Sometimes in life you have to do things that are so out of your comfort zone to make the changes you want to see happen.
A few weeks ago I did just that. I’ve signed up for the Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon here in Las Vegas on November 16th!
Why is this crazy? Well, I still haven’t run a full 5k yet. I have done a run/walk, but I’ve never run a full race. I’m still actually not certain I am going to run this full race, or if I’m going to continue to train run/walk. As of right now I’m doing a run/walk of 3/1 using Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 1/2 Marathon Training Plan.
I really love the flexibility of this schedule. I feel like it is challenging, but not too much that I will get overwhelmed by it. That is especially important to me as I’m going to be doing all my training and my racing while my husband is deployed overseas. – Hey like I said if you are going to do it – do it big!
Plus I just found out Snoop Dogg is going to headlining at the race’s starting line! How cool is that!?
Last week I wrote down in my calender my entire training plan. I have 15 weeks to train so I ended up repeating 3 weeks which I think will be good for me.
My husband gifted me with a 10 card Bikram Yoga class just because, so I will be incorporating that into my cross training.
I also signed up for two additional races that fell perfectly into my 1/2 marathon training plan. I will be doing a 5k on September 20th as well as a 10k (my first 10k) on October 25th. I’m excited about that second one because it’s with Goldilocks which used to be a woman’s only bike race that I rode the 40 miler back in 2011, but this year they have added running! And it’s in the beautiful Red Rock area so I can imagine it will be a very pretty run!
Until the race my training will look mostly like this.
- Monday: Stretch & Strengthen
I will be doing Yoga and then weights at home. I really like this yoga video.
- Tuesday: Run
- Wednesday: Cross Train or Run
This will be my Bikram Yoga day.
- Thursday: Run & Stregthen
I will either do this as a gym run or I joined a local running group on Facebook and they have a morning run at a local park. I will most likely do body weight exercises for the straightening.
- Friday: Rest
- Saturday: Long Run
I switched my Saturday and Sunday so that I’d have access to childcare at the gym. I hate to do my long runs inside, but I also can’t do much about it with the hubs gone. I may switch my Friday and Saturday once the runs get longer so I can do them when my older son is at school.
- Sunday: Cross Train
I think incorporating the yoga will really help me out during my training and keep my mind focused on my ultimate goal.
Ultimately I did this to really push myself toward my weight loss goals and to a healthier me. I’m tired of the yo-yo weight loss and I’m also in need of something that is mine. Running for me right now isn’t enjoyable until it’s done. Then I feel really great about it.
Any training tips?
When was the last time you took a step outside your comfort zone?
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I always flip flop my long runs between Sat/Sun, depending on our schedule. It’s so hard on the weekends and with my husband’s schedule. I just make sure to take a rest day after the long run day and do lots of stretching and foam rolling. I think you’ve got a great plan so far. I can’t wait to see you rock the strip!
Thank you Ashley! Foam rolling is the best, and I hate it at the same time!! Right now my boys are currently playing with it! LOL!
A run down the strip in Vegas at night, how cool! You’ll do great. As for training tips, don’t let the bad runs slow you down, they won’t/can’t all be perfect but when race day comes, you’ll be ready. 🙂 I will be stepping out of my comfort zone this Saturday as I go to a jewelry/painting party where I won’t really know anyone. This is so scary for me and I always feel like a shy little teenager when I do it but I know it’s good for me for many reasons.
Rosi, that is great advice! Thank you! I almost let a bad one ruin my day the other day and then someone reminded me that it was still better than sitting on my bum! Good luck at your painting party. I totally understand anxiety with meeting new people! I use essential oils every single time I have to do something like that!
I wish you all the best and hope you love the vegas event! It is huge and crazy. I did it once but it was not a very good representation of what the event is probably like now. I bet you’ll enjoy it.
I know nothing about how often you have worked out or ran prior to starting this training schedule, but it does sound like you are doing a LOT and I would give you a word of caution about being careful not to overtrain and wind up injured. I’ve heard a lot of new runners who use Hal Higdon’s plans overdo it. I don’t want to discourage you at all, though! I’m sure you will listen to your body and adjust as you need. If you ever have any training questions, please feel free to contact me. I’m an RRCA coach and I love helping newbie distance runners get to their finish lines!
Thank you! I was pretty active prior, I just have never been a fan of running. LOL I have a friend who emailed me a different schedule she put together for me. So I may look into tweaking mine a bit. I will for sure be listening to my body and I’m okay with doing run/walk to reach my goal this time! It will give me something to look forward to next time to!
PS I will totally reach out with questions! I can use all the help I can get! 🙂
I just signed up for the Hot Chocolate 15K! Yup, out of my comfort zone too but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained! We can cheer each other on thru these long training weeks! Mine is Dec 7! Maybe a Rock n Roll half for me next year! Good luck!
That is awesome Mary Beth!! I will for sure be checking out your training up dates on your blog! a 15k is so close to the 1/2 marathon I’m sure you could do it by next year!!
I want to go to see Snoop!! So awesome Emily! Good luck with your training.
Good luck running your first half. I used the Hal Higdon program when I trained for my full and it worked out well.
You are awesome! I’ve WALKED quite a few 5Ks and I’d love to do the Rock & Roll Half, but I wouldn’t be able to run it.
Stick to your plan and you’ll do GREAT!