1/2 Marathon Training: Week One

Last week, I started my training for my first 1/2 marathon. My goal race in mind is the Space Coast 1/2 Marathon in November here in Florida. After looking around a bit online for a good walking training program, I ended up settling with one from the www.marathonwalking.com website. The training plan is 14 weeks long and incorporates cross-training into the mix. Since the Space Coast 1/2 is 20 weeks out, I figured that I would repeat some of the weeks so my training would be longer. That works out fine for me considering it would take into account any issues that might crop up along the way. So, each week would consist of walking on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Saturday being the long mileage day. My cross-training days would be on Sunday & Wednesday. Friday will always be a rest day, and Monday I figured I would play with between it being a rest day or a cross-training day.

Sunday started off well, with a nice bike ride in the morning. I love cycling, so that is more than likely going to be my primary cross-training workout. Since I felt so good after that workout, I decided that I didn't need Monday off, so I would again do a cycling session. Tuesday was my first power walk workout on the plan and called for 3 miles which went pretty well. I didn't hit the pacing I wanted, but I was around the 15 minute per mile mark which is still good. Wednesday was another cycling workout. This is when I started to feel some exhaustion coming on. Alas, I thought I'd be okay and didn't hesitate to head out the door and onto my bike. By Thursday's 3-mile walk, I knew my energy was lacking. I really felt it the moment I woke up that morning. And, this showed in my 15:51 per mile pacing. My body was telling me that it needed to rest. Thankfully, I did just that on Friday.

I have come to the conclusion that I really might need those two rest days during my marathon training. So, despite the fact that I'd like to be working out six days a week, I'm going to more in tune with what my body is telling me. Friends told me that marathon training takes a lot more out of you than just standard workouts, but of course, I had to learn that for myself. Guess that's the way things are sometimes.

This week, I'm taking Monday and Friday off per the training schedule. If there are weeks down the line where I have the energy and can workout on Monday, that's great and I'll do it, but if not, that is okay. Our bodies need rest to succeed just as much as the actual training miles we put in.

Also, I have a goal set for before my first 1/2 in November. I'm going to be doing the Miracle Miles 15k on September 24th in Orlando. This is a great in between race as recommended by some dailymile/facebook running friends. I am already looking forward to it as it’s going to be my next race event.

Goals & Aspirations

It's now more than half-way into 2011, and I thought it would be a good time to put pen to paper (so to speak) on what my fitness goals and aspirations are for the rest of the year. As of this writing, I've put in 373 miles in between power walking and cycling thus far. I have daily mile to thank for keeping my tally up as otherwise, I certainly couldn't even begin to guess that I've pounded the pavement that much.

I'm thankful that this year has been better health-wise than 2010 was. While I have dealt with some back woes, it's not really been too bad. I completed my first-ever 10k just about a year after my back injury this past March, and that success still excites and motivates me. That said, I haven't been as active with my power walks as much as I should be. Since getting back into cycling, I've been more than anxious about riding my bike than walking as of late. Having a new "fitness toy" has really been great and I love being able to get my "speed" on with it. The feeling I get from being on my bike is so accelerating and the new-found confidence that I've gained from Cycling Savvy has empowered me to want to get out there more than ever. I don't want that feeling to fade away, but I also don't want to neglect my other fitness goals.

This week, I've been seriously starting to again consider training for a 1/2 marathon. I've been looking at the Hal Higdon training chart for walkers and I just know that I can do it. Now that I've conquered the 10k distance, doing 13.1 miles doesn't seem so intimidating. Sure, it's not easy, but definitely not impossible. With that in mind, I'm going to start the 1/2 marathon training next week. The program is a 12-week long one, which would put me ready to go for my first 1/2 in October. I think that's plenty of time to do it. The Space Coast Marathon & 1/2 Marathon are in late November, so I'm going to shoot for doing that 1/2 if I'm still in Central Florida then. If not, I'm sure I can find a 1/2 in the Asheville area to complete by the holidays.

My other goals are to do a duathlon this year and of course some more 5k events. I don't think I'm going to do any races until September, but that could change. I definitely want to do the Autumn Rock'N Run 5k with Track Shack on September 10th. I've never done that race and it sounds like a lot of fun with all the music. As far as my cycling goes, besides my duathlon goal, I will be participating in as many group rides as I can with the Commute Orlando group. And, I plan upon riding my bike on some local trails like Cady Way soon.

Question for those who have already conquered the 1/2 marathon and the full marathons, do you think it's best to have a race goal in mind when you are training for a marathon? I may need to find something in October to shoot for as maybe having a goal race in mind is best. I'd love to hear your thoughts!