Running Newbie to a Half Marathon in 1 Year: Part 6 // The First Half Marathon

Thank you for checking out Part 6 of my first running series! If you haven’t checked it out, you can find Part 5 here.

So, by mid-February I had been training for my half marathon for a couple of months, and the Covenant Health Half Marathon was only 8 weeks away. I had gotten up to 7.5 miles. It was difficult. It made my legs feel like they were going to fall off. I still needed to add almost 6 miles to that distance. I was still nervous about it, and still hadn't registered for the race.

Then one Thursday after a core class, my RunKNOX coach, Darren casually mentioned that on Saturday I'd be running my first 10 miles. Double digits. Whoa. This, of course, was terrifying. For a slow runner like me, this would take about 2 hours.

My worst case scenario I imagined was 2 hours of "Can I really do this?", "Is the next mile going to be terrible?", "Why is Pandora playing terrible songs?", "Oh no there's a hill", "My legs are going to fall off", and "When will this ever be over?"

I try to stay optimistic. The morning of the big goal, I couldn't sleep and woke up extra early. To calm my nerves, I worked on a crafting project. Finally it was time to go.

It was cold that morning - around 20 degrees. I met up with my running partner and we set out. To my surprise, the first few miles weren't bad at all. We ran in an area I was already used to running. Once I got to about 7 miles (at the time the longest I'd run), I started feeling the really tired, sore feeling in my legs I usually felt when I reached that distance. Only there were 3 more miles to go. Great.

I ran one more mile where my running partner dropped off, as she was only going to run 8 mi. Luckily, I wasn't alone. My husband, Brandon, had already finished his 10 miles (of course) and being the sweet husband he is, offered to run with me during my last 2 miles.

At this point it was getting really tough. My legs hurt with every single step. I wasn't sure how I was going to get through it. We were near UT, and we tried to choose a route that avoided hills (good luck with that). My motivation was wearing thin, and my inner drama queen came out to poor Beebs.

Can't...go...on...any longer...

Quick, say something motivational!

I think this is the end for me. Tell my family I love them. Give my sister her gift (the crafting project).

Luckily, I think the whining distracted me through those last 2 miles. Finally, I had achieved my goal of running 10 miles!!! Despite the fact that I had another gangsta lean all day, I felt great! Knowing that I had just pushed myself 3 miles beyond my current limit, I finally felt that going from 10 mi to 13.1 mi was doable. I was ready to register for the half marathon!

Over the next few weeks, I ran 10 mi a couple more times. In March, I got up to 12 miles. That day was also a memorable day. It was the day that I discovered that running long distances after only consuming a banana and plain water isn't a good idea. That story is a post within itself (and will be!), but long story short, after some dizziness and mild confusion, I was inspired to explore "running candy." These are all of the gels, jelly beans, candies, etc that have magic energy and electrolyes for runners and athletes. I also now drop electrolyte tabs in my water. More on that story later. Despite the complications, I nonetheless completed my 12 miles (a DOZEN), the longest distance I would complete before the race.

The last few weeks we "tapered" down our distances to rest and refresh before the race. In my everlasting brilliance, I came up with the idea that maybe this wasn't a good thing. If I'm not constantly running 10+ miles the weeks before the race, will I lose my ability to do so? Maybe I should just ignore the coaches' advice and run longer anyway.

Because I know more than elite athletes who have run and coached professionally for years.

Luckily, I realized how dumb that thinking was and decided to stick to the experts' advice. Good call.

Throughout the process, the thought of actually running the half marathon didn't seem real. Until the week before the race. The Monday prior, I read a break down of the course route and where all the hills would be. It just got real.

I started having waves of anxiety. Was I so sure I could do this? I read this article to calm my nerves. I talked to my coaches and friends. Luckily, there was a bright spot in that conversation.

I found out I'd get a medal! A shiny medal to show my accomplishment! And I'd finish at the 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium! And we were all going to celebrate afterwards!

That all sounded awesome. 13.1 miles was the only thing standing in the way.

The Last Supper

The evening before the race, B and I went to pick up our packets. While there, I caught a glimpse of the start line. Yowza. Anxiety back in full force.

We went home and I fixed a light meal of chicken and rice with lemon and light seasonings, and a small amount of roasted veggies. We laid out everything we needed for the next day and headed to bed super early.

The Morning

We woke up super early and got dressed in our running gear. Being the super cool wannabe 16 year old I am, I put pink streaks in my hair with hair chalk. You wish you were this cool. I packed up my running jellybeans, electrolyte tabs, and handheld water bottle, and we were out the door! It was a little chilly when we arrived at World's Fair Park. I met up with my running friends and we all wished each other luck.

My running partner and I found our corral (towards the back), and lined up. At this point, I was oddly not feeling stressed anymore. This was really cool! I was here! I was doing this! With pink hair!

