After I finished my first half-marathon I needed about two full weeks to recover from bronchitis. The first week was to let the medicine do it's job and the second week was to deal with the tummy issues the medicine caused. Sigh. During these two weeks I signed up for my second half-marathon. I was really itching to get out and run.
After the two week break it was harder to get back out at 5 a.m. and run/swim. So I slowly started running casually around "the loop"- it's a five mile loop and laps in the pool. I didn't track my time or pace I just tried to keep up with three runs a week and one to two swims. Hindsight I wish I would have wrote about them so I would known exactly what I did.
Now there is only eight weeks left to train for the half-marathon I signed up for in February. It's totally doable I'm just struggling to get up and hit the ground running. This may be because of the holidays or the weather shifting. I'm not going to whine about the weather because I know that Orange County winter is extremely mild. Heck, I'm still swimming in an outdoor pool! I know some of you are dealing with single digit weather.
During the summer I ran most of my training runs alone and in the early morning. This time I am excited to share my training runs with a couple of other runners (they rock). Running with other people can really make the time go by fast. The bonus is that we all have the same goal to run this half in under 2:00. Also I am making a switch to running and swimming at night because I feel like I just want to stay in bed a little longer and snuggle in the mornings, call it hibernation if you will. Because it's the coldest at dawn and sometimes the fog can make a cold and wet run. It's only an hour to an hour and half of my night so when I get back I still have time to hang out with the hubster.
I'm not sure why I have struggled with motivation this time around but I do know that I have to shake it off and get my booty in gear if I want to meet my goal for February. I know this is a rambling post but it's what I've been struggling with so I thought I would share. :)
12/8 stats:
Tempo Run
Mile 1- 9:51--warm-up
Mile 2- 8:53
Mile 3- 9:03
Mile 4- 9:06
Mile 5- 8:50--this was suppose to be a cool-down
12/9 stats:
Easy Run
5 mile run @ 9:30 pace
I skipped my Saturday run due to a Christmas party Friday evening. I only had two and a half drinks but I did not drink any water and my head paid the price for it in the morning. I also wore really pointy (but cute) shoes and my toes were not happy, they were swollen and a little blistered.
12/13 stats:
Easy Run
5 mile run @ 9:20 pace
Tonight I have another tempo run planned.
What helps you stay motivated?
