Training: Day One

Hurray! First run done, now for the break down.
Surface: Treadmill
Duration: 50 minutes
Warm Up: 2 minutes
Cool Down: 5 minutes
Running Time: 43 minutes
Walk Breaks: 4, ranging from 20-30 seconds
Incline: 2%
Total Distance: 4.41 Miles

So, I was able to run for the first 30 minutes straight, varying my speed between 5.3 mph and 7.5 mph, then the dreaded side cramp came into play. Deep breathing into the side stitch, keeping your shoulders relaxed, and staying focused all help to relieve these annoying little distractions, but you need to know when its time to take a little walk break to relieve it, which is where the four little walk breaks came in. I also slowed my pace down a bit, and that helped me push through. Today was all about seeing where I'm at, so I could formulate a training program that is realistic to my current fitness level. I have been doing yoga, weight lifting, and speed walking since two weeks postpartum (so, for almost four weeks now) to ease myself back into exercise since I had the two weeks of next to nothing (I was advised to not even take the stairs! But stairs are hard to avoid when the kitchens on the main floor and my bedroom is not.) So, after today's wonderful success I am ready to post my training plan. If you're going to follow along and do this with me, be sure to listen to your body and rest when needed - resting is when the muscles recover, rebuild, and become stronger after exercise. So, without adequate rest, you will not see the results. Of course, too much rest will also negate results, so use common sense people. And, if in doubt, send me a note and we can hash out the details. Also, make sure that you're physically capable of a running regimen (meaning, talk to your doctor and get your clearance as I did yesterday) cause nothings worse than injury. Ugh! I have some stories on injuries from my last marathon training bonanza after Darius - but that's another post.

So, here's the training schedule:

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
One	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	5 miles	Rest
Two	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	6 miles	Rest
Three	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	8 miles	Rest
Four	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	9 miles	Rest
Five	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	10 miles	Rest
Six	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	11 miles	Rest
Seven	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	12 miles	Rest
Eight	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 3 miles	Rest	2 miles	13 miles	Rest
Nine	Weights and 3 miles	2 miles	Yoga and 2 miles	Rest	Yoga	Race Day!	Rest

I will of course be willing to change things as I go along, and tailor it to how my body is responding to training. So, stay tuned for changes haha! Also, you may note that there is no tempo or hill training in my plan. This is on purpose, as my goal for my first half marathon is not a time goal, but rather a "cross that finish line!" goal. Every training plan serves a purpose, and this one is just right for me right now!