In my training for the Lincoln Presidential Half-Marathon, I've made great strides --- pardon the pun --- but what I've really noticed is I'm new at this whole thing.
My previous posts about quitting smoking, my diet, how to track my food and my workouts, have all be very helpful, but nothing has been more helpful than my conversation with Jason and Jeff from St. John's Athleticare.
I sat down with Jason and Jeff for a couple of hours to go over what I've been doing in training and what I should be focusing on.
We're a few weeks away from the big run, and one thing I really need to do is take advantage of the off days. These are days I've been neglecting as I want to drop as much weight as possible before the 13.1 mile run (by the way I've lost 25 lbs since this all started).
However, as we get closer to the big race, I'm going to be putting a lot of stress on my knees, hips, and body in general. The off days will be crucial for me to recover!
Jason laid out for me a training guide for the next few weeks. Last Sunday I upped my big run-day Sunday to 7 miles. That was difficult, but I got through it, especially after loading up on carbs before running! This next run-day Sunday I will get up to 9 miles! Then I'll take a break the following week and only run 3 or 4 miles for my big run-day. But, it'll kick back in the following two weeks to be 10 miles one run-day Sunday and then 11 miles for the following run-day Sunday! HOLY COW! That's a lot, but I can get it done!
The thing Jason really stressed was the taper weeks just before the race. The two weeks beforehand, I will not be running nearly as much. This is a way to prepare me for the big race.
Jason also stressed how I need to test out clothing, foods, water intake, all to prepare for the big day. I don't want to have digestive issues, chafing issues or anything else that will hold me up from crossing that finish line.
Next, I'll tell you about something else that's gonna get me through the race ... and that's some new shoes and running gear from The Springfield Running Center off West White Oaks.
