Unless you have been under a rock, you know that this past Saturday was my 31st birthday and I ran my first half marathon.  It was absolutely awesome.

I will say that the two days before the race were the best part of the whole training process. CARB LOADING!  Those two days make the whole process of training to run 13 miles glorious.  You are supposed to eat 4 grams of good carbohydrates per pound of body weight, so I got to eat 556 grams!  I knew my stomach couldn’t handle that huge of a jump, so I ate 300 grams Thursday and tried my hardest to eat the 556 on Friday.  It is really hard to eat that many carbs.  I was so full.  I ate rice, potatoes, pasta, bananas, white bread, and PANCAKES! The pancakes were so good.  I could not tell you the last time I ate pancakes and well, I was on a sugar/carb high after that breakfast.  I have signed up for another half marathon just for the marvelous pancakes. Oh and I still lost weight for the week .

Anyway, back to the actual running the race part.  It took me 2:08:41.  Here is the proof from the timing website:

I was very happy with that time, but I am most proud of my split times:

I ran smart.  The first mile was a little fast, but I corrected myself quickly.  I am not sure what happened at mile 9 to slow me down, but I got back on track for the rest of the race.  My goal was to be consistent and run the distance within my fitness level.  It felt really good and I never felt like I was going to die.  I chatted with other runners, I enjoyed the scenery, and I thanked all the volunteers at every intersection and water station.  Speaking of water stations, there was one every 2 miles.  That is a lot of water and Gatorade, but I drank at every one.  I carried my own gels (to prevent stomach issues) and had one at mile 5 and mile 10.

At the end of the race they placed a medal around my neck and gave me bacon.  I was very happy about the bacon.  Well, giddy is a better word.

Here is a close up of the medal:

I am addicted and now I want to train to be faster.  Maybe one day I will train for a full marathon, but for now I am in love with 13.1.  I signed up for the CASA Half Marathon on December 8 and I can’t wait to eat more pancakes!

Week 15

My half marathon training is OFFICIALLY OVER.   I cannot believe that I stuck with this for the last 16 weeks.  I have completed 66 training runs and I am so proud of myself.  I have never worked this hard for something in my entire life and I can already tell the dedication I have developed in running is improving my life.  This training has taught me to never give up (even when it sucks and I feel like I am going to die) and that I can accomplish anything I work hard for.

Monday
3 mile easy run at 11:05 minutes/mile.  I ran this at noon and was interrupted by 2 phone calls and several text messages.  I would have ran faster, but I ran this in 29:30 with an average pace of 9:50 minutes/mile.

Tuesday
3 mile easy run at 11:05 minutes/mile.  I ran this on the tread mill instead of on my normal trails.  I’ll admit, I am afraid of twisting my ankle or getting hit by a car so close to my goal.  My average pace was 8:53 minutes/mile and I finished in 26:38.

Wednesday
5 mile tempo run with 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at 9:28 minutes/mile, and 1 mile cool down.  Again, I ran this on the tread mill in 47:32 with an average pace of 9:30 minutes/mile.

Again, I am so happy that I completed this training program.  I feel totally prepared, physically and mentally, for this Saturday.  This is going to be the best birthday EVER!

Week 14

I cannot believe that my half marathon training is almost over.  Next Saturday is my big 31st birthday and the Heart and Sole Half Marathon.  I am ready.

Monday
3 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I had to do this on the tread mill.  How sad.  Anyway, I ran this in 26:23 with an average pace of 8:48 minutes/mile.

Tuesday
2 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I ran this on Feester Trail before going swimming.  Sometimes 2 miles is a tease.  I know I can go much further, but the training plan makes me stop.  Oh well, my average pace of 8:48 minutes/mile and I finished in 17:38.

Wednesday
8 mile tempo run with 1 mile warm up, 6 miles at 9:26 minutes/mile, and 1 mile cool down.  Well, I kind of ran faster.  I didn’t do it on purpose, it just kind of happened.  I ran this in 1:14:31 with an average pace of 9:19 minutes/mile.

Thursday
2 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I also ran this on Feester Trail.  I just took it nice and easy.  No need to race now and risk injury.  I completed this run with a time of 18:22 and an average pace of 9:09 minutes/miles.

Saturday
12 mile long run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  Ok, this is the only time in the training plan where I have deviated.  I ran 13.1 miles instead of 12.  Honestly, I just wanted to get the 13 under my belt before next Saturday.  It felt good.  I ran a very hilly route and climbed 834 feet during this run.  I seriously doubt the half in Jonesboro will have this many hills, so I am confident I can beat my time of 2:16:01 which translates to 10:23 minutes/mile.

