Baby Steps

I officially started training for the Pittsburgh UPMC Health Plan Half Marathon on September 15th. There wasn't anything particularly special about that day. I know this because I had to go look it up in my Runkeeper history. I ran almost two miles of intervals - 2 minutes run then 1 minute of walking. All said and done it was 26 minutes and the pace was 13:24. I had attached pictures of all my battle scars (aka: bruises) from Barber Beast on the Bay, which has been 6 days prior. They were at full color by this point (bruises are a bit like fall foliage, you know?). I complained about my shins in my notes, but I was happy to be out and running on something other than SAND. Barber Beast was an eternity of loosely packed sand with some fun obstacles in between. It almost felt like Hell at the time, but I'm glad I did it because it's ultimately what led me to realize that I could most certainly complete a half marathon. I mean, if I can run 6+ miles in the loose sand, conquer obstacles, and finish off the rest of the race (a total of 10 miles) on pavement in 3 hours, I sure as heck could complete a 13 mile course on pavement with no obstacles in the same period of time..... Right? Well my shins beg to differ but whatever. They hate pavement, but UPMC Sports Med is going to deal with those bitches.

I point out the start date of my official training because this is now most definitely the longest I've ever maintained a running training schedule. Up until now, I've used various couch to 5k programs that left me in so much mental and physical anguish that I shudder. How can people really come off the couch and follow these programs??? I'm a Beachbody coach for crying out loud - I've completed P90X3, Core de Force, Shift Shop, 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, "Shaun Week" of "Insane Focus" ... The list goes on. So I've completed all these hard core in-home work out programs - WHY OH WHY can't I complete a couch to 5k? My shins - they would be hurting so badly by week 3 that I could hardly walk. My mind would give out. I'd look to tomorrow's run and say "OH MY GOD I'M SUPPOSED TO RUN FIVE WHOLE MINUTES TOMORROW? I CAN'T DO THAT!!" My lungs were screaming, my heart was pounding. My heart gave up. It wasn't fun - not even close. Every run was pretty much torture. But something kept bringing me back. I repeated this cycle more than a couple of times.

I saw my friends completing races. I saw the elation on their faces as they proudly held up their medals. They didn't *win* but... They DID win. I just couldn't stop seeing their wins! I heard people talk about how they like to go running together. This was an enigma to me because any time my husband and I run together, it basically ends in me lagging far behind and him coaxing me to hurry up for awhile, until he gives up and just goes on without me. That's not fun either. Regardless, I talked him into running the Pittsburgh half marathon with me anyway, because I'm that kind of special.

On September 18th I officially registered for the half marathon and joined Steel City Road Runners as part of the registration process. They seemed to know what they were doing when it comes to having fun while running.

On September 23rd I went for my first group training run with SCRR and a friend Angela. Angela basically ends up being my perfect running match right now because she's easy to talk to and her pace is very similar to mine. She introduced me to the Galloway method and I AM HOOKED!

Every single run I've done feels like it's only a tiny bit better or longer than the previous one. I'm currently following Runkeeper's training series. If I am interpreting it correctly, it looks at what I've completed this week and builds my next week's training. It's actually been good for me, because it's been building VERY slowly. Like.... Turtle Slow. Last week I ran one minute and walked one minute for 26 minutes. The week before that it was 23 minutes. Tomorrow it's jumping to 30 minutes. On Saturdays I run 3.5 miles and it's a distance interval - run half mile, walk a quarter. I have discovered that distance intervals are my least favorite so far. If I ran Galloway type intervals for the same distance my time is much better. However, a friend who runs pointed out that the distance intervals are meant to challenge my body in a different way - so stop looking at the clock and do the dang work out the way the trainer said already! Despite my mind's objections that the progression is too slow, my body is doing what it's never done before - adapting. I'm seeing my average heart rate drop a bit lower as the weeks go by. I'm feeling less winded and more happy in my runs. RUNNING IS FUN!

After my doctor visit about my leg pain, I'm excited to start looking for a coach to guide me on a more dynamic and personalized training plan. I don't know how much longer I keep doing baby steps, but I think I've got plenty of time to reach my goal before Sunday May 6th rolls around, baby steps or not.