First week of training

Well, it should be first 2 weeks of training but the week of the 1st July turned out to be a bad one training-wise! I had an extremely busy week at work and a conference that I was presenting at and lots of things to finish off before I had a week off. I ended up quite run down and had migraines all week so decided against any exercise and even skipped running club. I knew in the long run it would be for the best so that I could enjoy my week off work.

I rested all day on the Saturday and felt great by the evening. Training is as follows:

Sunday - 5k run
Monday - 45 minutes at the gym (30 minutes cardio, 15 minutes weights)
Tuesday - 6 mile run in 57 minutes
Wednesday - 1 hour in the gym (45 minutes cardio, 15 minutes weights)
Thursday - Running club - 4.6 miles
Friday - rest
Saturday - rest
Sunday - not been yet but a 7 mile evening run is scheduled!

These photos are from my run on Tuesday morning. It was my birthday on Tuesday and yes, I decided to get up super early and go for a run before it got too hot. It was such a nice run. I ran around Sefton Park, down onto Otterspool Prom and then through Otterspool Park. I have been loving the hot weather but it does make running hard. I went to running club on Thursday evening and suffered quite a bit. I'm pleased that I managed just over 4 1/2 miles though. 

This week I am back in work but I'm hoping I can up the mileage a bit. The heat does slow me down but I'll have to get used to it as I think it's here to stay. 8 weeks to go until my half!

Half marathon training plan

So, after my last post I decided to enter the half marathon anyway. I think I had already made my mind up and I've been itching for a new challenge really. Plus, to have run 3 half marathons in 1 year will be pretty awesome considering that last year I only ran 2 10k races.

So, on the 8th September I'll be running 13.1 miles throughout south Warrington. It's only 9 weeks away so training will start in earnest. I've just drafted my training plan. I'm no expert really but I've made this to fit in with my schedule and my current ability. Every Thursday I'll go to running group where we run around 4-5 miles but sometimes change this up. This is also just something to aim for - from previous half marathon training plans I know that sometimes life gets in the way and that I have to skip a work out. But the important thing is I never beat myself up over it. I still managed to finish both races. I'd like to meet a runner who follows a training plan exactly to schedule (other than elite athletes of course!). My main focus will be the long runs, as without building up this distance each week it will be hard to finish in a good time. 

My current PB is 2hrs 5 minutes and while I would like to beat that, I'm also going to realistic as wedding planning will obviously be a priority in the final month also. 

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1st July	Run 10 mins warm up, 10 mins threshold, 10 mins steady.	Yoga	Gym	Running group	Rest	Rest	Run 6 miles
8th July	Run 5 x 5 minutes, 2 minutes rest inbetween	Rest (Birthday!)	Swim am (45 minutes)	Running group	Run 3 miles easy	Rest	Run 7 miles
15th July	Gym (1 hr)	Run 5 x 5 minutes, 2 minutes rest inbetween	Strength training	Running group	Rest	Rest	Run 8 miles
22nd July	Rest	Yoga	Run 3 mile intervals	Running group	Run 4 miles easy	Rest	Run 9 miles
29th July	Gym 45 mins	Run 7 x 5 minutes, 2 minutes rest inbetween	Strength training	Running group	Rest	Park run	Run 10 miles
5th August	Run 10 mins warm up, 20 mins threshold, 10 mins steady.	Swim (45 minutes)	Run 6 miles easy	Running group	Gym (1 hr)	Rest	Run 11 miles
12th August	Gym/Run 7 x 5 minutes, 2 minutes rest inbetween	Yoga	Rest	Running group	Rest	Rest	Rest
19th August	Rest	Run 10 mins warm up, 20 mins threshold, 10 mins steady.	Gym	Running group	Run 7 miles	Rest	Run 13 miles
26th August	Gym	Run 10 mins warm up, 25 mins threshold, 10 mins steady.	Strength training	Running group		Park run	Run 6 miles
2nd Sept	Gym	Yoga	Run 3 miles	Running group	Rest	Rest	RACE DAY

This week I also received this ace running tote I ordered from Nicola Rowlands. Yes, yes I do run hills. Lots around Liverpool, it's almost impossible to avoid them where I live actually. The route for the English Half Marathon is also apparently quite undulating so I'll try to incorporate as many hilly routes into my training runs as possible.

I'm actually really excited to start training again and upping the mileage for my next challenge! I'll be recapping each week here and letting you all know how it goes.