Miles 1-3

And we were off! The first three miles were fairly flat areas through UT's campus, so they weren't bad at all. I was riding this great wave of excitement and adrenaline.

There were people cheering! And music playing! And fun signs! All for me! And 3,000 other people, but who's counting?

I felt great and I was distracted by taking in all of the sights and sounds. I'd hit every other water stop, salking through them to fill up my handheld bottle. Since I'm not an elite runner, I didn't mind taking a few pics and Instagramming while running.

Best. Sign. Ever.

I was shooting for a time of 2 hours, 45 minutes, so I found the pacer for the 5:30 marathon time.

Miles 4-6

Now I was getting into some hillier areas on Cherokee Blvd in Sequoyah Hills (they weren't kidding when they named that place!). I'd run that area many times, and I was still excited, so it didn't phase me. I started  hitting more water stops, and popping running jellybeans every 3 miles or so. Of course, I Instagrammed more signs.

A glare, but it said "Stopping - Ain't Nobody Got Time for That!"

Guys? Motivation to try a half? I'm not going to spoil whether the cheerleaders were there or not.

They took my picture at the 10K mark.

Here I am! Rocking out to my music, smiling, with my sunglasses and perfect ponytail bounce!

B looked much more serious at this point

Miles 7-10

Okay, now it was getting real. Right smack in the middle of the race was a GINORMOUS hill on a road called Noelton. It is notorious in this town. Some say it's not that bad, I say they're nuts. It was the first time I felt tired during the race. I forced myself through it, and may or may not have walked for 30 seconds of it. With that out of the way, we had turned around so that we were now going towards the finish line. There were 3 miles on a greenway that went through a cooler wooded area that were mildly hilly. Staying strong!

Miles 10-13

Finally, after 2 hours, I was getting closer to UT's campus and the glorious finish line at Neyland Stadium. I was starting to feel tired at this point. I was constantly falling behind and catching up with the pacer I was trying to stay with. I happened to run into my coach, Darren. He had already won 3rd place in the half marathon (of course) and was running back and forth to check up on us RunKNOXers to help us finish. The cops working security were like "Hey, it's you again!"

Just another Sunday.

He told me that Brandon had finished in close to 2 hours (his goal) and that many others in the program had great times. I was excited for them and ready to see them! The last two miles, however, were tough. They were gradual inclines almost the whole way. I felt SO tired! My legs were going to fall off. It was nice to have someone to chat with, and Darren was even kind enough to be my "running concierge", grabbing water, etc for me.

Finally, I saw the most beautiful sign I'd ever seen. It split the half and full marathoners, pointing the half marathoners to the finish!

Finish!

Finally, I headed into Neyland Stadium, and ran across the football field. A video of me was on the jumbotron! They announced my name! I waved like a pageant queen, looking like an idiot. I didn't care.

Here I am, finishing at 2:44:47! Faces blurred to protect the innocent. We take consent seriously here at CSRS.

B was a lone wolf, finishing at 2:10:14

I found B, who hugged me and congratulated me. A UT football player presented me with my medal. It was all so much to take in, and I was too tired to absorb it. I crashed on the grass for a little while, trying to grasp it all. I had done this. All of those months had paid off. Here I was, a finisher.

And here I was in the grass...

I finally convinced B to let me take a pic when we got home

The rest of the day, I hobbled around from exhaustion, but rode on a cloud of happy. We had brunch with some of my running friends, then met up with even more running friends for drinks. We all congratulated each other on our finishes and times. It was truly an amazing day!

If you have been training for your first half marathon, here are my tips for your big day:

• Trust your training, and don't freak out about tapering like I did - Believe it or not, you won't lose your ability to run 10+ miles in 3 weeks. In fact, I felt great running 13 miles, and I hadn't run 10 miles or more in about 4 weeks prior. Whatever your coach or plan recommends, do it.
• If you haven't already, learn about and try "running candy" and supplements - I wasn't doing any of this until my energy crash during my 12 mi run. Apparently, that was crazy, as you're supposed to be consuming running candy frequently while running long distances. Luckily for me, I learned this before race day. You can go to a specialty nutrition store and learn about these things. Try some different things to see what you like and what works for you before the race. I like running jellybeans.
• Eat a good dinner, hydrate, and rest the night before - My coaches didn't advocate eating massive amounts of carbs. They recommended eating moderate amounts, including healthy carbs and tried-and-true foods that were sure to not make you sick the next day. Our chicken and rice meal turned out great for that purpose. This article outlines good practices the day before the race.
• Learn about the race - I avoided this for weeks, as thinking about the specific details of the race stressed me out. I'm glad that I finally learned about the race course and where the hills were. Using this informaiton, our coaches helped us formulate a plan/strategy to manage our pace and energy and prepare for the hills.
• Have fun! Get excited! - I overcame my anxiety about the race by getting excited about the benefits. Make fun plans after the race. Allow yourself to get lost in the hoopla of signs, cheers and music. This is a great experience - treat it that way!

