of that, good grief am I so stoked for long runs. Life is SUPER STRESSFUL right now. A strict training plan is going to help ease the stress a TON!!!
I’m very confident that this training is going to go fairly well. I have a friend who is a certified running coach “guiding” my training. I know a lot more runners in the area now who I’m excited to hit up NCR Trail with, plus I’ve made a commitment to head downtown for Charm City Run Thursday Night group runs! (Bmore runners, join me!! The CCR crew is awesome & the runs start in front of the McHenry Row store! Usually running between 3-6 miles. ALL paces welcome!!!!)
The goal is to run with the 2:15 pace group. My finishing goal isn’t 2:15 but I do want to stay between the 2:15 and 2:30 pace teams the entire race… That’s all I can say. I always have this ridiculous fear that if I say my goal time on the blog, I’ll totally jynx myself. haha. I have a lot of work ahead of me… But I really truly believe I can do this. Having the right mindset is half the battle, right?! 
As a training kick off and “OH MY GOD CAN ANYTHING ELSE IN MY LIFE GO WRONG THIS WEEK” treat to myself I decided I could justify buying a clip on mp3 player. NO MORE ARM BAND! woooo!! What I wasn’t expecting, was finding one, brand new, on ebay for 99 cents… And winning the auction!!! Probably not the best sign that I’m the only one who bid on the product, but whatever… I can’t be too upset if it breaks quickly when the grand total with shipping was $4.26
Have any big races coming up?
Have you already run your goal race of the year?
Yay for starting the half training plan! Good luck to you. My big goal was to run my 2nd marathon, and I did that in Seattle. Now I’m going for the sub-5 hour marathon in December, so I guess I have myself a new goal race.
Excited for you to start training for your second half!! While it sucks to have to be conservative, I think it’s smart to give your body a little extra time to get you to the finish line safe, strong and healthy. But you know that already
Regardless, you’re going to do great!
Love that you got such a great deal on e-bay! I’m always scared to bid on things, win them and then be unpleasantly surprised when they arrive.
Guess you can’t go wrong with a $4 iPod!
Woo-hoo training! I love having a training plan. As someone who has to tell people everyday what to do for exercise, it’s nice for me to have it the other way around. Conservative is good. Studies show that it’s the best way to build strength, speed and stay injury free. You are going to rock this training and race!
Nice steal on ebay!
SO SO SO EXCITING FOR YOU.
no races here.
Im officially a cheerleader.
This is just what you need right now, running will ease the stress (as you already know) I am still thinking of little man but you get out there and pound that pavement!!
Running without stress or high expectations. I love that. Those two ingredients right there make the perfect run for me! I like just going with the flow,challenging myself as I go along but without setting myself up (if that makes any sense! lol).
I’m doing my first half-marathon September 23 here in Ottawa! I’m excited and nervous! I’m not setting a goal time just yet
I’m super excited for you Char!!!!
How exciting!!! You sound really pumped to tackle this challenge. Wishing you the best as you train for this big race. You can do it!
So excited for you! You are going to rock this!!! I had my big race in February…now it’s onto having a baby!
Is the half in November? I was hoping it would be in September and I could cheer you on. I will be training very conservatively for the Army 10 Miler after my summer of rehab. It will be hard to get used to 8-10 mile runs after 4-6 being my longest for so long.
I’m glad you have a race to focus on right now–a great distraction! And sounds like you have a good plan in place. 10 percent really is a good rule, ’cause in the end, staying unhurt will keep you happy.
I raced Sat. night down in Rockville. It was slower than normal, but I placed in my age group, so that makes me happy!
Yay for training! I started training for my next half this week too! We can be virtual training buddies. You are going to do great!
good luck, girl! can’t wait to follow your training!
People say that they get more stressed during training, but I’m not sure how, I’m with you, a strict training plan helps me in everyday life. It’s mandatory relaxation! You will rock this, my first 1/2 I ran at 2:38, so for my next I’m hoping to go down to somewhere between 2:15 and 2:30 also.
Woohoo! 10% sounds conservative but just make sure you’re listening to your body so you don’t wind up injured {cough cough I’m speaking from experience cough haha}.
Good luck on the training!!! And what a great deal on that mp3 player!!!!
Good luck with your training. Your plan sounds really smart. Yay for the ebay deal!!!!
good luck with the training lady! you will kiss ass for sure! my big race coming up is tough mudder in august. haven’t done much distance running in a while, but definitely set your goals high for your next half and you will finish in your goal time (whatever that might be hehe dont jinx it!) good luck! can’t wait to follow your blog
Yay for new training plans! Good luck!
An iPod for 99 cents! Amazing deal! I always carry my iPhone while running and it’s a pain in the butt. I think I need to search ebay!
So exciting to start training for a new race! I’m building up my base mileage to start marathon training again – it’s always very exciting, although a little scary this time that I’m in a new state and learning how to run better here (elevation). Good luck with your training!
I honestly would love to get some altitude training in! I want to run the rnr denver & Boulder to Boulder so badly but im terrified that i would like, die from the altitude haha
It sounds more fun than it is, but it really is gorgeous! I hope to run Boulder to Boulder next year.
YAY! Go girlie! You can do it and I think your training plan sounds perfect! xo
Yay for starting 1/2 marathon training! You’ve got this. & great deal on the iPod…can’t go wrong.
Thanks!! & ya that was my thoughts. even if it breaks I cant be too upset. it was 4 bucks after all!
Ha, yay! You got an iPod with a clippy!
haha, i went straight to ebay after that conversation the other day
I’m pretty sure the first day of training for a half or marathon is a holiday in the runner universe!
I am training for the Brooklyn Marathon in November and have been focusing on cross-training so interested to see how that impacts my time.
16 weeks is a bit long for a half training, but based on what you have going on, I think it’s a smart thing to do. It also gives you time to not stress should you have a week or two that don’t go as planned. Have fun with it!
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