2 Months til Race Day!

It’s been 2 months since I decided to run the Disney Half Marathon, and now I’m two months out from race day. Part of me wants to be positive and say that training up to this point has been just a breeze, but I know honesty is best. So here goes.

1. Running Can HURT. When I was just jogging casually, I don’t remember ever really having pain. But once I started training with different length workouts at different intensities, I started having pain. Thanks to some long time runners I’ve met, I learned that if you want to succeed, you need to stay on top of the pain. Work on stretching and strengthening problem areas (for me, my core and hips). There is a wealth of knowledge online, including a whole slew of yoga videos on youtube that have helped me tremendously. I’ve also learned that I can help myself immensely by taking just a few minutes after a run to use my friend above–the Stick–to roll out my legs, especially after a long run.

2. I’m way more likely to enjoy my run if I’m comfortable. And for me, this has meant a serious investment in gear, especially for cold weather. Yes, I know lots of people run successfully in old tshirts, but I’m not one of them. And although it wasn’t exactly cheap, that long sleeved performance shirt above has made it possible for me to run outside even when it’s cold, or cold AND dark. Which is important, because despite my snow love, I can be kind of a sissy about the cold. And I’m never going to finish this race if I quit running outside because it’s too cold!

3. I <3 my Garmin. Yes, I probably didn’t need it, but I love, love, love my Garmin. It helps me keep track of intervals when I’m doing them on a long run (I love being able to zone out until I hear the beep!) and it’s helped me with speedwork during shorter sessions. And knowing exactly how far I’ve gone helps me to stay motivated and keep going.

4. Fueling is important. When I first started running harder and longer, I was STARVING. All. The. Time. But I soon figured out that I could stave off some of that hunger by increasing my protein, with things like greek yogurt, nut butter, and the occasional protein shake, instead of eating lots more carbohydrates. And it’s worked for most of the week. But I’ve also learned that on Saturday, the day of my long run (which is currently up to about 8.5 miles!) I need to give my body more food. Including gels, like the one above, during my run, to keep from hitting the wall.

As race day creeps closer, I keep getting more and more excited. Now that I’m doing longer runs, I feel like that 13.1 is really in reach! I have a bit of extra time in my training plan, so I’m going to be doing some extra mileage just to feel really ready. I’ve also scheduled a few races, including a 10k next weekend and a 5k Thanksgiving weekend. I’m hoping these road races will help me to feel comfortable running in a pack and to figure out race pacing. And most important of all, I’m just going to keep on running!

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