This concludes my running series on how I went from a running newbie to a half marathon in a year. I hope this information was helpful at whatever point you are on your running journey. Wherever you are, I hope you stay with it and get to experience great results!

Do you have any tips for someone running their first half marathon?

-Amy

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*I was not compensated by RunKNOX for this post, nor is RunKNOX affiliated with this blog. I am simply sharing my honest opinions and experiences as I began running through the program. The views expressed in this article are solely my own. Also, I'm not a health or fitness professional of any kind. See my Terms and Conditions page.

Fitness Friday - First Week of June

Happy Friday!

I'm posting my Fitness Friday post earlier today. Busy day coming up! It has been a busy week, so I'm a little behind on my usual Friday running series post. Be on the lookout tomorrow!

In the meantime, I'm keeping it going with Fitness Friday as part of the Talk Less, Say More link up. As always, the button below will take you to this community where you can see what other bloggers are doing this week.

As for me, the themes of the week were running faster, lots of strength/circuit work, and surviving the heat.

Saturday - Ran 3 mi with RunKNOX. I'm trying to push my pace on my "easier" runs to under 12 min/mi pace (my current "easy" pace). I ran 3.16 mi in 37:38, just barely under 12 min/mi pace. Then it was "Lunge-apalooza" time, as we did a very lunge-heavy circuit workout afterwards.

Sunday - Lazy day with B and the cats. My legs were killing me from the lunges!

Monday - back to the gym after skipping last week for Memorial Day! I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, then went to my usual Body Pump class. I enjoy it as it lays out circuits of different strength exercises (squats, lunges, biceps, triceps, core, etc) and all I have to do is follow along. The instructors also check our form, which is helpful!

Tuesday - Focusing on speed at RunKNOX! I'm working on a goal pace of a 9:40 min/mi pace, which will get me to my 30 minute 5K goal (#30by30, pass it on!). Right now, that pace is VERY taxing to me!

We were tasked with running 800 meters (1/2 a mile) multiple times with breaks in between. #$&%##$ 800s. I don't know why, but I find them to be SO hard! I mean, they only take me 5 min or less to complete each one, but they get me every time! I think it's because we push ourselves to aggressive paces and they feel like they go on forever. I suppose if I only had an hour to live, I could do 800s and it would feel like an eternity (okay, someone else came up with that, but it's still fitting).

Anyway, I kept up my pace at first but struggled throughout the workout. It was hot out there! Towards the end, I was careful to recognize early warning signs that I might be overheating a little despite all of the water and electrolytes I had consumed (another benefit to having a program with coaches - they are very cognizant of safety and keep a close eye out for any warning signs). I made sure to recover and hydrate even more.

Be careful out there! Hydrate! Get electrolytes! I drop these in my water. If running alone or with friends, be sure to know the early warning signs of heat related illness, and look out for yourself and each other.

Wednesday - It was National Running Day! I ran early to beat the heat and the rain. I ran 3 miles. I was still feeling a little tired and dehydrated, so I kept my pace easy (12:17 min/mi) and carried water with electrolytes.

Thursday - That evening, I did a core circuit workout with RunKNOX. That's sort of a misnomer - we worked everything! We did some really tough squats that involved touching the ground on the way down. My natural tendency was to bend forward at the waist instead of staying upright to make touching the ground easier. Obviously, that's cheating, as your legs are supposed to do all the work. So I discovered that looking up at the ceiling forced me to do them correctly. Now I'm super sore!

Friday - I couldn't make my usual morning yoga class, as I need to get to work early. I did have time to squeeze in a mile ar 5:45 AM. It was nice and not quite as humid, and I was able to stick to a pace less than 11:30 min/mi. Now I'm off to work, but the fitness isn't over! Today we'll be doing some outdoor team-building exercises (I imagine similar to a ropes course) as part of our professional development. I'll get a lot of activity today!

That's it for this week! Check back tomorrow, as I post my final post in my Running Newbie to Half Marathon series - running my first half marathon this April.

How did you stay fit this week?

-Amy

Iced, Iced Coffee

 

Before we go any further, I should warn you that I love ridiculous rap songs from the 90's. Actually, I like almost all 90's music. "Ice, Ice Baby" is one of my favorite songs. I'm technically too young to claim it from my era. I was little, but I remember the "cool older kids" listening to it. I saw MC Hammer in concert last year, and I plan to see Tone Loc and Young MC performing together this fall.

This should explain why I make so many lame slang references.

Back to the topic at hand, it's getting warm outside! Here in Tennessee, we have finally hit the 90 degree mark for the first time since September! As you know, I'm addicted to coffee. Does the heat slow my addiction down? NO! I just have to turn to another format of my drug of choice - iced coffee.

