Half-Marathon Training Update

I went to the doctor this week. 

Not because I feel sick (thankfully, no!), but because I decided that I should actually follow the recommendation of my half-marathon training program and get a check-up before getting too far into this major exercise regimen. I will also admit that I’ve been getting a little tired of the comments from (mostly) well-meaning friends and family who contend that they are “worried” about me hurting myself by losing too much weight and/or exercising too much.  I figured a positive assessment from my doctor would put those comments to rest!

Doctor visits are always kind of nerve-wracking for me, but the idea of going to the doctor when I’m not sick was especially disconcerting.  I was worried that she would either a) be ticked because I was taking her away from patients with “real” needs, or b) find something wrong with me!

Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long, and when my doc came in, I was reminded again why I love her.  She is the primary physician for our whole family, and she is amazingly down to earth and so easy to talk to.  We talked about my weight loss (though I bring the kids in annually, I hadn’t been in for my own checkup in almost 3 years! :O ), and she was complimentary without going overboard.  She listened to my concerns about the comments I’ve been getting and was very matter-of-fact about it.  We talked at length about my BMI and a healthy weight range, and she showed me the chart to indicate I am near the middle of my range, which is perfect.

She then said that nothing seemed wrong with me, my vitals were good, and then she indicated she’d have some blood work done to make sure I didn’t have any other, less-noticeable health issues, and at that point, she would see no point in being concerned.  I left feeling good about myself and glad that I had gone in, because now I could stop worrying about whether or not I might be harming myself with my weight-loss and exercise regimen, and could just get on with my half-marathon training!

Speaking of my training, I’m on week three of the Hal Higdon program, and let me tell you, the miles are increasing pretty fast and furious.  I keep looking at the schedule each day and thinking, “Really? That many miles today??” 😛

It’s not like it’s some huge number (so far the max has been four, and I’ve regularly run more than that since October).  It’s more that the “mid-week” mileage numbers have been larger than what I’m used to.  Back when I did 10k training, it was a standard 3 miles on Monday, 2 on Thursday, and then a longer run on Saturday.  I don’t mind the long runs (I prefer them more if I can do them outside instead of on the treadmill), but during the week, it’s hard to find the time to do a run of 3 or 3.5 miles. I know that doesn’t sound like much more than 2 miles, but when I have to do them in the mornings before work, it can be very challenging.  I’m not going to lie…I don’t like getting up early, especially when “early” means 5am, and especially when it’s combined with running in sub-freezing temps. (Remember, my treadmill is in the barn, and there’s no heat out there!).

One thing I can say, though, is that I am a person who gets very focused on a goal and will do what it takes (most of the time) to accomplish it.  Thus, I’ve found myself getting out of bed at all kinds of hours to run.

That picture is from Monday morning, when I ran 3.5 miles before work.*  It was hard to force myself out of bed for it, but I did it! I’ve even found the determination to drag myself out to the cold barn after a long day of work and hockey-mom duties for the required strength training.

(Don’t ask me how much weight I’m lifting there, because it’s embarrassingly light. 😉 )

It hasn’t always been fun, but it has been rewarding.  Not only do I feel great when I’m done, but in addition, there is the added benefit of all the activity points I earn.  Last night, for example, I ran another 3.5 miles on the treadmill when I got home.  I originally had convinced myself to do it by promising myself a glass of wine when I was done.  But of course, after running 3.5 miles, the last thing I wanted was wine! I just wanted a big glass of water, as well as some dinner. So I skipped the wine and had a nice, filling dinner.

Look at all that rice! (Can you tell I’m a carb freak?) I even measured it (it’s 1.25 cups), and couldn’t believe how much I was able to eat.  And believe it or not, I didn’t even dip into my activity points for dinner…which allowed me to have dessert! (No picture—I ate it too fast, lol!)

So, that’s where I am on my training program thus far.  I won’t deny that it can be very hard to keep motivated to run 4 days a week, but I know that it will all be worth it when I’m running my first half-marathon in April.  And hopefully, it’ll be warmer then! 🙂

I will leave you with a shot that I wanted to include last time but didn’t have the photo scanned.  I posted about our anniversary trip this past weekend, but today is actually our 16^th anniversary.

That’s my husband and me on our wedding day on the left, and the picture from last Saturday on the right.  Aren’t we cute?  And is it me, or do we look NOTHING like the couple on the left today?? 😉

Thanks for reading!

 

* You might notice in the background of this picture that I have Heather’s “Half-Size Me” site up on my iPad. I love her podcast, and highly recommend it for those who would like something to “distract” them during a treadmill run.  She is always informative and highly motivating, and she’s also very down-to-earth and fun to listen to.  I honestly don’t know if I could get through my treadmill runs without Heather’s awesome podcast!