Why Half Marathon Training WIll Be Better This Time

Today is my first official day of half-marathon training! Except today is a strength day, so no actual running will be involved. I'm going to a yoga class later this morning.

Last year, I ran my first half-marathon. While I had a blast running it and my overall time was decent for a complete novice, I think there's always room for improvement.

Not that I really know what I'm doing this time either, but here are a few reasons that I think this time will be better than the last.

1. I'm following an actual training plan and tracking my mileage. Last time, I didn't follow any general guidelines, but I was smart and consistent. I gradually increased my mileage. I took rest days and cross trained. I listened to my body. I didn't over-do it. However, I do think a specific training plan will be beneficial. I'm using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Training Plan. I'm actually combining it with the Intermediate Training Plan to make my own personalized plan, since I'm such a running expert and all. As far as tracking my mileage went, I used a very handy website called Map My Run last time. It got the job done, but I'm not sure it was entirely accurate. I now have a fancy Garmin watch that tracks my mileage and my average pace.

2. I'm cross-training more effectively. Most of my previous cross-training was just ellipticising for an hour or going on power walks around campus with friends, both of which are very enjoyable activities that I will probably still continue to do from time to time. But I've started adding activities like spinning, yoga, and weight lifting into my regular exercise routine. I can tell I've gotten stronger and built more muscle, which will definitely improve my running performance.

3. I'm eating healthier foods. As much as I miss the convenience of walking downstairs and having dinner prepared for me each night at the sorority house (man, that was the life), I do not miss "Fried Fridays" and eating vegetables drenched in butter and seasoned with bacon fat. Although I still managed to eat pretty healthy, I didn't have my own kitchen and couldn't always control what I put into my body. Now I'm able to choose what foods I eat and how I prepare them. This means I get to eat power-fueling foods like kale and quinoa, instead of cheese-filled breadsticks and nightly cookie dough (no, we never raided the kitchen late at night).

Healthy Sorority Dining:

The sorority house salad bar was top notch.

Not so healthy:

Lots of carbs. None of them are whole grain.

I also ate too many Gigi's cupcakes in college.

4. I'm not going out 3-4 x per week anymore. Last year, I was training for a half-marathon during my last semester of college. I was taking 18 hours of essentially "elective classes." I wasn't stressed out, and I had a lot of freedom in my schedule. In an attempt to make the most of my college career, I was frequenting jazz night at the Alcove and Innisfree's trivia night on a weekly basis. I don't regret it all (probably some of my favorite college memories), but it didn't always make me feel my best for long runs. I used to sacrifice sleep for the fun but now my nightly schedule looks a little like this: get in my pj's at 8 pm, make some decaf herbal peppermint tea, drink tea in bed while reading, lights out at 9:30 pm. I'm such a grandma.

Trivia night helped me learn many useless facts.

I am now a smarter person because of it.

5. I have cool new running gear.  Last year, I hadn't even heard of Lululemon until I went to NYC for Spring Break and Ann showed me the light. At the time, I only had about two good running tops to my name. Back then, I had to travel to places like Nashville and Atlanta to stock up on Lululemon goods, but now Birmingham has its very own store. I'm not sure if my addiction to Lululemon is a good thing or a bad thing. It's good in the fact that I don't have to do laundry as much, but it's not so good for my bank account. True story: I'd rather buy a new running top than a nice dress these days. Real clothes- who needs 'em? I live in my yoga pants. Ask anyone. I also got some high tech socks that absorb sweat and some new kicks! They're the Brooks Pure Cadence- it's a more lightweight, natural feeling shoe that still has some support.

Bright colors are fun.

Will and I have matching shoes.

Things I'll miss: 

1. The best training partner anyone could ever ask for. Mary Alice and I used to be across the street sorority house neighbors. Now she lives in Atlanta, and I live in Birmingham. Some people like to be all silent, focused, and "in the zone" when they run but not us. We talked about everything- life, the past, the future, family, friends, boys, classes, teachers, food. Some of the best conversations I've ever had. We had fun with it and didn't take ourselves too seriously. Some days I had runs that sucked, and I wanted to give up. If I didn't have MA to talk me through it, I probably would have given up. Bottom line: running is more fun with other people and having a support system is everything. MA, if you're reading- we can totally still make this work. We can just train separately and then meet up for an amazing time in Nashville!

I can't explain it- running just bonds people.  

2. Long runs around UA's campus. I lived in my sorority house my senior year of college, and it was so nice to walk outside and just start running. There was no need to drive anywhere. The University of Alabama has a beautiful campus- I miss running through downtown, stopping at the Rec and Lakeside Dining for water breaks, and finishing up on the Quad. I also felt this weird connection to anyone I saw running on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I was all "Everyone else in Tuscaloosa is probably still sleeping right now and recovering from a late night out and we're outside running 10 miles! We're awesome. We're in this together." It sounds lame, but it was inspirational and empowering.

I miss college now and got slightly emotional writing this post, but I'm excited to see what training brings around this time. Hope everyone has a great week!