Now, even though I'm a coffee lover, I don't get into super complicated methods. I like strong blends of coffee, and I like quality. However, 90% of the time, I use a Keurig (I know, I'm not eligible to call myself a coffee snob) to make my coffee.

In the mornings, I'm frantically running around to get out the door on time. I'm curling my hair while applying makeup. Then I spend unnecessary time tending the burned place on my head and getting mascara off my cheek. I'll usually resort to wearing anything that doesn't need ironing, but struggle to find shoes to match. While I have 5 minutes left before I have to leave, I'll start my coffee brewing in the K-cup, feed the cats, and grab something quick (a Larabar, yogurt, and/or fruit, or a smoothie on a good day) to take with me while it's brewing. Wait, where are the cats? Oops, one trapped herself in the closet. Add rescuing cat to the agenda. Finally, cats rescued, coffee brewed, and out the door!

It's stressful just thinking about it. So no, I don't have time for a complicated coffee method. My husband doesn't drink coffee at all, so I only need to make a cup at a time. I do, however, use my reusable filter in my Keurig and buy bags of a good, bold coffee. I usually get a blend by Starbucks or a gourmet blend at Fresh Market or wherever. As long as it's strong and good quality, I don't care. I have a French press and coffee grinder, which I use every now and then. It just takes too long.

The problem is I haven't had much success in the iced coffee area. I've tried making it hot and adding ice, which waters it down and alters the taste. I've even tried the premade cartons of iced coffee, which are WAY too creamy and sweet for my taste, almost like chocolate milk with a little coffee mixed in.

Since summer is just about to start, I need a solution. This weekend, I decided to test out a couple of methods to enjoy better iced coffee after spending time in the heat running, gardening, and shopping.

Quick Fix: Coffee Ice Cubes

It seems logical that to have iced coffee that isn't watered down, I could use freeze coffee into ice cubes instead of water. So Saturday afternoon, I made an 8 oz. cup of coffee (I happened to have a bag of Starbucks Caffe Verona - a dark blend), and poured it into an ice cube tray.

After about an hour, it was more or less set up.

I placed about 5 ice cubes into my to-go cup, and brewed another 8 oz. coffee into it.

The 5 ice cubes didn't do the trick to cool the coffee. I didn't want to deplete all of my coffee ice cubes, so I used a few regular ice cubes.

You could use whatever cream and sweetener you prefer. I've been using Coffeemate's Natural Bliss. It probably isn't great for you, but doesn't have quite so many chemicals.

The result? Not bad. Not as watered down as using only ice cubes from water. Not a bad method to use if you really want iced coffee and you're in a time pinch. Not coffee shop blow-you-away amazing, though.

Make Ahead: Cold Brew Coffee

Since the first method was "just okay", I scoured the interwebs for a better solution to perfect my Funky Cold Barista skills (I warned you). And wouldn't you know it, I found a solution on the Pioneer Woman's blog. I don't get a lot of time to watch TV, but I love catching a few minutes of Food Network from time to time. Ree Drummond is so down-to-earth (reminds me of families I knew growing up in Wyoming), and her food always looks amazing!

You can find her well-informed, detailed article here.

She uses a cold brew method to create a cold coffee concentrate that you can keep in the fridge in a pitcher. Now as you know, I don't do complicated methods, so I was skeptical. It turns out this method isn't complicated and doesn't require sophisticated equipment at all.

You can find a pitcher especially made for this purpose. This one is reasonable in price and I'm thinking about getting it. However, this weekend I didn't have the pitcher, and just wanted to try it before purchasing anything. Using the Pioneer Woman's instructions, I pieced this unsophisticated contraption together. Since I'm the only coffee drinker around here, I scaled the recipe WAY down.

All I used were:

• 1 cup ground coffee (ideally a bold blend - I used the Verona again)
• 5 cups water (many websites recommend a 3:1 ratio of water to coffee to make a concentrate. When pouring a glass of iced coffee, you have to add extra water to the glass.  I wanted coffee that was strong but ready to go without having to add water, so I tried a 5:1 ratio. You can experiment to find what works for you.)
• Large container
• 2 coffee filters (a cheesecloth or possibly even paper towels could work)
• Strainer/colander
• Pitcher

The evening before I wanted to enjoy iced coffee, I combined the coffee and the water together in one big container.

I gave it a little stir, and popped it in the fridge overnight.

 

The next morning...

About 20 minutes before I was ready to enjoy the iced coffee, I got out the water/coffee mixture.

I got my pitcher ready. My colander was WAY too big for the job, so I found this old hand-me-down tool. I'm not sure what it's called. Perhaps an antiquated strainer of some sort? Whatever it is, it fit just right over the pitcher.

I placed two coffee filters inside the strainer.

