It may be too soon to say I’ve made it, but hey I’ve made it this far and I’m pretty proud. Today starts the two week training countdown until the Allstate Life Insurance 13.1 Half Marathon. This will be my first half marathon so I’m feeling a mix of different emotions — excitement and nervousness, but mostly I just really want to finish the race with a decent time.
This week I’m going to focus on being consistent on my two-three shorter runs during the week and this weekend I’ll do my first double-digit run, a milestone within itself. If you told my I’ll-just-do-about-3-miles-on-the-treadmill self six months ago that I’d be running 8, 9, 10 mile runs and enjoying them, I’d laugh. But I guess what they say is true, the more you run, the more addicting it gets and the more you love (huh?) it.
What I’ve learned over the approximately 3-month training period are these few things:
- Ditch the treadmill. Running outdoors is a great way to spend more time outside (since many of us are stuck indoors an office most of the time) as well as a way to explore the neighborhoods around you. There’s something freeing and calming about just taking off and seeing where you end up.
- You can do more than you think. I never thought I’d make it through my 6 mile (approximately 1 hour) run, but I did! Then I did 7, then 8… Think positive thoughts and push yourself, you’ll make it just fine.
- The extra money you’ll spend on a quality pair of running shoes, socks and other apparel is definitely worth every. single. penny. Not only do these items help keep you from getting injured, they help make your runs more comfortable and bearable.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about running? Have you trained for any races?