Half Marathon Training

I did it. I bit the bullet and signed up for a half marathon in October. It’s the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon, and I’m running it with a colleague!

I needed a race to kick my running booty into gear. I’ve been lax with running this year, after having a stellar running past year. Just last year, I placed first female in a 5k (the Rock Hall Reindeer Stampede), placed third in my age group in the Chester River Challenge Half Marathon, placed “Almost First” with 11 amazing Washington College alumnae in the Rangar Tennessee Relay (200 miles total), ran on my favorite course in Annapolis for the Ten Miler, ran a half marathon PR (2:03) in Chicago, and celebrated my man George’s Birthday with a chilly, wintry George Washington Birthday 10k.

And then 2014 happened and running paused.  I kept up with teaching 10-11 fitness classes a week, and started dutifully practicing yoga everyday (or #yogaeverydamnday), which has been awesome for me. But something felt like it was missing.

I ran a few times here and there, mostly on trips to keep up my fitness routine. I love the feeling of running, but starting/stopping all the time doesn’t feel pleasant.

I was just talking to a new colleague today about creeping back into running after training hardcore last year…she also ran crazy miles last year and has yet to run more than 2 or 3 at a time this year. And getting back into running can be hard — the 2 miles I ran the other day was pretty brutal.

But something amazing happened this evening.

After teaching 2 group fitness classes today, I was ready to be done and call it a day. About two hours after class, it hit me that it was now or never; I needed to get my booty into gear to hit my training mileage for the day.

Before I could think more about it, I laced up my running shoes and bolted out the door, armed with my phone and headphones (I’m trying the whole listening to music while running thing). My plan called for two miles today, but I didn’t turn at my 1-mile turning point. Instead, I ran a little farther down the road.

I ended up running three miles and it felt GREAT. It helps that my outdoor running views look like this as the sun sets:

We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. But for now, I’m counting this training run as a total win and can bask in the glow of this awesome waterfront scene, just a short run from my apartment: