Zsofia, I hope this gives you more incentive to finish this program!
Also, aren’t there similar training programs online designed for people interested in running half marathons? Maybe after finishing this program you can start on one of them.
I have not run in a week. Tomorrow I’ll run… weee!
That’s the idea - as long as I have something telling me what to do, I’m way, way better off than if I’m telling myself. I need the structure. That’s why I went ahead and sent my money in - I need a specific goal.
ETA - if anybody’s interested, here’s Hal Higdon’s novice half marathon plan. It’s 12 weeks, but you can stretch it out longer if you like.
I was off for a few weeks. Paralyzed by my law school application process followed by a week of a nasty chest bug. I got off my butt today hoping that a run would get rid of the last of the crud in my lungs. So, Week 4 Take 3 for me. I feel sorta ashamed about it but I figured I could sit around feeling like a loser or go out and run again.
So, here’s to hitting the end of the program by my 28th birthday!
Well, I just finished pushups week 4. That last set was really tough, but I got through it. With one final, extra push to make 34, which is the most I have ever done.
I may have fudged things slightly, though. Between sets there is a 2 minute rest, or longer if required. Well, I sure required longer, more like about 10 minutes. I’m not sure if that’s stretching the rules a bit too far.
And I’m still running. I’m now basically doing 30 minute runs. Eventually I’ll look to increasing my speed a bit, but for now I’ll stick with my fairly gentle jog.
Hooray for everyone who is keeping with it! And you push up people almost scare me–either that or I’m jealous.
No running until Wednesday for me. Too bad, because there’s snow on the ground and I wanna RUN! I love running in snow. It makes the run pretty and having to watch out for ice/puddles distracts me enough so that I don’t whine the whole way (just part of it).
I am on clear liquids today and later today The Purge starts for my colonoscopy tomorrow. Good times.
Yesterday, I got dressed for BootCamp class, got into my car, drove to the gym…and then realized that I was way too exhausted, so I actually turned around and went home. It’s very rare for me to give myself a pass like that, so I knew I really was too exhausted.
And I realize that this is a running thread, not a BootCamp class thread, but I think my point is that days off do need to happen sometimes.
Just did Week 4 Day 1 pushups: 21-25-21-21-35. That last set was a boitch, not sure how I can get through Day 2. I was right at 60 seconds between sets, although I took a little over five minutes to get my wind before the final set. My heart is a-thumpin’ and my arms are pumped right now. Doesn’t make it easy to type, I can tell you.
Boot Camp is a class that combines aerobic drills (running, jumping rope, using the Step, etc) with strength work (weights, push-ups, squats, etc). It’s a great workout. I think the idea of it is that it’s supposed to be like military PT, but my teacher? Friggin’ adorable, with a disarmingly cute laugh. (I say, as a straight woman).
The BOSU part, though, is more complicated. That is this thing. I call it the Jello Mold. We do things like a combined bicep curl and squat while trying to remain balanced on it. I run before the class because, honestly, most of my effort is spent trying not to fall off that thing and I don’t think I get as good a workout. It’s supposed to help build your core strength, I think. My core = overcooked spaghetti.
Today’s run was hard, but I don’t remember at any point thinking I couldn’t finish. I did 2.51 miles in 30 minutes at 5.0 mph. At the very end, I felt like I could probably go a couple more minutes, but I resisted the urge in favor of… well, control over the program, I guess.
My 5k is in 12 days! I finally realized I don’t need to worry too much about not being able to run the whole thing, since it’s a fun run and nobody will care if I run or walk or crawl. I want to run it for my own satisfaction, though. (Which, I suppose, is really the whole point anyway.)
Thanks for that, Zsofia. I may use that as a guide, although I think I’ll aim initially for 10 miles rather than the full half marathon.
I already do intervals one day a week - 1/2 mile up a steady incline, x 4, with a target of 4 minutes, then a slow jog down. Kills my legs, but feels good when I stop
I’m happy with my running - I am doing 10k-ish runs easily every couple of weeks, and have trimmed 4 minutes off my time for that distance in the last few months. I would like to get down to 8 minute miles, thus the intervals, but I should get some rigorous time on a treadmill in to really manage my pace (my Garmin 301 is great, but the pace tracking is too sensitive - maybe I need to create a specific workout). I am using the running calculator to target my pace - it looks like I don’t go fast enough to really improve, thus using the treadmill may push me outside my current “normal pace” cruising zone.
Anyhow, good luck to everyone. It does get easier.
The Girl and I ran our Day 1, Week 5 last night. Got to look at the moon, Jupiter and Venus quite a bit. Very pretty. I’m guessing that’s the easiest run of the week, but it wasn’t bad at all. My daughter’s arm hurt her, for some reason, so she was eager to finish at the end. Her shoulder was bothering her, almost from the start of our run.
I run where I work in Reading, which is by the Thames. It’s all pretty flat - the 100 odd feet of elevation (feels like more) I use for my intervals are the only significant vertical feature within running distance. When I cycle I get further afield and more hills.
So, not really. It would be good from a change your habit perspective, but I would need to go hunting for suitable hills. I could cycle from home to St Catherines hill near Winchester, then run up and down and cycle home for a real cross-training exercise.
But I need to rethink after today - I went for a bike ride at lunchtime. I did my usual 16 mile loop, but my fingers and feet were numb with cold when I got back. I need to get some full gloves (not just fingerless ones), long sleeve tops and leggings if I want to continue.
Had a pretty encouraging day yesterday - Mom and I went down to the river walk they’re building down by the river, and it’s really nice. We ran for 30 minutes, which turned out to be about 2 miles - longer than we’ve been doing, and we only walked a very little bit. It was pretty hilly, too.