Now it was time to gently and carefully pour the water/coffee mixture into the strainer, and let the mixture flow through the filter. It took about 15 minutes to slowly make its way into the pitcher.

Coco isn't supposed to be on the counter, but as the reigning queen of the house, she had to inspect what was going on.

 

15 minutes later...

The coffee in the pitcher was ready to pour into my to-go cup! Since it's already cold, it doesn't need much ice. I put about 3-4 cubes into my to-go cup, and filled with coffee.

Again, I flavored it up with CoffeeMate Natural Bliss. Probably a tablespoon or two. I didn't measure.

The result? I liked it! It was bold, fresh, and flavorful! Thank you, Pioneer Woman, for changing my life!

If it's too strong/not strong enough, try different coffee/water ratios to suit your taste.

It was easy to do, and now I have half a pitcher of iced coffee to use through the week. All I have to do now is pour and go! Now that I know I like this method, I think I'll make a double batch next weekend to fill my pitcher. As long as it's contained in the fridge, it should last at least 2-3 weeks (according to the Pioneer Woman). I may look into buying the cold brew pitcher now.

If there was a problem, yo I solved it...

Now to relax on the front porch with Real Simple or a book!

Do you enjoy and make iced coffee? What methods have you tried? What worked best for you?

-Amy

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Fitness Friday - Keeping it Going!

Another post comes late again tonight. I need to get on a new schedule of moving my running posts to Thursday and reserve Friday for Fitness Friday. Better time management - there are always ways to improve there. :)

Nonetheless, I got a great response from last week's Fitness Friday post as part of the Talk Less, Say More community that I'm going to keep it going! I like it because it keeps me accountable and I can learn from other bloggers in the Fitness Friday community.

Saturday - My week started off pretty intense as I ran my first 5K in almost 6 months Saturday at the KTC Expo! It was surprisingly 50ish degrees (chilly for May here in TN). It was TOUGH trying to run faster again after the slower, longer half-marathon training. I ran my first mile in under 10 minutes and it almost completely exhausted every ounce of energy I had! Then I had to run two more, the last mile being mostly uphill! I obviously ran slower in the next two miles.

Nonetheless, I felt pushed to my limit at the end. My lungs felt like they were going to explode, and I felt tired and weak. I wanted to throw my watch when I saw my time was 33:08 (not a PR). It was better than the 35 minutes I ran the Expo last year, but not a PR by a longshot! My PR to date is 31:20. While I can run much longer than I used to, these short fast runs are much harder than they used to be.

6/2 Edit: It's important to me that I am candid and honest about how I feel during both the challenges and enjoyment of running and my other pursuits. I do this because I want you to know that we all have ups and downs. You're not alone if you have a rough day, or you don't finish at a time you were hoping. At the end of the Expo, I really did feel disappointed, and that's why I shared how I feel. Upon re-reading what I wrote, I didn't mean to sound self-deprecating, nor didn't imply that 33:08 is a "bad" time (for anyone), or that we should expect ourselves to PR everytime. I don't think there is such thing as a "bad" time, and our goal times are purely individual. If you're out there trying, you're making a positive difference for yourself regardless of how you feel about your time. We should always celebrate that. I believe it is all part of a bigger process and the rough days fuel our inspiration to work harder and get closer to our goals.

The positive out of this experience is that it inspired me towards a new goal, which I call "30by30"(it makes a cool hash tag). I want to run a 30 minute 5K by my 30th birthday (later this year). Another positive was that B acheived a new PR of 24:29. :)

Sunday - Family time, day off. :)

Monday - Memorial Day, which I took off work. I ran one mile in our neighborhood. Since I was only doing one mile, I decided to make it as fast as I could. I ran it in 9:53, and again felt like my lungs were about to explode. Then we ran all kinds of errands, and we set up our tomato garden.

Tuesday - RunKNOX workout. We did the dreaded hills. Run up, run down, repeat. It was 80+ degrees. It was steep and tiring. I'd get to the bottom of the hill, get some water, stare at the hill to psych myself up, and force myself to run uphill again. Remember to stay hydrated in this heat! I thought I had had enough water that day, but I felt lightheaded and exhausted afterwards. I crashed on the couch with a giant bottle of water!

Wednesday - I was supposed to run, but I was dealing with some heel pain. Over the last few weeks (oddly during the down time after my half marathon and before my 5K training), I've been dealing with a lot of pain in my arch and heel in my left foot. It has been so bad that on Saturdays it hurts to put weight on my heel after our runs. I have to wear high heels all day as to not put weight on my heel. Applying ice after running helps a little, but it was getting to the unmanageable level!

I'm not sure what the problem is (possibly a tendon?), but I have reason to believe my shoes are to blame. I've had the same pair since before I trained for my half marathon in December...

