Half-Marathon Training Plan

Half-marathon training (begins and) continues!

Today is the fourth day of my half-marathon training plan, which I adapted from a similar plan for novice runners by Hal Higdon.  (Of course, I found this original plan on Pinterest, then modified it to fit my schedule a little better.)  So here's the revised training plan for my half marathon:

I started running after work on Tuesday (Week 1, Day 2).  It's getting pretty hot here - it was 90 degrees on Tuesday afternoon and is supposed to get into the 100s today - but the thought of running on a treadmill just seemed boring to me.  Plus, I ran outside in 93 degree heat about two weeks ago and it wasn't too bad.  So off I went on my three mile run.

Well, I didn't really consider the difference between 90 degrees at 5 p.m. and 93 degrees at 9 p.m. (which is the time that I ran a few weeks ago).  And there is a big difference.  For one, I was running against the wind on most of the trail.  While the breeze cooled me down a little bit, it also meant I had to work harder to keep moving.  There was also very little shade on the trail, so the hot sun beating directly down on me really zapped my energy.  (After all, 5 p.m. is pretty much the "heat of the day" here in the summertime.)  So I ended up running about two miles, then alternating between walking and running for the last mile.  I even got light-headed at one point, which is the first time that has ever happened to me while running.

Anyway, I learned my lesson and instead ran on the treadmill yesterday after work.  It was a much more pleasant experience since all of the lights were off in the gym and I was able to get a treadmill right in front of one of the fans.  And, to make up for my somewhat disappointing run on Tuesday, I actually ran three miles instead of just two.  Which made me think of this:

 
So I'll probably go to the gym again today and save my outdoor runs for either 5:30 a.m. or 8:30 p.m.

In other news, my Bible reading plan is going really well!  I'm still using the YouVersion app and the "Blended" reading plan, but I've started listening to the verses while I read along with them.  This is similar to an audio-book option and I really like it.  The reader's voice kind of sounds like a knock-off of Morgan Freeman's, so I can't complain about that!  The recording also has soft music playing in the background, which is just enough of a distraction to take me out of whatever else I am doing and really focus on what I am reading.  I believe that this is better for my reading comprehension as well!

I hope to tackle a few other projects on my list this weekend, so I'll be sure to post about it if I do!

30x30 Update: #4, #21, #23, and #26

So it's not technically my birthday anymore, but I still took the day off work to relax and spend time with some family and friends.  This included morning coffee with my friend Amanda, shopping and lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with my mom, and a sushi dinner with my husband and his parents.  It was a great day!  Plus, I've already started working on a few of the things on my 30x30 list.  So here's an update...

#4: Complete the gallery wall in my house.  Two and a half years ago, my husband and I bought our first house.  But like a lot of new homeowners, we couldn't afford to furnish and decorate it right away.  (In fact, the only furniture we owned when we moved in were four dining room chairs, a wingback chair that I bought at a garage sale, a small pedestal table that belonged to my husband's grandmother, and a roll-top desk that belonged to his grandfather.)  So as we've accumulated more furniture, I've also started hanging stuff on the walls to make things more homey.  This includes a gallery wall that I decided to "put up" in our main front hallway.  The upside?  Gallery walls are an easy design choice and there are lots of tutorials and inspiring pictures of them on Pinterest.  The downside?  Unless you already own 100 differently sized, but coordinating frames, they aren't cheap.  So for the past two years, I've put almost all of my birthday and Christmas money toward picture frames for the hallway.  Until yesterday, I had nine frames on the wall, but thanks to some birthday money, I was able to buy six more (though I have to exchange two of those because they are the wrong size).  I also have another $50 in birthday money that I will put toward frames for the gallery wall, so I hope to have nearly 20 frames on the wall by the end of the month.  Of course, I'm still far from finishing this project, but at least I've made some progress!

(I know this isn't ground breaking stuff, so I won't be offended if you decide to stop reading this post right now.  I just really hate having "unfinished" projects in my home or my life and that includes insignificant things like the gallery wall.  So, moving on...)