I only got to ride my bike 13.4 miles this week.  My first riding day I had a flat tire on Iron Mountain during my ride and didn’t have time to get it changed and back out before I had to pick the boys up from school, bummer.  Friday I got to ride 10 miles on the Ross Foundation which was a nice stress reliever.

I only have three easy runs over the next week to keep me loose and I then I must rest.  Resting is so hard for me!  I am going to run Monday, run and swim Tuesday, and run and ride my bike Wednesday, but next Thursday and Friday I HAVE to rest.

Week 16

Week 13

Week 14 was wonderful.  I booked my hotel room and paid my registration fee this week.  I am getting so excited!

Monday
2 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I ran this in 18:26.  That is an average of 9:13 minutes/mile.

Tuesday
2 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  This is the first time I have ran on a Tuesday and it felt kind of weird, but I beasted the run with an average pace of 8:25 minutes/mile.  I finished in 16:52 on Feester Trail.

Wednesday
10 miles of  speed work with 1 mile warm up, 5×1600 in 8:40 minutes/mile with 800 jogs, and 1 mile cool down.  I run all my speed work on the tread mill to keep me honest.  I ran this in 1:34:29 with an average pace of 9:27 minutes/mile.

Thursday
2 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I also ran this on Feester Trail.  I wore the outfit I plan on wearing for my half marathon and I have realized I am going to have to get some anti-chaffing stuff.  Glad I figured this out now and not half way into my half marathon.  I completed this run with a time of 18:49 and an average pace of 9:22 minutes/miles.

Saturday
12 mile long run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I ran this in 1:58:42 with an average pace of 9:53 minutes/mile.  I ran this back on my familiar long route.  I felt strong.  In other news, I have resolved all my stomach issues by removing dairy products from my diet.    My grandfather became lactose intolerant later in life, so this makes sense.

My half marathon is in two weeks and I feel completely ready.  I am so glad I have followed my training plan.  I have no doubts that I will be able to finish strong.

Week 15

Week 12

Overall, week 13 was uneventful and easy.  I am starting to get a little nervous about my race, but I know I will be prepared.

Monday
3 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I ran this at a pace of 10:19 minutes/mile and finished in 30:58.  I had to wait until we returned from our Labor Day camping trip to get this run accomplished.  It was a little hot, but only in the mid 90s.  This hot running better help me this fall, because it is flipping hard.

Wednesday
8 mile tempo run with 1 mile warm up, 6 miles at 9:26 minutes/mile, and 1 mile cool down.  Sadly, I had to run this on the dread mill.  It wasn’t too bad, I just turned the little television on some awful reality show and ran.  I ran this in 1:15:55 with an average pace of 9:29 minutes/mile.

Thursday
3 mile easy run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I ran this on Feester Trail in Arkadelphia at 11am.  The trail is mostly shaded, so the 95 degree temperature wasn’t that bad.  I completed this run with a time of 29:49 and an average pace of 9:56 minutes/miles.

Saturday
11 mile long run at 10:45 minutes/mile.  I ran this in 1:47:31 with an average pace of 9:46 minutes/mile.  This was the first time during this training program that I ran at night.  The increased pace was because I am afraid of the dark.  Seriously, the dark terrifies me.  Running has not only conditioned my body, it has allowed me to face some of my biggest fears: failure and darkness.  I know this sounds silly, but I made my Mom stay on speaker phone with my the last 4 miles.  I also repeated the 23rd Psalm a hundred times.  My body was strong enough for the pace, I just had to make sure my mind would allow me to keep going and not flip out in the dark…

Week 14

Week 7 Recap

My easy week 8 is complete. Cannot believe I have made it to the half way point without missing a run.  That is 32 runs if you are wondering.  I am so proud of myself.

Monday
4 mile easy run at 10:58 minutes/mile.  I ran this at a pace of 9:37 minutes/mile and finished in 38:33.

Wednesday
4 mile easy run at 10:58 minutes/mile.  I ran this at a pace of 9:36 minutes/mile and finished in 38:23.

Thursday
4 mile easy run at 10:58 minutes/mile.  I completed this day on the dread mill because I just didn’t want to wake up early.  I completed this day in 39:30 with a pace of 9:53 minutes/mile.

Saturday
4 mile easy run at 10:58 minutes/mile.  I ran this in 42:09.  I just took it easy.  I finished with an average pace of 10:32 minutes/mile.

I also rode my bike 36 miles.  Awesome fun.

Week 9 Recap