First of all, I just have to say - I am totally hooked on running. I love it. I'm learning to read my body and just like with skating, that first mile is the suckiest. I feel like I'm dragging, that I won't be able to go as far/long as I want to. But if I ignore those things and keep pushing forward, the next thing I know I'm in my groove and good to go! I've found that I feel my best once I hit my 3rd or 4th mile. (Which kind of sucks when that's just as far as I'm going! haha!)
I've pretty much officially switched into training mode, even though my 12 week training program doesn't start for another week. I figured the extra prep could only help! One of the good things about this mindset is that when I feel like I'm officially training for something it's a lot easier for me to resist tempting treats. It's amazing how mental that is! Instead of 'wow that cake looks delicious' and then stuffing it into my face; I think about what I'm training for and how I don't want to derail my daily calorie intake with a stupid piece of cake. I'm not saying I completely deny myself of all things treat-like; but lets just say that my non-training treat allotment is definitely too generous as it is. Moderation is definitely key here.
So on that note, what am I struggling with? Nutrition. I've been eating phase 1 and phase 2 of the P90X meal plan for so long, that it's been really hard to get myself to switch gears. The P90X food is higher protein and that works really well with the hardcore weight training; but now that I've tapered back on the weight training and ramped up the cardio - I need to adjust my ratios. The most difficult part of that is shaking off the 'carbs are bad' mantra that gets drilled into my head just about anywhere I turn. I know for a fact that I do better on a run when I've had enough carbs. I know the key is quality carbs. It's a work in progress but I think I'm slowly starting to figure it out. I love food and I am not afraid to eat so getting enough calories isn't a problem. I don't have a dieters mentality at all - I totally understand that in order for my body to do what I want it to do, I need to give it fuel. It's just a matter of fine tuning some of that. I'll get there!
The other thing I've been struggling with is balancing out weight training with running. I believe that weight training is important and don't want to give it up - but there are days where I've just spent 45-60 minutes on the treadmill (usually after work) and I either don't have the juice or I don't have the time to spend another 35-45 minutes lifting weights. I'm trying to run at least 4x a week right now, and I value my rest days. I think that once the days get a little longer, I can start doing my run first thing in the morning and weight training after work. It's just a matter of figuring out what to do in the meantime. Coming up with a routine/schedule that works has been hard and I'm not quite there yet. We had two personal training reps for a local company do a lunch and learn at work on Thursday - I'm thinking of possibly doing a few sessions with one of their trainers; just to get a new workout plan and some nutrition stuff sorted out.
I did my first group run today!! It was really fun! I run slow, so I was solo most of the time, but never out of sight of the other runners. That was comforting. The full route was 12 miles but I chose to run 8. (My longest distance to date!!) One of the gals ran the last 2 miles back with me and the company was wonderful! We were so busy talking that I didn't even notice the steep hill or the fact that we were almost done! What a difference that made! I loved it, I'll definitely start doing most of my long runs with them!! So far my experience with interacting with other runners has been very positive. It makes me happy.
As for the running slow thing: I'm cool with it. Unlike speed skating - when I see a person in front of me and feel hell bent to pass them - when I run, I don't care if people pass me and disappear from view. My body falls into a comfortable pace that challenges me just enough to be aware of my breathing - and I am happy. Right now I'm focused on the endurance part of this; pushing myself to run 4, 5, 6 miles without having to stop to walk. Even if that means trotting slowly up hills. I figured that any speed that I'll gain will naturally occur once I have that down. I am not going for a record time for my first half marathon. First and foremost I want to FINISH it. Second, I would like to finish it without stopping. Other than that - I have no additional expectations of myself. I'll save the speed for when I skate!!!!
So, my half marathon is in 13 weeks and the serious training has begun. I can totally do this!
