Beneath the Layers

First half marathon completed! I made the rookie mistake of starting out too fast on the easy part of the course and ended up alternating between running and walking for the last few miles. I made sure I ran most of the last mile to the finish line though. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t run the whole thing like I wanted to, but I still finished in under 2.5 hours (2:15:44)!

I’m pretty sure my Fitbit messed up today. I was only supposed to run 8 miles (which I did, according to my Fitbit), but my splits didn’t seem right the entire time I was running. I ran part of the half marathon course I’m running next weekend to get a sense of the hills in the second half of the race and only planned on running 8 miles. I ended up mapping my run afterwards since it didn’t seem right and according to Google maps I ran 10 miles. I’m starting to think my Fitbit is on its way out even though it’s only a year old. It has trouble synching and doesn’t like to track my runs properly anymore 😞

Somehow this happened yesterday...I really don't know how I was able to pull off an average of 9:13 per mile for my longest run so far after taking two weeks off from running, but I'll take it!

After taking almost two full weeks off from running, I finally felt comfortable enough to try a short run. My hamstring felt a little tight, but I didn't have any major pain. So far I feel pretty good so hopefully I can get back into training for these last two weeks before the half marathon. At this point, I just want to be able to finish and I'm not really setting a goal time. I would like to finish in less than two and half hours but we'll see how it goes.

Another long run completed! I was unsure about how my run was going to be this morning. I was afraid that I was going to start running out of steam towards the end, but I actually felt pretty good. My knees and calves are taking a beating though. I think I'll have to be better about post-run stretching and recovery.

Eight mile run done! The fifth mile was tough, but I pushed through it. I made sure that I ate a banana before running this morning so that helped. Hopefully the next few long runs will go as well as this one!

Ran a slow 5k this morning since I'm off from work and it was actually warmer outside. I was so busy at work this week that I didn't get a chance to go to the gym like I usually do. Hopefully I'll have enough motivation this weekend to try my long run again without getting discouraged.

To say that my attempt at an eight mile run yesterday was a disappointment is an understatement. I felt so good during the first 6 to 6.5 miles and then that good feeling quickly deteriorated towards the end. My Fitbit got disconnected from my phone during the last mile and half or so, so I'm not sure those last two paces are completely accurate. I was running slower but I didn't think I was that slow. Especially since the pace on the last three quarters of a mile is slower than my walking pace (?) I think I'm learning that I really have to run slower and fuel myself before such a long run. Here's to trying again next week!

I only ran 6 miles this morning because I realized I was getting ahead of myself with my training schedule. But I made it into the "good" cardio fitness level according to Fitbit!

I'm a day late posting this, but the snow was too pretty to not post a picture. I ventured out into the snow yesterday afternoon to get in some bicep/forearm/shoulder weight training. Yesterday was actually a pretty successful day!

Sunday was chest and triceps day, and yesterday was an easy 3.5 mile run on the treadmill. I don't have work today because of the snow storm, so today will probably be a lazy day on the couch.

A little chilly this morning, but it was perfect for a run. My splits were about the same as my last long run which is good I guess. All the hills make it more difficult to be consistent. Eight miles next week!

Well today was pretty successful thanks to 30 minutes of shoveling snow, a 20 minute walk after lunch, and 45 minutes of speed intervals on the treadmill.

I finally increased my mileage to seven miles this morning! The splits were pretty inconsistent, but I got it done! I also ran a fast 5k yesterday, so that probably didn't help. My goal was to run seven miles in under an hour and fifteen minutes today so I'm happy with the results 👍