Thursday - I got up early and ran two miles near my home. I pushed myself to a slightly faster pace (11:30/mi) than my usual easy pace (12+ minutes). Then we did a circuit core workout with RunKNOX that evening.

Today - Heel hurting again, so I went to an early yoga class. After work, I went to a specialty running shoe store and got new shoes! I got the same pair I'd had before, since they had been great until last month. I think I waited too long to switch. What a difference! They feel like I'm walking on magical clouds! Fingers crossed this will solve my problems!

And that's it! What did you do this week?

-Amy

Running Newbie to a Half Marathon in 1 Year: Part 5 // Beginning Half Marathon Training

 

 Thank you for checking out Part 5 of my first running series! If you haven’t checked it out, you can find Part 4 here.

At the end of 2012, I had spent the prior 9 months training for my first 5K, and continuing to train for faster 5K times. I PR’ed in November with a time of 31:20, and I was feeling a little burned out from the stress of trying to get faster and faster.

In December, I decided to switch gears and start training for my first half-marathon. At first, I was pretty reluctant to train for a half-marathon, which at the time seemed like an impossible distance. I set my sights for the Knoxville Covenant Health Half Marathon in April 2013. The idea of just getting in the groove at an easier pace and just running longer sounded refreshing and nice.

That was a nice thought full of unicorns and rainbows. It lasted until my first half marathon training practice.

The half-marathon training through RunKNOX technically started up in December 2012. However, since it fell during the busy holiday season, we received a schedule to follow on our own, and had the option to meet up with community group runs on Saturdays.

I remember when my husband, Brandon, and I received the December running schedule in our email. As per his usual character, he glanced at it and said something like, “Hmm, that’s cool,” like it was nothing. I, however, took a look at the schedule, which included one long run per week and varying shorter runs throughout the week, and wanted to pass out! Our goal at the end of the month was to reach 8-10 miles.

Speaking of impossible dreams of unicorns and rainbows…

Luckily, I emailed my coach, Darren, and he assured me there was no pressure. There were people of all levels in the program, and the more experienced runners would reach this point. I just decided I would work to the best of my ability, and see where I ended up at the end of the month. We met up with the weekly community runs on Saturdays, and ran on our own (sometimes together, sometimes individually) during the week. What a process that was…

It was cold, and often dark.

I realize this is whiny of me, but one of my biggest hurdles was getting over my fear of running in the cold. I grew up in a much colder part of the country, but I’m pretty sure I lost my tolerance to cold the first year I lived in Tennessee. I’m that girl who has an extra jacket or cardigan and fingerless gloves at the office during the winter. I sleep under an electric blanket and sit by the fireplace at home a lot.

I remember B and I getting in the car to go to one of the few semi-lit greenways during evenings after work. It took everything I had in me (as well as B practically dragging me) to get out of the car and start running.

I invested in running tights, layers of long-sleeved running shirts and pullovers, a warm band to go over my ears, and gloves. I considered getting a running coat or jacket, however...

To my complete surprise, I discovered once I got a few minutes into my run, I wasn't nearly as cold anymore. In fact, sometimes I even got hot. I discovered I hated wearing gloves while running. It turned out that the cold didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would.

Oh the mental hangups we have about such minor things.

It was hard, but in a different way than shorter distance running. I was tired a lot.

With the shorter, faster 5K training I’d been doing, I basically felt like this:

During the run: Can't...breathe...must push faster...legs burning...energy fading...try to keep running until I count to 10...I can't hold on...

Immediately after: Recover! Need water! Need oxygen! Now!

30 minutes later: Feelin' back to normal! Let's cook breakfast, play with kitties, go shopping, whatever!

Longer distance running felt completely different. I started out running 4-5 miles on my long runs and gradually working up. I'd go really slooow, like 12+ minute miles. It never got intensely difficult, like my lungs were about to explode like before. That doesn't mean it was easy, though. Far from it. Although not intense like before, my legs would start to feel wear after 4 or so miles. I don't know how to describe it. Just stiff, sore, and tired. Each step started hurting a little towards the end. Instead of bouncing back like after 5K training, I could barely walk the rest of the day.

Any rapper would have been proud of my gangsta lean. 

Mentally, long runs were draining. As before, I'd spend half of the run worrying about the next half of the run.

You know, I like to plan ahead.

Also, running 15+ miles a week was draining on my overall energy throughout the day. It was Christmas time, and I had to drag myself off the couch to go shopping or decorate (some of my favorite activities). I later learned that I could reduce this through nutritional supplements before and after running. I'll get to that.

But then…big things started happening…

Over the first month of training on our own, I didn't make it to 8 or 10 miles, but I got up to running 7.5 miles! I remember that day clearly. I was flustered and late to the community run, annoyed that it was less than 30 degrees that morning, and I just had a bad attitude. Once I got a couple of miles in, however, I got in a groove, felt more positive, and surprised myself. I couldn't believe I got so close to the 8 mile goal that seemed so daunting at first!

