One Week Later…
Well well well, where did the time go? This is the second time since I moved to Boston that I went a week without blogging – oops! I’ve been really busy – each weekend this summer is seriously already “booked” with plans, some home and some and away, some personal and some work related. It overwhelms me when I think about it, but then I try to tell myself to just NOT think about it, and take it one week at a time.
Previously on Cait Plus Ate (let’s say this in the Emily Thorn voice, a la Revenge), I was having a really tough time trying to figure out what was “okay” to do – in terms of healthy living – while in recovery. I’d had a long Memorial Day weekend of plans that involved drinking and “risky” food, so I decided to abstain from alcohol for a few days. That actually ended up being no big deal and, I feel at least, not related to deprivation. I really just didn’t want anything to drink, and my body felt better for it. Perhaps that’s why Friday nights beverages hit me way harder than I anticipated, but that’s a story for another time.
Friday night failed sorority pose shenanigans.
I thought a lot about my interest in registering and training for a half marathon. Did I want to do it to lose weight? To “work off” extra calories I’ll be consuming during this summer of all the plans? But really, I don’t think that much about that when I consider what a half marathon will mean to me. I don’t think about the extra calories I’ll be “allowed” to consume, or the way my body may look by the time race day rolls around. What I really think about is how AMAZING I’m going to feel when I cross that finish line.
That’s right, not if I cross, but when. Because yesterday…I registered for the Zooma Women’s Half Marathon in Cape Cod on Saturday, September 27th! Not only that, my mom is registering too. I’m so relieved that she’ll be there to support me, and Kelly and Sarah (both Zooma Ambassadors) will be there too. It’s going to be a great weekend on the Cape with loved ones, and I’m psyched to bring home this adorable lighthouse medal.
For real, how cute is this thing? (Source)
I’m going to follow the Hal Higdon Novice 2 training plan, but only in the sense that I will use it to check off each run and make sure the runs are as long as they should be. I intend to start next week (the earlier the better in case something came up and I ended up having to miss a long run sometime) but I may sneak in a couple of the first week’s runs this week if I have time. I also know that Monday (Danielle’s spin class) and Wednesdsay (Corrie’s Total Body Conditioning class) will be my cross-training days since those are my very favorite can’t-miss classes at the BSC. The plan calls for four runs per week (more running than I do in a month – ah!) so that plus my two cross-training days leaves one day for rest. Yes, rest. Arghhh! Planning one rest day a week is a new thing for me but I know that if I’m going to be doing LONG runs, it’s totally necessary. Well, the rational side of me knows. If you see me saying I worked out on a rest day, feel free to yell at me.
Unless I say I did Bacardio on a rest day. I think that’s okay.
I also am finally utilizing my free personal training session that came with my BSC membership – I’m going today in fact – to learn a thing or two from a trainer with experience in half-marathon and marathon training. We’re going to talk about the different types of runs and also the right kind of exercises to do on non-running days, or on days with short runs, to keep up strength. I do want to continue to do enough strength training while I train, and from other blogs I’ve read I know this can go by the wayside very easily. Hopefully today’s session will give me important insight!
So there you have it. I am confident in my decision and know my friends and family are there to support me. I also have so many resources for advice, so I’ll be sure to reach out if I need any! Thanks again to all who left such helpful comments on my last post; they definitely were part of my decision.
Have you ever trained for a half marathon?
How do you balance cross-training and maintaining strength with runs?
