I talked about my running goals for 2014. I will run 4 half-marathons and beat 1:50 on one of them. I've already done two and signed up for my 3rd on October 18th (Indianapolis Marathon) at which I did the full last year. Mom has signed up for this one too so I'm excited to run with her again!
I will be using this race as a training run for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (I'll do the half) which is two weeks later. This will be the race where my 2014 goals come to fruition. It will be my fourth half on the year and I'll be gunning for the 1:49:xx.
I am excited about this race for a few reasons. First, I always get excited when I think about new PR's. I think this is attainable - Tom had one last year at this race. Second, this is one race in Indy that I have never done. Third, this is the race I had registered for just before becoming pregnant with Jack and decided to back out. Finally, as I already mentioned, this is where I achieve my 2014 running goals.
This one won't come easy. I'll be leaving the country for two weeks in September and October. I am just guessing that my mileage during those two weeks will be low. It's entirely possible that I won't run at all. I have no idea what to expect. All I know to do is train hard for the weeks leading up to the trip and the weeks following the trip.
For this go round, I am using a half training plan I found in Runner's World. This article spotlighted the women in the Impala Running Club and related it to "amateur" runners like myself. While I do have some fast running friends, I usually run alone due to scheduling etc. However, I loved the plan that was printed along with the article. I knew that I would have to stack two races this fall to hit my 4 races, so this plan was perfect with a 13 mile run two weeks prior to the big race. This is the one I will do with mom at the Indianapolis Half.
The other thing I really like about the plan is that it has very easy Monday runs. I don't know about everyone else, but getting motivated to do anything on a Monday is tough. This plan calls for 30 easy minutes with 5 strides (run fast for a little while) on each Monday. That is one workout I can always do. It also focuses on when to run at goal half marathon pace along with some speed work. I think this plan will keep me interested.
I've done just OK so far. Last week, I got in 4 runs but my "long" run of 6 miles was only 4.5. The heat was unbearable! This week, I've done 3 runs with plans of a 6 miler tomorrow with 3 easy miles and 3 at goal half marathon pace. Next week is when the mileage really kicks in so we'll see how that goes! So far, I feel pretty good. Knees have warned me every once in a while so I'm trying not to push it too much.
The treadmills at the new gym displays stats after each treadmill workout. For the last 4 runs I've done there, I've ranked #1. I have no idea what that means or if there is actually any significance to it, but it always makes me feel pretty good. :)
Here are the stats so far...
Week 1 - 16.5 miles
Week 2 - 15 miles + 6 planned for Sunday
Feels good to be back in the saddle!
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