Category Archives: take it and run thursday

take it and run thursday – 13.1

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The Half Marathon is this weeks topic over on the Runners’ Lounge blog.

I’ve been thinking about this all week. I am currently training for one, and I have to say it’s been a bit of a struggle. This will only be my second one and my first was right in the middle of my marathon training schedule. It couldn’t have been easier. I had already run farther than 13.1 miles, so I knew I could do it. It was summer time, so while the temperatures were hot, early morning runs were easy. Now, even midday, the ice and snow keep me in doors most of the time, and training in the treadmill is not the same. As I am sitting here typing this, with my race a month from tomorrow, I must admit I’m freaking out!

So, rather than focus on my neuroses (I have many), I am going to talk about why I love the half marathon distance and why I think anyone can run (or walk) one.

First, I’m going to refer to Amy’s post about the distance. To quote her: “It’s the perfect distance for most runners and especially us slower runners. It’s not too long that we need to plan for the entire day away and its not so short that it is obvious how slow we are running.” I am a slow runner. I do alright in the 5k, because that distance is short enough that many walkers also participate, but when it comes to running a 10k vs. a half marathon, I would choose a half any day of the week.

Second, with it being the perfect distance, it requires a lot less time to train for a half marathon, as compared with a marathon. And, once you start training for the half, you might just realize that the full is not so far out of reach. But if you decide not to do that, a half marathon is still a huge accomplishment (and enough to impress any non-runner).

And finally, if you are training for a marathon, it is something you are going to do anyway, so you might as well do it with other people, get a cool t-shirt and add one more race to your belt (or bulletin board in my case…I have every bib from every race I’ve ever run).

And now for my list of dos and don’ts:

  • It’s really easy to get a little lazy in training (especially if you’ve run one before and know how forgiving it can be). Don’t do it.

  • As with any race, most of us will run a bit faster (race pace). If all you’ve ever done are the shorter distances, you may not realize how damaging starting to fast can be. Know yourself and your limits. I have finally learned that I have to start at a pretty slow pace for the first two miles, let the crowd run ahead, and then I can hit my groove. This makes for a much better run.

  • Train the way you are going to run. Look at the course and what time of day you’ll be running. Try to match this as closely as possible. My first experience was so nice because I had trained on terrain very similar to the race terrain and my training runs started at about 6 am on Saturdays. This meant, mentally, I was confident.

  • Enjoy it!!! That’s my favorite part about the half marathon distance. You can enjoy it (at least when you are well trained…talk to me in a month and I may be singing a different tune)

And here are some of my favorite posts from my favorite runners about their half marathon experiences (the first three are all running the Canyonlands Half Marathon with me and I’m so excited!).

  • Anne’s first half and one of her favorite items.

  • Jen’s post with musings about past and future runs.

  • Cropstar’s post about some of the joys of running.

  • Beth had this to say about her first half:
    First, and at this point in my life, MOST IMPORTANTLY I ran a half marathon yesterday. I know many of you are runners, but I AM NOT and have never wanted to be. However, I have four children, which means I have been prego for 3 years of my life. I love being pregnant (up until 8 mo.) but it is HARD on your body to stretch to abnormal sizes and then go back and pretend it never happened. SO. . . . . I started running. I just gave a lot of background info that was not needed! Anyway, I did it with my good friend, Tia, and her sister-in-law, Mindee. All I have to say is, we pretty much just ROCKED!!! It was SOOO much easier than I thought, and gets me excited for more in the future. (I didn’t have my camera, so once I get a picture I will post our victory shot.)

take it and run thursday – motivation

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Motivation is this weeks topic over on the Runners’ Lounge blog. So, what motivates me to run?

Of course there are the things that I think motivate most people, the desire to be in shape, the need to exercise, the camaraderie of running. But for me it is really all about the show. What do I mean by “the show”? I mean that I like being able to tell people that I have run a marathon. I like that, at one point in time, I ran five miles a day. I like that my calves get uber toned and look great in skirts. My motivation for doing many things is the desire to be a person who would do those things. I don’t know that I am especially adventurous by nature, but I want to be an adventurous person, so I do things that make me that way. I’m definitely not a natural runner, but I want to be a runner, so I run. Now, when I say this, it’s not that I go around talking about running all the time. I don’t. I just like knowing that I could talk about it, should the opportunity present itself.

That is the Big Motivation. And now the daily motivations:

  1. Running off whatever treat I couldn’t seem to resist.
  2. The amazing sense of accomplishment that comes at the end of a good run.
  3. It’s my outlet. In fact, my favorite runs (besides my 10 mile+ runs) are angry runs. I love running off my emotions. Best fuel ever! Unfortunately, I’m not really an angry person, so these don’t happen often.
  4. Getting to see the little improvements that seem to manifest themselves daily. A faster mile split, lower heart rate, longer endurance, etc.
  5. The muscle definition in my quads. This one is just for me since I’m not in the habit of wearing clothing that shows off my quads, but I love it!
  6. My running music. I know this might sound weird, but for some reason there are certain songs that I can only listen to while running. Maybe I feel too old to listen to them otherwise. I don’t really know.
  7. Watching the miles on my sidebar add up.
  8. The prospect of my next race…which is why I always have one scheduled.
  9. Other runners.
  10. Running blogs – I love reading about others’ running experiences.

