A quick note - my camera has officially keeled over and only saves about 1 out of every 10 pictures appropriately (all the rest are "corrupt"). So I apologize ahead of time for not a lot of photos in my posts. I am trying to decide whether I should get it fixed or upgrade.
I have been getting quite a few questions about my half marathon that I am currently training for. Some have been from people that I don't know via e-mail (a first for me and very exciting - this is a pretty small blog!) and some from people I am very close to. I thought it might be fun to do a couple of FAQ posts and also post updates on my training weekly as this will (hopefully) help keep me on track. So here we go! If you have questions that are not answered below, add them to the comments or shoot me an e-mail!
Why a half marathon?
I started randomly saying last summer, "Wouldn't it be cool to do a half marathon next summer?" It wasn't a serious suggestion, just something that I thought would be fun. I decided to sign up for the 5-mile Turkey Trot this past fall and spent all fall working towards increasing my distance and speed (yes, it took that long!). I was very happy with my time (averaged a 13 min 3 sec pace - walking the entire way). I felt as though I had really pushed myself and accomplished something.
After the Turkey Trot, the weather got cold, finals came around, and I got lazy. Right before Christmas, I started to seriously consider a longer distance race. I started walking longer distances outside and on the treadmill and was surprised at what my body could actually do. I really don't think we give ourselves enough credit - our bodies are capable of a lot!
A few people (including my pain management doctor) have called me an "athlete" in the past couple of months but this doesn't resonate with me. According to the Free Dictionary, an athlete is:
"A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts."
This is not me. I have always thought that weight loss is a huge mental game and I still see myself as the chubby kid whose gym teacher used to tell her to skip forward and backward rolls because there was no way she was going to be able to do them (I could, by the way). So, I have something to prove to myself. I need to prove to myself that I am, in fact, an athlete and someone capable of committing to the training for this event and completing it successfully.
I think this is a good distance for me. It's a challenging distance to maintain a good pace and I definitely need to train my body to be in good enough physical and mental shape to accomplish this, but it is not so long that the training takes over my entire life. I am definitely moving towards being an endurance exerciser. I feel like I don't hit a good stride until I've been walking 3-4 miles. After that, I usually can just cruise along. :)
What half did you chose? Why did you chose it?
I am signed up for the Green Bay Cellcom (Half)Marathon.
My main goal for this race is to just finish it! While I would like to complete the race knowing that I did my best, I'm not putting a time limit on myself. If I trip and fall on my face (hey - it's known to happen) and I need 7 hours to finish this race, I can take it. Most races that I have researched give you a time limit that you have to finish within. Many require an average pace of 14-16 min/mile. While this is absolutely doable for me, I want the super-cushy 7 hour limit that the GB race offers. The timing worked out quite well too as I will be just finishing up the semester and I don't know what I will be doing this summer yet.
Why are you walking the half?
There's a few reasons:
1. I don't love running.
2. Last spring I made it a goal to run a full mile without stopping as I had never in my life done that. Once I met that (and was up to nearly 3 miles running without stopping), I started having major issues with my knees and hips. These issues continued until I was forced to stop as I wouldn't be able to walk normally and without intense pain for two to three days after each run. I don't see the point of hurting myself while trying to be healthy.
While I don't love running, I LOVE walking. It's calming and great exercise without all the high impact problems (especially if you can go at a decent speed).
If you're not running, why train?
I know that I am capable of going out and walking 13.1 miles. I could probably finish this race in a respectable amount of time even. I mean, I hiked 12.5 miles in Glacier National Park when I was ~60 pounds heavier than I am now.
I have a reason behind why I am training and why I'm training for so long: I'm in this for the training more than the race. I need something to keep me on track when I am tired (or being lazy) and really don't want to work out.
For instance, on Monday, I was having a very bad workout day. About two miles into my walk, I wanted to quit and just call it a day. In the past, I probably would have. However, just the thought that I was going to be doing the half really spurred me on. I ended up completing six miles in an hour and 20 mins. While I was tired and didn't want to do it, my body was capable and I taken a rest day on Sunday so I knew I could push myself.
How far into training are you? What training plan are you following
My longest training walk so far is 9 miles. Last week, I started working on putting together my own training plan. Since I am training over quite a lengthy period of time and am already pretty strong, most training plans just don't seem like a good fit for me (see Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Walking Program and The Walking Site's Program for good examples).
To view my current training plan, click here. I am using this doc as a way to plan my workouts for the week and then log in what I actually did. While I have a semi-set plan for my longer training walks (which may or may not change a little depending on weather, fatigue, etc.), I am leaving the rest of my weeks open to planning the week before. I hope that this will give me maximum flexibility for cross training and free weights and it will allow me to alter my workout schedule based on the weather. Let's face the truth here: I hate the gym and I'd rather workout outside. :)
Have a good Saturday.
