Week 11: My Half-Marathon Training

First and foremost – Happy Mother’s Day to my fabulous mother. We had a great time celebrating on Saturday with some of my best mom friends and daughters. We had a blast together – mani/pedi’s, wine tasting and dinner at the Zin’s Chef’s Table. All in all, a great way to celebrate the amazing women in our lives.

Mom – thank you for being my rock the last 28 years. You are someone I look up to in so many ways, and I love you very much!

A special thank you to the rest of the woman in my life. I’ve been blessed to have a lot of great role model’s throughout my life, and you’ve each shaped me into the woman I am today. Thank you!

So… onto some marathon training updates. Tim and I conquered 9 miles in an hour and a half today! I would still love to cut down on that time a bit, but I feel pretty good for the first time. Tim took us on a great tour of Cedar Rapids, past our high school, all the way downtown and back.

(Image Source)

Some things I learned this week:

When running, make sure you pump/swing your arms front to back, not side to side. I was flailing a little and Tim was a peach to finally correct me.
On long runs – don’t stop. If you stop, you’ll start cramping. Always keep moving. Today we went over the whole getting water from the different H2O stations along a race. Grab the cup and keep moving. If it’s extra hot that day, grab water at the front of the line to drink and another cup towards the end of the line to pour over your head.
My legs and brain take about 4 miles before it says, “ok – I get it – we’re running. I’ll take you where you need to go.” Once I hit that 4 mile point, something happens when I realize I can keep going for as long as I need to – as long as I keep putting one leg in front of another.
Pump your arms. If you’re starting to hurt or your legs feel tired, try pumping your arms. There is some correlation between your arms and your legs and if your arms move, your legs will follow suit.
Just keep going. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I’d be able to run 9 miles. Ever. You’ve got to run through the pain, the A.D.D. (sometimes I get bored…), your brain telling you to stop – and keep going until you’re at the fake finish line your husband creates with high-fives and applause. Don’t give up. Just keep going.