1/2 Marathon Training - Month 1 Recap

A month has seriously flown by and our marathon training is going strong! Within our first month, my sisters & I have stuck with our strict schedule & have walked/jogged 20 days out of the last 28 days (though our very first day wasn't logged in the Nike app)...which is pretty freakin awesome!! A few times I have found myself 'itching' to do something active on Friday afternoons (one of our 'off' days)... because we walk/jog Mon-Thurs.

Saturdays are our long group runs - and last Saturday's was no joke....it was our longest yet - a timed 10K - to find out where we are in terms of pace. For us, we clocked in our 10K at a time of 1hr 15min., with an average pace of 11'47"/mi. - thank goodness for our Nike+ iPhone App!!

exact mileage can be slightly incorrect (either higher or lower) - depending on your GPS signal strength, length & pace of run...above screen shot should've only bee 6.2 miles {10K}

Not only does it do an awesome job of tracking each & every walk/jog we do...but it also syncs with Nike+ online...so I can look at my history of runs, charts and times...like this:

Pace overview from last night's run...in the RAIN and freezing COLD!

My GOAL to run 80 times by July...still have 62 more to go...wow

An overview of all 19 runs so far...it only gets more intense from here on out!

Anyway...back to the 10K...As we pushed through the last stretch of our run, I swore I could've cried at the finish line... I was soooo proud of us!! We all were in pain (mostly our calves/shins) - I was just so happy that we made it and got a pretty good time, for beginners following an interval program!!

Afterwards, we all went to a cute little place on 101 in ENC called 3rd Corner - where we ate yummy omelets and congratulated each other over a few mimosas. We thought it was well-deserved ;-)

What I've Learned
1 Month Mark

• Having my sisters running along side me is so amazing...I highly recommend getting a running buddy...it's great accountability!!
• Water, water...and more water! But for me, I cannot drink any about an hour before my walk/run... I am massively prone to side aches!
• Bananas are a runners BFF...lucky for me, I HEART them!!
• Stretching is extremely important - for me, it's my calves...they tighten up really bad, so pre & post helps a ton. I read that for those under 40 yrs old, to hold each stretch for 30 seconds...feels so good!
• Gradually introducing jogging with an interval system is key to maintaining stamina & injury prevention... changing it by 1 min. every few weeks. We started at 4/1 (walking 4 min. &jogging 1 min) are currently at 3/2 intervals, and change to 2/3's next week...ahhh!
• I really really enjoy our 'core strengthening' work outs - which involves a lot of planks (standard / sides), butt lifts, standard push-ups, etc.
• Getting my runs done during my lunch break is best, for me at least...it leaves the rest of my afternoon open for other things! And I'm hesitant to run while pushing K in our jogger...not sure I'd be able to keep up well on my intervals. I'm sure I'll have to here & there in the future... but for now, lunch breaks work just fine ;-)
• A good pair of shoes & custom molded inserts is CRITICAL!! I bought my Nike's almost 2 years ago... and according to the fantastic folks over at Road Runner Sports, I just found out that running shoes really should be replaced about once a year (less of course if you run more often). I knew the typical "replace every 500 miles max" rule of thumb, but I hadn't tracked any of my casual walking/jogs since I bought these shoes...so it's hard to know. But my goal was to make it through to the 1/2 way point of training (late March/early April)...and treat myself with a new pair of shoes...which also gives me time to properly wear them in before the Half Marathon on June 3rd.

My Road Runner "ShoeDog" Assessment and new custom molded inserts!!

To sum it up...we're all feeling great & looking forward to the future...dare I even say that?!! haha