Half-Marathon Training Begins
I’m finally back to the grind after my lovely mini vacation to NYC. ๐ Here are all my recaps, just for you!
Part 1 Summer in the City – Day 1: Pancakes, Wine & Cupcakes
Part 2 Summer in the City โ Day 1: Drinks at Macondo and the Spinto Band
Part 3 Summer in the City โ Day 2: Kiss-In, Lush & Whole Foods Lunch
Part 4 Summer in the City โ Day 2: Zen Palate and American Idiot
Part 5 Summer in the City – Day 3: Scones and Barbecue
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Back to reality, it is! And back to healthy eating. I’m really pushing myself to keep my eating clean and healthy for the next 8 weeks (well, forever, but I need to be serious about it right now). Why? Because this week I start training for my first half-marathon. I specifically set my training plan to begin after my trip, so I could get all of my drinking and unhealthy eating out of the way, before I need to get serious about it.
Some of you may be wondering why on earth would I ever want to run 13.1 miles. It’s simple, really. I’ve already ran a 15K, so a half-marathon is just the next step. I want to push myself. I want to achieve something I never thought I’d be able to do. I want to see what my body is capable of doing. I want to feel the sense of pride and accomplishment I get after finishing a race. I’m addicted to that feeling! I also want this for my car:
That being said, I want to make sure I eat as clean and healthy as possible for the next eight weeks. This means:
- Eat out less
- Limit sweets and other indulgences
- No alcohol (yes, even wine! This is going to be the ultimate challenge, considering I have four unopened bottles at home)
- Stick to training schedule (I’m only going to modify it as needed)
- Eat healthy, whole foods with great nutritional value (I do this most of the time, anyway)
- Stay hydrated (I struggle with remembering to drink enough water during the day–I really have to buckle down on this)
Fitness Goals
- Cross-train at least once a week! (Biking, anyone?)
- Incorporate strength training into workouts (doing a couple of circuits of No More Trouble Zones a few times a week)
- Stretch (I really need to work on stretching more before & after running, especially now because of my hip)
- Practice Yoga (I feel I will go insane if I don’t do yoga at least one-two times a week)
So, come 10-10-10, I will run the best half-marathon possible! I want to feel great during this race, and I don’t want to get burnt out. I don’t even have a time goal, I just want to finish without doing much walking.
Onto the eats! I started out my lovely Tuesday morning with some Van’s Mini Waffles! These were cute baby waffles. And only 140 Calories for 8 minis. Gotta love frozen waffles!
I topped them with home made blueberry sauce and fresh strawberries. Delish.
Before lunch I wanted to get in another quick run for the week. I finished 2 miles in 19:30. Pretty quick. And it was hot out! I also did 2 miles yesterday morning on the treadmill, bringing my total so far this week to 4 miles.
My lunch was actually motivating my run this time…I got back to my office and had a salad waiting for me that I threw together this morning. Rebecca and Courtney have inspired me with their strawberry feta salads, so it was time for me to jump on the bandwagon. And boy I’m glad I did. It was so good, light and crisp and very flavorful. The strawberries, pecans and fat free raspberry balsamic really make it.
Strawberry, pecan & feta salad with raspberry balsamic
Ingredients
- 2 Large handfuls of Mediterranean salad mix
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into small pieces (local broccoli from my co-worker’s farm!)
- 4 sliced strawberries
- 1 tbsp of chopped pecans
- 1 tbsp of feta cheese
- 2 tbsp of Annie’s fat free raspberry balsamic vinaigrette
Toss ingredients together with dressing and there you have it. A really tasty summer salad. Sensing a strawberry theme in my in my meals today? ๐
Dinner was pretty quick and easy too. I threw together a spinach and ricotta flatbread pizza. ย
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I left the pizza in the oven for a bit too long, the edges of the crust got a little burnt, but it still tasted great! There’s something about these flat-out wraps that make great flatbread pizzas.
Toppings
- Part skim mozzarella cheese
- Baby spinach leaves
- Fat free ricotta cheese
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
Dinner was followed by light ice cream! Edy’s 1/2 the fat Mud Pie. It was like coffee flavored cookies & cream ice cream! 120 calories for 1 serving is fine by me.
14 Comments
Sarah
Good luck with the training! I really like half marathons – it’s a great distance. It’s long enough to be challenging, but short enough that you don’t have to kill yourself with training and get all sorts of overuse injuries.
Are you still planning on running the Hairy Gorilla half?
Jen
Thanks! I’m planning on running the 6 mile race that day, the squirrely six, i think its called! I’m excited about running a race on halloween! haha.
David H.
Have fun with your training. Don’t set too many rules for yourself or else it will feel like a job!
Jen
Thanks. I just want to keep my eating in check because last time I over ate on my long run days, and I don’t want to end up doing that again! ๐
Nicki
You are going to be fine, Jen! You will rock that half!!
Suzy
Have fun with your training. The half distance is a good one (and my favorite thus far). You’ll do great in October.
kilax
Hi Jen! I think I found your blog because you commented on another that you were doing your first half… I am so excited for you! ๐ Which plan are you following (I clicked on the link but it did not go through)?
It sounds like you have the right mindset for training! I try to do the same thing (eat clean, drink lots of water)… but I don’t mind indulging every once in awhile since I am working my body so hard!
Good luck!
P.S. I am racing on 10/10/10 too. What a cool date for a race, right?
Jen
I’m following the plan that Runner World suggested after I put in my recent times, etc. I used their plan for my 15K, and it seemed to work pretty good, so I’m just going by that again. Thanks for checking out my blog!
Katie H.
I totally want that sticker too, haha. Hooray for half-marathon training starting! I can’t believe you aren’t having any alcohol for eight weeks. Dedication, my friend. I don’t know if I could go out with my glass of red for that long!
Jen
that’s my goal! we shall see if I can stick to it…haha!
Tricia
good luck with your goals!
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