Half Marathon Training: 3 Weeks To Go

Its just over three weeks until I run my first ever marathon and I have no shame in saying I am bricking it. I began light training in October (see my post about it here) when it was dark and freezing by pounding the treadmill and really working on my distance running, in between running I did toning sessions. From February onwards I began running outside. It still being dark outside after Id finished work I could only run on weekends but now that the weather is brightening up in the evenings I now have the luxury of running after work too.

An average week usually consists of one large run at the weekend and two or three gym visits in between; sometimes I swap the gym visits for a shorter run in the week.

Without sounding like an utter looser I have really enjoyed the process of getting fit for the half marathon. It’s given me a renewed appreciation for the countryside where I live. I’ve ran down lanes that I’ve not ventured down since I was a teenager, and I’ve ran distances that I could have never envisaged without jumping into the car.

 

Like I had hoped training for this half marathon has given my exercise focus and a purpose and it’s the only reason I have managed to stay motivated for such a long period of time. At present my Stravarun app has recorded 51 miles, 9 hours and 2,021ft spent pounding the pavements since February. I have successfully ran three 7 mile runs and two eight with lots of shorter runs in between. My target is ten miles before I run the half marathon. I’ve been unfortunate in that I have had some really nasty blisters on the ball of my left foot, in fact I’ve clean ripped the ball of my foot up when doing long runs and it has been incredibly painful and equally disheartening. I’ve since  been to my local running shop and had gait analysis (this is when you are analysed running on a treadmill) and invested in some ridiculously expensive running trainers. I’m praying that a little bit of rest for my poor feet should see me complete my ten mile target before my race.

It goes without saying amongst all of this training I’ve lost some weight, nothing extreme but I have noticeably toned up since I started out on my journey in October. It’s strange, my boyfriend has noticed, my parents and even some of my work friends. This wasn’t my initial intention, more like an added bonus but I certainly feel healthier and happier in myself.

Along with learning some discipline and stretching myself way out of my comfort zone I’ve been raising some money for Dementia UK. My page is here. I did a cake stall in work and really was overwhelmed by the generosity of my work colleagues, it really lifted me up knowing they are behind me in all of this.

Along with sharing my experience with you I wanted to show you that if you were like me fitness was always something in your life but never a priority, you have achievements in your life but sport has never been one of them then if your willing to put in the time and effort, to maintain your motivation even when the nights are cold and dark and you may be training alone then you too can do it! I hope next time I blog about my half marathon training I will have crossed the finish line and managed to achieve something that I never though before was possible.

Have you ever set a goal like this before?

 

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