Training Update

2.22
I've been training for my first half marathon, and feel like I'm way behind. While I've been doing fairly well on my pedometer and 'active minutes' on my Fitbit, I haven't really been logging enough miles. I admit I'm a weather wimp when it comes to running in the rain or winter conditions.

There's no looking back now, though. I'm signed up for a 5 mile run in two weeks, and the half marathon the next weekend after. And I'm really looking forward to these! I love the challenge and the thrill of doing something which seems way beyond me, and (hopefully) succeeding anyway. I just
need to do the icing on the cake, which is to get my miles up to 10+ miles a day for about 3 days a week.

Mind you, I'm not going to do anything (too) crazy. There is no reason to risk life and limb just to finish a half marathon. Some wise running counsel would suggest that you combine brief walking breaks in your run, if you're not accustomed to the demanding longer distances of half and full marathons. Sounds good to me...

I typically run a 9:45 to 10:00 minute mile. That's not a bad pace, and not a good pace either. But in my mid-40's, I'm more than satisfied with that, and will try to maintain that timing for this half-marathon. We'll see.

I had a half marathon on my list of things to do in 2014, and it didn't make it to the top of my list. Now that I'm putting it out there, though, it creates enough focus and accountability that I know I'm more apt to see it through. And frankly, I really like running, so it will actually be enjoyable for me to finish off this training and complete the half.

Do you have some big challenge  you've been picking at, like me? Maybe it's time to make an imperfect plan and tackle the issue. It doesn't have to motivate anyone but you, and if you start today, it probably will. That's what a power pantry wellness-lifestyle is all about.

By the Way

I tried something kind of dumb and definitely out of the norm this weekend. Because I'm feeling behind on my training, I wanted to step it up a bit, and decided to go out for a run with extra weight. Thirty pounds of extra weight. I know serious (Olympic) athletes do things like pulling weight sleds and diving for tractor tires in the deep end of the pool. The point is to tax your body well beyond the normal exertion of the upcoming run. Well, I certainly did tax myself. I actually logged about 1.2 miles carrying 2-15 pound dumbbells... but now that I think about it, maybe I was the dumbbell.