One Year Blogiversary!

Good afternoon everyone!!! It's been a year since I started my blog! It is also the end of week 12 of my training. That's so crazy! I have been training for this Marathon for about 3 months! I am just shy of halfway through. Time flies. Since it's about halfway, I really wanted to share a compiled list of things you can learn from me, with my own training mishaps, so hopefully you can avoid them! There is a lot that goes into Marathon Training that am learning about and continuing to discover and learn new things. Some, I wish I would have known about sooner to avoid, but that was then and this is now. I know for next time and now you will too.

Learn from My Mistakes!!!

Shoes

I suggest before you embark on the Marathon train (any running train really) you get to a running store and talk to the associates to get the right shoes for you. They are so important and have such an impact. You want a bigger size if you are going those really long miles since your foot swells as you run. The right shoe helps prevent your feet from hurting, gives you proper support, helps prevent blisters, and a lot more. Plus, you want to break your shoes in before you start running in them.

Socks

This one I suggest starting with right away. No cotton! Even moisture wicking cotton. You also do not want overly thick socks.You will get most of your support from your shoe, so a thick sock will not add much support and takes away room for your foot as you run (I learned this). You want a non-cotton moisture wicking sock.

Chaffing

You chaff in places I never even thought about, I will tell you that. In high school, sometimes I would chaff between my thighs, which is all I really ever thought about chaffing occurring when I run.....I was wrong. Besides experiencing some thigh chaffing, I have experience chaffing on my armpits and ummm nipples. Yup, there too. That was a surprise. If something is loose and wet, that friction occurs and chaffing happens. It really hurts. My suggestion is that you do not forget that you are wearing a normal bra and not a sports bra, make sure it's your sports bra! Also, make sure your sports bra fits. If it's too big, it'll be loose and increase chaffing. I have been wearing longer shorts and T-Shirts when I run to prevent chaffing on my thighs and arm pits. You can also slick up. Get petroleum jelly and rub it on areas where chaffing could occur to prevent it, hopefully. Also, like with the socks, we want moisture wicking (no cotton) running clothes.

Fuel

Hydration and fueling before, during, and afternoon your runs (especially those long runs) is extremely important. I am still learning and figuring out what works best for me. So far, I have been able to handle gels, but a lot of people prefer whole foods. I can also tolerate hydrating every 40 minutes and taking a gel every 60 minutes. I never feel hungry after long runs but I do try to get some protein and carbs in after. The recommendations are within 30 minutes something light and wishing an hour to two hours after a lean meal. I am still figuring out the timing and foods that work best for me. I want to try chews to see if I prefer them over gels. I also plan on trying some whole foods. I want to get a running pouch soon!

Week 12: Marathon Specific Training

Monday 7/15/19: Speed Work

2 mile Warm Up
4 x mile at 10k Pace with 3 minutes rest
1-2 mile Warm Down

Warm up and warm down pace were at 8:34min/mile. For warm up, I slowly increased the pace closer to 10k pace and warm down slowly worked to the 8:34min/mile pace. My 10k pace was ran at 6:58min/mile. I am still playing around with my paces (but I will not do so on long runs). Mile repeats are not my favorite, but they were an amazing work out, that's for sure!

Tuesday 7/16/19: OrangeTheory, Legs, and Barre

My OrangeTheory workout went pretty well! I was determined to get to that minimum goal for splat points. I had to work really hard at the end to reach it!

4 sets:

Leg Press: 180lb, 270lb, 270lb, 270lb
Seated Leg Curl: 50lb
Leg Abductor: 100lb, 120lb, 130lb, 130lb
Leg Extension: 100lb, 120lb, 130lb, 140lb
Seated Leg Curl: 50lb
Abs

The first set was 12 reps, second set was 14 reps, third set was 17 reps, fourth set was 20 reps.

Wednesday 7/17/19: Easy Run

4-5 mile Easy Run

I ran this easy run at an average of 8:34 min/mile.

Thursday 7/18/19: HIIT and Upper Body

I am confident I did not stay in the gray zone, but I did not have the app open, so it stayed there.

4 sets:

Incline Chest Press: 60lb, 70lb, 80lb, 90lb
Seated Row: 90lb, 110lb, 120lb, 130lb
Shoulder Press: 30lb, 40lb, 50lb, 60lb
Tricep Pushdown: 40lb, 50lb, 60lb, 70lb
Hammer Curls: 12lb dumbbells, 15lb db, 20lb db, 25lb db
Abs

The first set was 10 reps, second set 8 reps, third set 6 reps, and fourth set 6 reps.

Barre class was great. One of my clients was so excited about their progress! They told me it was because of me. I told them, it's not me. They are the ones putting in the work, I'm just helping guide them along, and there to keep them going!

Friday 7/19/19: Tempo Run

1 mile Warm Up
3 miles at HMP
3 minutes jog
2 miles at HMP
1 mile Warm Down

Warm up and warm down were ran at an average of 8:34min/mile. The Half Marathon Pace (HMP) was ran at about 7:19min/mile. For the jog, I ran it at 10:00min/mile.

Saturday 07/20/19: Long Run and Barre

60 minutes easy
6 x (3 minutes at HMP/ 2 minutes at MP)
10 minutes easy

I tried running my easy pace at 8:30min/mile. My goal for the HMP was 7:25min/mile and MP goal was 7:45min/mile. I did not quite reach that, but those miles were fast than my easy pace.

Sunday 7/21/19: Rest

Rest day! I should have done yoga, but I just did errands around the house and walked my dog! Then, I played some video games and watched TV. It was nice to not go anywhere and just relaxed. Yesterday, I watched the new Lion King! It was really good!

I can't believe I have had my blog for a year! Thank you for sticking with me on my journey, even through all the slow progress I am making. I appreciate my readers 💖 I hope I have inspired you in some small way. I also hope, my failings, mishaps, and successes help you!

I am still working through book 2 of Harry Potter. This week has been busy! I am also getting a new tattoo this upcoming week! Woot! Woot!

"No mater how difficult this challenge is, your dedication will make you overcome it."-unknown

Yesterday on my long run, towards the end, I was thinking of how everyone run is hard. I don't think any run is easy. From 1 mile to 15 miles, getting started and going, it is hard. Each day is different, but even though it's hard, it's possible. We can do anything with hard work and determination.  Despite the difficult, we just need to stay persistent and dedicated. We have to keep trying and keep pushing. It is easy to forget sometimes. Here's to halfway through my training. Here's to a year of blog posts. Here's to another year of blogging! Here's to improving, to progress, to struggles, and to successes! :) Thank you for joining me, and I hope you continue to do so <3

Lots of love,
💚Ari💚