My Half Marathon Training Progress

At the beginning of August, I started to enter in my mileage into a calendar. Since I was two months away from my half marathon, I wanted to pay closer attention to my training.

This is what the month of August looked like:

[If you’d like to see my training before August, check it out on my run page.]

Last week I realized that I went way over the 10% increase rule, so I decided to make this week a fall back week, where I would decrease my mileage. So I focused a lot on cross training and stuck to 2 runs.

I have never been one to follow a strict plan, so that is why you don’t see much filled in on September’s calendar. All that I have planned is my weekly long run goal and my overall total mileage goal. As for what days I will be running those miles, I will decide that when the week comes! ;)

I feel like my training is coming along really well though. Every once and a while I think back to my 2 month long injury and it is almost hard to believe that at one point I thought I may never run again. It was such a sad time for me, but it also taught me so much. I now know that if I treat my body properly and with some TLC, I can do some pretty awesome things.

Fast forward to today.

I will admit, I was not a happy camper this morning. I guess it is the hormones that get the best of me, but I was feeling really blah and just overall down in the dumps. The thought of strapping on all my gear and having a fun run seemed a bit daunting, so I decided to spend the morning working on business stuff and then see how I felt in the afternoon.

Last night I bought some IT Band Wraps at Running Room because I have been having some problems with my knee sleeves lately. They are giving me a heat rash and I am getting red, itchy welts/bumbs underneath the sleeves. It is driving me crazy! So I thought I would give these IT Band Wraps a whirl. I had a gift card for Running Room, so I figured it was a win win.

After I put them on I noticed that my knees felt much lighter, but I wasn’t sold on them yet. I brought my knee sleeves in a bag just in case because I didn’t want to have to turn around.

After getting my moleskin, electrical tape, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, water, gel, etc. We were off!

The run (Murder Hill route):

Distance: 9 miles
Duration: 1 hour 26 mins 59 seconds
Avg pace: 9:38 min/mile
Max pace: 7:34 min/mile (bug was chasing me)
Max HR: 169 bpm
Avg HR: 145 bpm

I decided today that I would only stop and walk when I wanted to and I ended up stopping 3 times for about 30-60 seconds each time. At the 6 mile mark, I had some homemade gel (recipe coming soon) to give me a burst of energy.

The run was pretty challenging today because it was really windy out. I was also doing Murder Hill.

My IT Bands seemed to do ok until the 8:40 mile mark and my right knee started to hurt so I stopped and put my knee sleeve on for the rest of the way. I definitely don’t think my problem is my IT Band, I think I just need overall knee support which the knee sleeves give me much more of. I’m not sure what to do about the heat rash though! Do I just have to deal with it? Get new knee sleeves? I’m not sure.

All and all I am quite happy with my run today. Aside from the knee hurting at the end, I felt strong, capable, and well-trained. I know that my cardio is definitely there, so from here on out until mile 13.1 it will be more of a mental game than anything. Last nigth Eric and I were talking about my half marathon (28 days) and I started to get so pumped up! I love the thrill of racing. :)

After my run I immediately gulped down 10 grams of delicious protein:

Told you I gulped it!

I also had a huge plate of leftover zucchini spaghetti:

I LOVE spaghetti!!!!!!

