Progression

Tomorrow officially starts week 11 of Half Marathon #1 training. With only a month left before the race, it seems like a good time to have a recap of how things have been going. First of all the old adage, “If it were easy, everyone would do it” is completely true. Training for anything or making fitness an integral part of your life is hard work, and in some ways, like a second full time job. The only difference is that the ROI isn’t money, but health, fitness, and a renewed sense of accomplishment and self esteem. 

Awhile back I briefly explained my schedule. Its a combination of things I was already doing along with a running schedule. Basically it broke down to four runs a week (one of them being tempo and one long), 2 sessions of personal training, 1 session of a partner kickboxing training, and then a group kickboxing class. It is a lot. In order to keep to this schedule, I have to be in the gym or running outside every day except Sundays. 

Weeks 1-4 I was on FIRE. There was no stopping me. I was making meal plans, tweaking my schedule, staying focused and on track. I made a fitness journal and got a Nike Fuelband (best invention ever). I went to the gym and was energized with every workout. I spent my free time thinking of new ways to log my miles, research the best equipment, the best foods, and what to do on my down time. 

Then life happened and I got sick. Not a little cough sick. Raging flu “I think I could die tomorrow” sick. I had to take an entire week off, which was HORRIBLE. I felt anxious about it. I felt guilty about just letting my body rest. I couldn’t wait to go back into the gym. The next week I came on strong and did what I needed to do and killed it! But life, once again creeped up on me and it was February vacation.

My wonderful, fabulous, amazing parents sent me down to the condo in Florida hoping I would use the time to “get away” from the craziness of my job. In order to prep my job and pack for this trip meant another 4 days out of the gym. When I got to warmer weather, all I wanted to do was rest, sleep, and be as lazy as possible. BUT, I did get out there and put three days of workout in (two run days and a 4 mile walk on the beach day). No, it wasn’t NEARLY enough, but I was determined to do something. 

Getting home on Friday, I became obsessed about getting back on track, no matter what. So threw my “rule book” into the Charles River (figuratively people), and went a little crazy. 7 miles on Friday, 3 on Saturday, a 3.6 mile run/walk on my “rest day”, and then back to regularly scheduled programming. 

WORD OF WARNING: DON’T EVER DO THAT. I am now in complete overtrain mode as my mileage keeps creeping up. I need to hit large numbers and not letting my body rest has been a major problem. I stopped tracking the fuel that is keeping me going through this, and started making bad choices because I knew my body needed something to give. I’ve lost energy, drive, motivation. It is a bad scene. I took two rest days, got back on track and finished my first ever double digit run OUTSIDE (yesssssssss.) But its time to get back on track. Its time to really go back to the purpose of this and rethink what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. 

I only have four more weeks left, so this may just be the fear and the jitters, but this is no joke training and it is hard and scary. Especially for a girl who still looks in the mirror and finds an overweight, uncoordinated, shy, unsure, non athlete. The body changes long before the mind does, and you need to listen to it in order to be truly successful. Here’s hoping I can get there.