What kills my motivation?

  1. Anything that sounds more enjoyable than running, which most days could be watching the wind blow, but is more often sleeping (the big run killer) or other time commitments. But, to get through that, I just plan. Like tonight, my day won’t end until 10:30 pm, but I’ll be heading to the gym to get a good run in since I won’t be running at all this weekend.

Wow, I sure am inspirational. You all know my secret, now. I don’t actually like running. But I like knowing that I run, so even though every mile (with the rare exception) is a bit painful, there are moments when I do enjoy it because I think, “I am a runner.”

So, for those of you who think you could never be a runner because you hate running, think again. You can totally do it. I think a few of my running friends would agree with me. (See, that was motivational, right?)

ETA: I forgot one of my biggest motivators. Setting an example for my darling nieces and nephews. I want to be the cool aunt who runs marathons (since the “rich aunt” position has already been filled). And on that note, here’s the newest member of my family: Hope Elizabeth.

You can read the details here.
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take it and run thursday: basics of running

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I am part of a little online running community called Runners’ Lounge. There is also a blog by the same name. Today the blog is doing an experiment called Take It and Run Thursday and the topic is the basics of running. They have invited runners (any runners) to share on our blogs what we think to be the fundamentals of running. As such, I have decided to share a list of items that I feel are essential to beginning the long journey to the marathon. I have shared this before, but in this post, I will include links to everything, as well as a song or two. Now, the things I’m listing are the items/activities that worked for me as a non-runner. Just opinions, not science. And no, I have not been paid by any of these companies (I wish), so this is free advertising for them. These are REAL endorsements.

  1. As you start on your journey, or in preparation of it, I’d recommend a little light reading, The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training. Besides being helpful, this book is quite entertaining and well written. It does scare you just a bit, but my experience ended up being quite a bit less painful than the author’s, which left me feeling totally satisfied.

  2. Pick a race that allows you a realistic time line for training. And in order to do that, you need to know what your time line is. For that, I’m a fan of Hal Higdon’s training guides.

  3. Shoes. This is not somewhere to skimp. Find your local running store. In Utah County, Runner’s Corner is my store of choice. You go, try on shoes, run in them. You’ll discover your footfall and the best shoes for you. And, really, they try to keep the prices as competitive as possible.

  4. For women who are at all endowed (in running, having a flat chest is definitely a great advantage): A good sports bra. My personal favorite, Champion® Vapor™ Seamless Sports Bra. I love it! No chaffing problems, as there are no seams, and it offers great support.

  5. A running buddy. Even if you don’t actually run together, you need someone who is counting on you and who is supporting you. For me, it’s the aforementioned Anne. We live on opposite sides of the country, but through my friend and yours, the Internet, we are able to share the joys of running, and keep each other going. And come marathon day for a beginning runner, having a friend to run with makes all the difference in the world. And I would go a step further and recommend trying to find someone who’s at about your pace. It made running the marathon so much more enjoyable.

  6. The Marathon Machine, as Anne likes to call it, which is known to most people as the iPod nano with the Nike+. Hands down, this was my single, most important non-necessity training tool.

  7. In order to prevent chaffing Sport Shield. (If you’ve never experienced the chafe before, you will if you don’t take measures to protect yourself). I know people swear by Body Glide, but I found that Sport Shield provides a lot more slip, thereby eliminating chaffing all together. I ran 26.2 miles and the only place I had an issue was under my sports bra on my back…a place I have failed to apply protection.

  8. Last, but not least (nor essential), a few of my favorite running songs:
    Clothes Off – Gym Class Heroes
    Find a New Way – Young Love
    Glamorous – Fergie
    Summer Love – JT
    Workout Plan – Kayne West

There are several other things I could list, but I think this is a good place to start. When it comes to apparel, I think it’s so dependent on your body, your style, and your climate that I didn’t want to put anything on here…other than I think Under Armor rocks.

Good luck in your running adventures. If you want to read more about my marathon training, just click here.

***ETA – Based on a comment from Anne, I realized that I forgot about fuel. How could I forget that? Oh…maybe because I’m way behind on my training schedule and I’ve been treadmill training. Anyway, two important things of note with fuel. First, the fuel belt: I love my Nathan Speed 4 belt. I like this better than the Amphipod and the Fuel Belt because of the amount it holds, the pockets, and the bottle holsters. Personal preference. Then there’s the fuel itself. I run with water, not energy drinks (which I thoroughly enjoy after a run, particularly Gatorade…but it’s too sweet during one) and CLIF SHOT ®BLOKS™ chews. I am not a GU fan. I think it’s disgusting (I’ve never actually tried it, but just the thought grosses me out). Fueling is something that takes some time to figure out for your body, so be patient and take it one step at time.