In January we began our structured practices. As in the 5K program, we did everything from running hills, working on running certain paces, and yes, increasing distance. Everything was just set at a longer distance. Like I said, it was hard, and I'd go home exhausted sometimes. I was one of the slowest runners in the program, but that's okay. I found another girl close to my pace, and we ran together throughout the program. Luckily, neither one of us were big talkers while running, so we didn't feel pressured to chat.

I mean, running is hard enough. Do I have to think about social conventions, too?

Over time, the results kept slowly coming, and that kept me motivated. We ran our first 10K, the Strawberry Plains 10K, in February. I really enjoyed the 10K distance. It wasn't so long it was miserable, but it wasn't so short that I felt pressured to run too fast. I ran with my new running partner, and finished in 1:12! My first 10K PR! :)

B and I after Strawberry Plains. He finished in a crazy 52 minutes! Go B!

At this point, I’d gotten to running 8 miles. Although training was going well, I still hadn’t registered for the half marathon as I still doubted myself a little. With about two months left until my half marathon, my next steps were to increase my distance to 10 miles, then 12 miles, then taper down to prepare for the race. And despite my doubts, I did all of those!

If you’re ready to train for a half marathon, here are some things I would consider:

• Make sure you’re ready to train for a half marathon. I trained for 5Ks for months so that I would feel completely comfortable at 3 miles before increasing my distance.
• Just like in training for a first 5K, I personally recommend finding a training program or group. Increasing distance and all of the challenges and complications that come along with it is daunting. A good program will guide you through not only increasing distance, but also focusing on running better. It will also provide you a support network as you encounter challenges, have questions, or need a pick-me-up.
• Revisit tips in articles 1, 2, 3 and 4, including making sure you have good running shoes and comfortable clothes, believing in yourself and your training, asking any and every question (especially ASAP if you notice pain or injury!!), staying patient, and accepting that the process will have its good and bad days.
• Try to get out of your head and not focus on the little things. I struggled (and still do) a lot with this. I’d stress about how cold it was at first, if my hair was falling out of my ponytail, if I was feeling tired, if my clothing wasn’t comfortable for whatever reason, etc. Try to let these things go. I tried to get a good playlist on, settle into a comfortable pace, and zone out. It doesn’t always happen, but feels great when it does. 
• Do all of the “extra stuff”! I can’t emphasize this enough! This long distance stuff is no joke. You can’t blow off stretching, hydration, good nutrition, rest, etc, and get away with it, trust me. I went to bed early (usually not by choice, but because I couldn’t keep my eyes open) and drank a ton of water. I discovered later on that nutritional supplements could make all of the difference in my energy and recovery, which I’ll cover next time. To reduce the soreness in my legs and hips, I did stretches, specifically in my legs and hips, after running, and started dabbling in a yoga class here and there. There are great options here, here, and here.

Check out the final article in this series, as I share lessons learned from running my first half marathon last month.

What tips helped you as you trained for a half marathon?

-Amy


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*I was not compensated by RunKNOX for this post, nor is RunKNOX affiliated with this blog. I am simply sharing my honest opinions and experiences as I began running through the program. The views expressed in this article are solely my own. Also, I'm not a health or fitness professional of any kind. See my Terms and Conditions page.

Tomatoes - 3rd Time's a Charm?

 

"It's time to plant your tomatoes when you look up at the mountains, and you see leaves on the trees at the very top" - Gardening wisdom from my husband's grandmother

As both of our families are from Appalachia, my husband, Brandon, and I have many family members who grow, can, and preserve food. It's amazing the wisdom you can learn from them. They don't go by charts, calendars, or detailed websites. Their knowledge has been handed down from generations before them who relied on growing and preserving their own food to survive. I've found their advice more valuable than Google!

Although I, too, spent most of my younger life in small town Appalachia, I downplayed my country roots for many years. I was focused on my education and my career, and I set my sights on living in a city where I could pursue these dreams.

In recent years, however, I've surprised myself by taking an interest in going back to basics and trying my hand at gardening. I suppose this was for several reasons. I love the taste of fresh vegetables. I like learning new things and doing things myself. While I'm not super picky on being 100% organic all the time, I like knowing that the foods I eat are local and don't have a ton of preservatives on them.

However, it's time to be honest with myself. My prime motivation is salsa. Yummy, fresh, spicy salsa. I don't need a complicated recipe - tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, and a little lime juice. I suppose I love it so much because it combines my love of fresh veggies with my love of spicy foods. The key is it all has to be fresh.

