From now until April 15, 2012 I am going to be running circles. Lots of circles in and around Manhattan. Because… I signed up for the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Half Marathon in Central Park!
No, I’m not really a runner. I can run, but I don’t usually. In fact, I’ve probably berated lots of people for running because it’s not that good for your joints. But for some reason I thought this would be a good idea, and signed up impulsively Friday afternoon. (I’m glad I did.) I think it’ll be really fun – both the training and the actual event. I may not end up running the whole thing (I’m a big fan of the jog/walk), but I will definitely finish.
Me, this afternoon, on my way out for a 4+ miler (thanks for snapping the pic Jules!)
Half Marathon Training Plan
My half marathon training plan will be as follows (based on this source). It’s a modified 12-week plan because I started midway through the first week. The weeks go Monday to Sunday.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (1/23-1/29) | off | off | off | off | 1m | 3.5m* | 4.3m* |
| Week 2 (1/30 -2/5) | off | 3m | 4m | 3m | off | 3m | 4m |
| Week 3 (2/6 – 2/12) | off | 3m | 4m | 3m | off | 3m | 5m |
| Week 4 (2/13 – 2/19) | off | 3m | 5m | 3m | off | 4m | 6m |
| Week 5 (2/20 – 2/26) | off | 4m | 5m | 4m | off | 3m | 7m |
| Week 6 (2/27 – 3/4) | off | 4m | 4m | 4m | off | 4m | 8m |
| Week 7 (3/5 – 3/11) | off | 4m | 6m | 4m | off | 4m | 9m |
| Week 8 (3/12 – 3/18) | off | 4m | 6m | 4m | off | 4m | 10m |
| Week 9 (3/19 – 3/25) | off | 4m | 6m | 4m | off | 3m | 11m |
| Week 10 (3/26 – 4/1) | off | 4m | 5m | 4m | off | 4m | 12m |
| Week 11 (4/2 – 4/8) | off | 4m | 5m | 4m | off | 3m | 6m |
| Week 12 (4/9 – 4/15) | off | 3m | 5m | 3m | off | 2m | Race day: 13.1 miles! |
*Saturday’s jog (1/28) was on my way to yoga. Thanks to the class I wasn’t sore the next day (today) because it was an amazing stretch. Sunday’s (today, 1/29) was a jog/walk. I think I walked about 1.3 miles of it.
That’s it! I’m hoping to jog most of the allotted mileage, but will be happy as long as I get through it, even if that means walking.
So what will I eat? Hmm….
Snack after today’s run: sauteed (in bacon fat) broccoli stalk, frozen corn, frozen Brussels sprouts, and whipped cream cheese. Because the veggies were warm the cream cheese got all melty and it was fabulous.
Have you ever done a half marathon? Or any other race?
I’ve never done any races before but I did used to run a lot when I lived in California.
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Woohoo! That is so cool!!! I love running with friends, it’s a great way to catch up. Maybe I will drop in to NYC sometime for a jog
@Jill: Oh do, please come!!
you will have so much fun! I enjoyed so much the training part,although I only run twice during thr weekday and one long run over the weekend. be careful of not over forcing your muscles and stretch well!
@coco: that sounds like a good training plan! I’m trying to make sure I do yoga after each run – I did a 20 minute “yoga for runners” after today’s
Maggie,
You can so do this. I have no doubt!
Congrats on signing up for a half marathon. I’m sure you’ll have a blast.
Sometimes I wonder if I should sign up for something like that so I have a goal to train for. It’d make me work out, right?
@Arlene: That’s kinda why I decided to do it! It’s motivation to make sure I follow through on my goals for the week
Ok another blog about half marathon training. I loved your blog because it was about something other than running like yoga. It showed me that exercise isnt all about running like other blogs promote. Guess I wont be tuning in anymore.
@Len: Thank you for your feedback!! I am definitely not going to start focusing on running here on the blog
I’m not a runner; this is just a challenge I wanted to try. I will still be posting about yoga and healthy eats.
Thank you so much! I would hate to lose your blog in a sea of blogs focused on running and marathon training. I love all your yoga posts. I just find it so refreshing when people dont feel the need to run to get a good workout. thanks again!
[...] in NYC, and more.Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress Plugin Thank you all for the encouragement after my announcement yesterday! I just wanted to stop back in and clarify something though – while I have decided [...]
Yay! Good for you. That plan looks really manageable, and I bet yoga will feel even BETTER after all that running. Note to self: must do yoga.
[...] definitely attest to the work that I do to stay slim and healthy. I eat salad, I do yoga, I walk (now run… until April). When I make something decadent I try not to stuff my face eat in [...]
First of all: WOW! I couldn’t do that, at least if I had to run. I could walk the distance, though. (I always though that, when you sign up for a half-marathon, you’d have to run all the distance, or at least the major part of it.) I’m not a runner, but I love the run-and-walk thought, and walking anyway!
One thing is interesting for me about your training plan. (This is from a totally unrelated perspective, namely, my piano playing – but you’ll be able to relate to that.) With the piano, it’s often tricky to play pieces at a high speed. You have to practice thoroughly to be able to do that. I think this, at least in part, corresponds to the challenge of going the desired distance in running. So, when I prepare for a recital, I practice the piece under harder conditions (quicker) than the way I’ll play it at the recital (slower). This somewhat makes the recital situation easier for me. With your training plan, I don’t see that you schedule the actual race distance (or a longer distance) a single time. I can imagine that things like rationing your breath etc are crucial in long-distance running, so I believe you need to train that as well. Please don’t get me wrong, it’s just a thought.
@Kath: I am definitely going to walk! This one has that walking option. Yes, that is an interesting point re: the comparison between this race and piano playing. I think in an ideal world you would have time to practice longer distances before race day, but it’s probably bad to push yourself too soon, and since it is only 11 weeks away I guess that’s not enough time to get up past 13 miles (if you were to go up to, say, 16 or so, without proper preparation, might get injured)? I would want to look into studies that go more in depth on distance running training
Very good point!
[...] I know, I was supposed to do a 3-miler today. But I have an update on that front – I am officially going to walk the half marathon - my [...]