Who am I?

Who am I?
A runner....or Herky the Hawk?

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Week 2 Review: Hills = Tight Calves

I'm happy to say that the mileage in the second week was more bearable than the first week. I was able to complete the 4 mile and 5 mile runs, which felt awesome. I contribute the completion of the 5 mile run to the fact that I had my friend, Michelle, running next to me. Thanks Michelle!

As for the 3 mile run on Saturday...I was in Templeton, IA for a family reunion, but I didn't use it as an excuse not to run. Instead, I traced a route on http://www.logyourrun.com/ and set out for my 3 miles. I quickly learned how important it is to scope out your route prior to your run. After about a half mile, I came to a steep hill. Okay, not fun, but just do it and then keep going. Well, it wasn't the only hill...it was one of 3 steep hills. And I had to turn around and run those hills again to get back. Not fun. My calves were on fire and eventually my right food went numb. But I finished it, and I guess it's always good to change up your routine a little bit.

This week is going to be tough. I have 3 miles today, 5 on Thursday, 3 on Saturday, and 6 on Sunday. I recently started a second job and have to work on Thursday evening, so we'll see if I can find a way to get my run in. A friend of mine said that some mileage is better than none, so I think I'm just going to get in as much as I can in the little time I have. 

Here we go week 3!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Week 1 Review: New Obstacles

I finished my first week of the Runner's World Training Program yesterday and I'll be honest, I struggled yesterday. I ran 3 miles on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and attempted to run 5 miles yesterday. I don't know if it's my shoes or just my feet trying to get used to the increase in mileage, but after 3.5 miles yesterday, I had to go back and forth between walking and running because I now have blisters on the inside of my feet. And then there was the sweat that would drip in my eyes. If you have contacts, you know that if something comes between your eyeball and your contact, it hurts like hell. I could barely keep my eyes open, which forced me to walk at times. And then there was the lack of hydration. I'm really struggling with this, as I get tired of water very quickly. Unless I'm thirsty, I have to force myself to drink it. I'm trying to drink more water, but clearly I'm still not drinking enough.

So yeah, my excitement for my training has weakened a little, but I'm still determined to follow it as best I can. I wanted to quit and walk back home when I had a chance...but I continued on because no matter what, I was going to get my 5 miles in. I walked some of it, but I still did the whole 5 miles. I increase to 4 miles on Saturday, I think. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's tough when I'm struggling to complete 5 mile runs.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Let the training begin!

I was looking through my stack of magazines that I have yet to read, and I found last month's edition of "Runner's World". The edition is focused on the Half-Marathon, and specifically targets those who are training for their first. Well, that's me....so I am starting their training program this week. It looks like this: Rest Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Run 3 miles EZ on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; and Run 5 miles LSD (whatever that means) on Sunday. My mileage has decreased a little with the heat, but I'm determined to follow the plan...even if it means walking to finish the mileage. We're still under an Excessive Heat Warning, so I will be hopping on the treadmill today. Anyone else training for a race? How's the training going?