So I just finished one week of the training program for the half-marathon.
Thursday - ran/walked 3 miles; Friday- rest day;
Saturday - ran/walked 3.2 miles; Sunday - rest day
Monday - elliptical 30 minutes
Tuesday - ran/walked 3.2 miles
Wednesday - ran/walked 3 miles
My body - my feet, my calves, my lower back, the back of my knees are all sore. This is even with concentrating on NOT heel striking.
Tonights group walk/run was *awful*. I was slowing my whole pace group down. On the way back there was a bench, and I *had* to sit down - just for 30 seconds. It was so HOT out. The temperature was at least 100 degrees at 7:00 p.m. - who knows what the real temp was.
Then the course - so many hills! Ugh!!
It took me 54:14 to do 3 miles. That is more than an 18 minute mile. I was completely wiped out by the time we got to the end.
The training schedule calls to do a 3 mile run tomorrow, and then a 5 mile run on Saturday.
I don't want to be the one holding everybody back. I really don't see how I'll do 5 miles on Saturday - even starting at 7 am.
Before I invest in a Garmin or in other distance running paraphernalia, I need to figure out if I really can do this. If I really want to put my body through this. I do know that if I do keep on with this, that I need to get the Garmin 50 sooner rather than later, because I hated not knowing the distance we'd gone, and had to really hold back from asking the pace leader too many times.
*Oh, and I was SO annoyed at the start -- one of the leaders was trying to give some last minute instructions, and people would NOT stop talking! I *so* wanted to tell them to shut up already! But I didn't - just tried to move around to a place people weren't talking. Why are people so rude??
Am wondering if I should keep going?
July 16th, 2009 at 02:23 am
July 16th, 2009 at 03:19 am 1247714388
I've learned that there is an art to telling whether or not you are sore in a gotta-push-yourself-train way or you are about to really screw something up. I can't answer for you but I'd give it a few more days to identify whether your soreness is easing and you are getting used to the training routine or not. For me its hips and calves, which makes my jogging stride tiny. As long as I hold my abs up, my lower back is okay. Let my stomach all hang out and ouch. I also found that my glutes and hamstrings are fairly weak, so every little thing gets transferred to the back of my knee.
My trainer taught me some dynamic stretching for my hips. Its helping a little.
July 16th, 2009 at 03:32 am 1247715140
You might be right - maybe I do just need to give it another week and see what happens. See if I can do the 5 miles on Saturday.
The other option I could do is not do the Saturday runs with the group (just do the Wednesday runs) - and then just ramp the mileage up at the 10% rate per week, instead of going from 4 miles to 5 -- of course I didn't even do the 4 miles this last weekend ... so I'll be going from doing 3.2 miles to 5 miles. Plus the .75 mile walk from the clubhouse to the starting point and back. Double Ugh.
July 16th, 2009 at 09:21 am 1247736087
July 16th, 2009 at 10:49 am 1247741396
For me, it all depends when your half-Marathon is:
August - you may not be ready in time.
September - you need to run regularly between now and then.
After September - you can definitely do it - just keep to the program as best you can. (I personally don't use programs.... I just run - increasing the distances when I'm able to)
July 16th, 2009 at 11:33 am 1247744005
It's not that I don't want to do it, it's more that I'm not sure I *can* do it without overly punishing my body.
Thanks Apprentice,
My half is in November. Maybe you're right. It may be more of a mental thing - going from running 3 mile to 5.
I think I'm going to not run this morning, but do the elliptical and some weights. That'll still give me some cardio but also rest my body a bit. Tomorrow is a full rest day - so maybe I'll be okay by Saturday to run.
July 16th, 2009 at 06:42 pm 1247769772