#21: Participate in/practice "Meatless Mondays."  I can't quite explain why I want to do this, I just know that I do.  My increased awareness of my health and eating habits started about a year and a half ago when I decided to give up all soda for six months.  I thought it would be impossible, but six months came and went and I realized that I didn't miss it.  (Well, that's not entirely true - I did miss soda a little bit here and there, but the benefits of not drinking soda far outweighed the cons, so it was worth it to me.)  So I decided to do it for six more months, and by the end of the year, I realized it was no longer a personal challenge, but rather a lifestyle choice.  During that time, I also started a regular exercise routine with Camp Gladiator (more on that in later posts) and then got interested in running.  All of these changes inspired me to minimize my meat consumption as well, making today my first official "Meatless Monday."  And it went really well!  I had a banana and an ice cream bar for breakfast (C'mon, I'm still celebrating my birthday!), a pasta dish packed with asparagus and mushrooms for lunch, and sushi for dinner.  So while I simply can't be vegan - I love cheese, eggs, and fish too much - I do like the idea of having one day a week where I remove other meat from my diet.  And I promise my everyday meals are a bit healthier than what I ate today.  Like I said, I was still celebrating my birthday!

#23: Read the entire Bible in one year.  Throughout my life, I'm pretty sure that I've read every verse and line that is in the Bible.  I've just never made a conscious effort to do it in a concentrated amount of time.  So to accomplish this, I'm using a "blended" reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app on my iPad.  "Blended" simply means that I won't be stuck reading the Old Testament until April, but will get to read chapters in both the Old Testament and the New Testament every day.  While I've only completed the first day of the plan, I'm glad I started it.  And I feel like it is going to work really well for me.  I just need to make sure that I complete the readings for the second day as soon as I finish this blog post!

#26: Run a half marathon.  I know.  I'm crazy.  I started running just two months ago and I already think I can run a half marathon.  (Well, I think I can train for a half marathon.  We'll see if I can actually run it.)  So while I've only ever run two 5Ks, I have my sights set on a half marathon that is scheduled for Sunday, September 15.  Yup, it's in 12 weeks.  Yup, that's 13.1 miles.  And the longest distance I've run at one time is 4.19 miles.  So that means I have to start training now.  As in, today.  Fortunately, I am almost finished modifying Hal Higdon's half marathon training plan for novice runners, which I will share once it is finalized.  Anyway, the plan for today was simple - stretch and strengthen.  Normally, I would do this at Camp Galdiator, but it is an off-week for that, so I decided that hours of walking around two different malls and carrying heaving shopping bags would have to suffice.  But tomorrow, I'll get back outside and run about three miles.  So here goes nothing!

Overall, I think this is a good start to accomplishing some of the items on my 30x30 list.  But I better go and read a few chapters of the Bible and get some sleep before running in the morning.  Until next time!

The 30x30 Challenge

Today - June 23, 2013 - is my 29th birthday. 

Unlike some of my friends, I'm not really that freaked out about turning 30 next year.  In the last 11 years, I graduated from high school, college, and graduate school.  I married my junior high sweetheart, have a great job, am almost finished with my Ph.D., and own a house.  So I'm very happy with where I am in life, as well as where my life is hopefully headed.

But I'm also a woman who is focused on achievements, which means that I'm not satisfied with a simple one day celebration of a year of my life.  So for the last couple of weeks, I worked on creating a 30x30 list, or a challenge, if you will, of 30 things that I hope to do and accomplish before my 30th birthday.  The items on this list include several different types of goals, like ones that are educational, financial, physical, recreational, and spiritual.  Many of them are things I have done before (like attend a midnight movie and hold a newborn baby), while some of them are new (like run a half marathon and read the entire Bible in one year).

So without further ado, here is my official 30x30 Challenge:

1. Attend Sunday night church at least one night a month
2. Clean out and organize the office closet
3. Complete the coursework for my doctoral program
4. Complete the gallery wall in my house
5. Create and implement a safety "plan" for the house
6. Defend the proposal for my dissertation
7. Deep clean and purge the house of extra junk
8. Finally finish watching "Lost"
9. Find and buy the perfect little black dress
10. Get pedicures with my sisters
11. Give blood
12. Go on a fancy dinner date with my husband
13. Go to a midnight movie
14. Go to Six Flags with a group of friends
15. Have a certain amount of money in my retirement fund
16. Have a certain amount of money in our savings account
17. Hold a newborn baby
18. Keep a regular prayer journal
19. Make extra payments on my husband's student loans
20. Make extra payments on our mortgage
21. Participate in/practice "Meatless Mondays"
22. Pass my qualifying examination
23. Read the entire Bible in one year
24. Run five 5K races
25. Run a 10K race
26. Run a half marathon
27. Start a blog
28. Take a Barre 3 exercise class
29. Teach a Bible class at my church
30. Volunteer at Breakfast on Boulevard

This blog will chronicle my attempt to accomplish these 30 tasks, so stay tuned if you are interested.

And with that, I've just accomplished #27: Start a blog!

So here's to the last, great year of my 20s... Hopefully, it will be fun and memorable!!