And a Peanut Butter Banana Bomb muffin (sans the bomb- all out!)

~~~~~~

Thanks for all of you who wrote your fitness bucket list yesterday. It was so motivating to read and gave me lots of ideas! I keep looking at mine on the wall and it makes me so excited. Sooooo many fun fitness things I want to do in this life!

Coming up on OSG:

I will be showing you my homemade energy gel recipe. It is quick, delicious, and CHEAP!
Wedding Anniversary festivities- We’re going out to 2 restaurants this weekend. I also can’t wait to show you the gift I made Eric. It was so much fun.
Prickly Pear, anyone?
A new delicious food product review

Today’s question:

I am taking Eric to this super fun and highly recommended vegetarian restaurant called Fresh in Toronto this weekend. The only problem is- I can’t decide what to get! They have tons of Green drinks, elixirs, wraps, stir-frys. Oh my gosh. I want to have an idea of what I am getting before I go or I will seriously take 30 minutes to decide! Help me choose!

I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the strong.
– Leo Rosten

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Majl

15 years ago

baby energy bowl or super protein salad with sweet ginger tea! you’ll love it; they make the best rice and marinated tofu.

Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows)

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Reply to Majl

mmmm sounds SO good!

Leila

I love Fresh, it’s such a great restaurant, you’ll love it.

I suggest trying one of their bowls, it’s something you won’t find anywhere else. I’ve had the warrior and the energy always with soba, but both were amazing.

Also, if you do get a bowl, get a baby. It alone is huge!

have fun, can’t wait to hear what you think.

Jolene

I would get the detox cocktail and the warrior bowl :-) Looks like a great place!

sarah (ghost world)

looks wonderful!

holiday wrap or california salad are my picks :)

i love menus!

MelissaNibbles

Thank you for sharing your training plan. I have trouble sticking to a set plan because I enjoy adding a few miles here and there or using the elliptical if my legs are feeling sore. I like the idea of just putting in the long runs and a projected number of miles. I’m off to play around with my running plan right now! Thanks for the idea.

RunToTheFinish

too funny I had a GM, then some Anne’s mac n’cheese with veggies post run today!

Knee issues are definitely scary, but totally possible to overcome. I’m sure you are still doing strengthening exercises and you’ve got the right mental attitude to get through what is sometimes pain brought on by our brains…hey it’s weird to run that far! :) and we do it anyways

Susan

First, my training plans are basically the same. I don’t like sticking to a set schedule, so I just plan out how much of what I want to do each week, then decide each day from there. I hate feeling like I “have” to go for a run, I rather be out there because I feel like it :)

Secondly, holy moly that’s an awesome menu! DROOL over everything that’s on there! Personally, I would go for a veggie burger and a juice, but that’s just my tastes. I know there’s no way I’d be able to recreate either at home.

Have fun!! :D

Eri

When a girl on my volleyball team got a rash on her leg from something she was allergic to this girl suggested putting olive oil on it- so she did and it cleared right up.I dont know if it will help a heat rash, but worth a try if you have it on hand I guess. Also, are the knee sleeves getting really sweaty? maybe the sweating irritates your legs.

p.s. the muffin looks delis!

Reply to Eri

hmm I might have to try this olive oil trick out!

Yes the sleeves get sweaty- that is the problem with them…they DON’T breathe! I hate them, but they are the only thing that has prevented my knee pain from happening. I’d rather a rash than pain, but surely there has to be a solution?!

Maria

Fresh is a great little casual spot! I love their bowls (Green Goddess with power house sauce is my fave) – but the Baby Warrior is awesome, too. They make great sweet potato fries.

As for juices – ‘All Green’ is my staple drink there, with an apple added for a little sweetness. It feels like drinking health. The Susur (apple/rasperry/beet) is also awesome, if very beet-y.

The only sad thing about Fresh is the lack of organic veggies, especially greens in their juices. Oh well.

Have fun!

Sana

Vaseline anyone? I am obsessed in case you have not read my new post. It might do the trick :)

Karen

I’ve used the same brand of IT band wraps. I had ITBS in both legs and had limited success with the wraps at first. A far more experienced runner (he’s a running coach) suggested wearing the wraps a little differently. Instead of wearing them right above the knee, as shown in the picture, he suggested wearing them so they wrap just under the patella. I tried that and I finally, finally found relief! It seemed so counter-intuitive, but it worked.

Anyway, I don’t know what kind of knee pain you have since I’m fairly new to this blog, but if you suspect IT band issues, it’s worth a try.

Reply to Karen

Pardon my ignorance, but where is the patella located?

Lauren

Reply to Angela Liddon (Oh She Glows)

Your patella is your knee bone- the big circular one (technical term :). haha, sorry…that’s the only way I could think of describing it! Not very scientific :P

Reply to Lauren

Yup, Lauren was right. So you would want to wear the straps so that they hit just under the kneecap, pretty snugly. :)

Claire

I see your dilema about what to order:-)I would have a field day with just the apps.hehe…the super protein salad looks yummy,though.I wish they had places like that where I live.ENJOY!

I can’t wait to go to FRESH!!!!!!!!

And you’ll want to go back again and again. When I left TO, I bought all their cookbooks and make them at home now! Enjoy and report back!

kristin

Fresh is the best resturant ever! You can’t go wrong with anything you order :)

P.S. They have the best shopping bags there ever – check them out while you are there – they are called “baggu’s” they are amazing for grocery shopping and hold so much! :)

Kristin

SnowKat

From Fresh… (wish we had one here!) I was hungry before I started looking at the menu and now my tummy is growling.. haha

BEACH – $12 on brown basmati rice / $14 on soba noodles
grilled red pepper, zucchini & sweet potato with avocado,
sun-dried tomatoes, sunflower sprouts, olive oil, tamari,
lemon & mixed herbs
with goat cheese or grilled tofu steaks add $2

POWER HOUSE – $12 on brown basmati rice /$14 on soba noodles
avocado, chick peas & grilled tofu steaks with toasted nuts &
seeds, sunflower sprouts, tomato, red onion & spicy tahini sauce

Oooh, Fresh is sooo good! I love their sweet potato fries! :P

Rosey Rebecca

Wow! Everything on that menu looks great! I wish we had some place like that around where I live! I’d probably go for one of the salads! Yum!

Allison

For the knee rash–try Vaseline/petroleum jelly. And be sure to rinse the knee sleeves regularly. I have a neoprene brace and usually I toss it in the shower after I run so I can rinse it out.
And maybe something like aloe vera after your run or some sort of ointment/balm if the rash flares up?
Hope that helps!

Marcia

Thank you for giving us your half marathon training update. I was just thinking about you today for that reason. I am considering running a half marathon in early November. I ran slightly more than 7 miles today (7.3) in 75 mins.

So a couple of questions:
How do you fuel for your long runs? I tend to want to leave early, which is a problem.

Have you ever had a problem with headaches? The last two weeks, I run in the am (done around 9 am), and then around noon, 1 or 2 pm, I get a splitting headache that is nearly impossible to get rid of. I want to do this thing, but not if it means 9 more debilitating Saturdays between now and then.

(I also have a killer hill, which is the last part of my run each time…I walked 3 times for 60 sec – planned – and a fourth time up that killer hill – unplanned).

Reply to Marcia

If I am planning a run first thing in the morning, I make sure to eat lots of carbs the day before- especially for dinner. In the morning, I tend to have either a green monster or a glo bar before a run.

During the run, I am now bringing with me my homemade energy gels (recipe to come) for anything over 6 miles.

I haven’t had a problem with headaches, but my gut instinct is that you are dehydrated. Of course, I have no idea how much you are drinking though, so if you are drinking an adequate amount just disregard that. Youdon’t want to over-hydrate either. Another idea, is the sun. Sometimes when I am in the sun for a long time I get a headache. Could that be it?

Well, I try to hydrate well…but it could be dehydration, or the sun, or the food. I think next week I will try to hydrate more before the run and maybe take a little gatorade with me. See how that goes. Eventually a second cup of tea and some ibuprofen did the trick.

This whole running more than an hour thing is new to me.

Kristen

It could also be that you are getting dehydrated and then taking in too much water or gatorade right after your run. I can’t remember if it was on Frayed Laces or the Running laminator (both show up as the first hit of you google them), but one of them posted a really good explanation on how when you get a little dehydrated, the best thing is to slowly rehydrate. The splitting headaches can come because you re-hydrate too quicky and your cells (especially the ones in your brain and head) get too full of fluid without enough electrolytes. They get so excited to see water that they over do it.