As you can see, and probably already know if you live in this part of the country, the trees on the mountaintops have had leaves for a few weeks now.  Yep, we're a little behind on planting our tomatoes, but I don't think it's too late! According to this article, you can plant tomatoes as soon as nighttime temperatures stay above 50 degrees. I haven't found a deadline on when it's too late to plant. Since the 8 weeks it takes tomatoes to mature will transpire before it gets chilly in fall, I think it's still okay.

The problem is that we don't exactly have a great track record in the tomato raising department...

Year 1

We tried two options :

1. In-ground garden next to house with herbs and jalapeno peppers. The soil near our house isn't great (it's kind of a red clay), and it gets a lot of drainage from a slope in the backyard. The herbs and peppers were hearty enough to deal with it, but the tomatoes didn't dig it. The tomatoes were fresh and delicious, but we only got a few, very small tomatoes.
2. We also tried using a Topsy Turvy. The plants were bigger than the in-ground plants (likely due to the rich soil we put in the bag), and that method looked very promising. However, we had a huge windy thunderstorm that summer. It tossed the Topsy Turvy around, breaking the plant. If you try a Topsy Turvy, I highly recommend bringing it inside during storms!

Year 2

We tried in-ground in the same spot, but the hot dry summer didn't bode well for us. Again, only a few, small tomatoes.

Year 3

This time, we're starting over, and starting small. We have only purchased 6 tomato plants, and we're trying a new method - a raised bed. Since the soil and drainage in our yard is so poor, we decided this method might be the best for us. After a weekend of running, family time, and a little outdoor fun, we took Memorial Day off and start our raised tomato bed.

Here's how we did it:

• We bought supplies - We headed out in Brandon's truck, and purchased the following:



I love B's truck. Makes me wanna roll my windows down and cruise (I love the song, "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line)! I even sing, "Brandon's Mitsubishi without a lift kit looks a whole lot better with me up in it!" Now you know how much of an odd bird I am.

 

• A 4'x4' raised bed kit, found at Home Depot.

• We started small on size, but the kit is expandable if we want to grow the garden next year.
• There are many plans out there to build your own, and it's probably less expensive that way. However, this was so easy and for the most part didn't require tools.
• The kit was about $40. I know, you're thinking, "those are going to be expensive tomatoes!" As a business nerd, I prefer to think of it as a capital expenditure that could last more than one year, not a component in the unit price of the tomatoes.
• 5 bags of organic soil (I prefer to use the organic kind) to fulfill the almost 8 cubic feet of soil required (as provided on the raised bed kit package) 

• 6 tomato plants
• We started from plants. I know starting from seeds and later transplanting seedlings is a more natural process that gives you more control. Perhaps we try that in the future, but for now, we're keeping it simple.
• We purchased tomatoes by Bonnie Plants. I'm new to learning about GMO's, and I'm admittedly not knowledgeable there. However, Bonnie states on their website that their plants are not GMO.
• We chose two kinds of tomato plants to try:
• 4 plants - "Rutgers Heirloom", a good canning (i.e. salsa) tomato according to the label
• 2 plants - "Big Boy", Brandon recommended it as a classic slicing tomato
• Because the soil in the raised bed isn't compacted, it only required a small hand spade to dig the hole for the tomatoes. We already owned one, as well as gardening gloves to wear.
• We found a flat, well drained spot, and put together the raised bed.



This was child's play for my handyman, B. I helped too (I promise!) but I was the one taking pics.

• Because the herb garden next to the house doesn't drain well, we chose a flat area farther away from our house above the slope in our backyard.
• I wasn't kidding when I said that the raised bed kit we purchased was easy. It basically consists of dovetailed planks that fit right into corner posts. It took less than 10 minutes to set up!
• We filled the raised bed with all but one bag of soil. Time to get dirty!

 

I'm not afraid to get dirty. With gloves on, of course. :)



• We planted the tomatoes.

• We dug holes with the spade, and gently placed the tomato plants in those holes. We placed 2 rows of 3 plants in the 4'x4' space to give them plenty of room.
• The "Big Boy" plants were in a biodegradable package that could simply be transplanted entirely into the soil.
• The Rutgers heirlooms had to be gently lifted from a plastic carton and placed into the ground
• We covered the plants with soil.
• We opened the last bag of soil, and used it to cover the plants even more.

And now we're off! I can taste the salsa now! Although this is what we did to begin, the work is far from over! Here are our next steps:

• Set up a cage around them. Tomatoes need to be secured against a stake, cage, or other structural element to stay off the ground. We have a couple of cages from last year, which we plan to use once the plants are a little bigger.
• Water regularly with watering devices. A friend of mine who is a true Appalachian and avid gardener and homesteader recommended I try using these watering devices. They stake into the ground, and you can place a liter sized plastic bottle into them. They water only the roots and keep the leaves dry (as recommended).
• Mulch the area. I plan to use grass/straw clippings collected after mowing to hold moisture into the soil.

That's it! Fingers crossed that this year our tomato plants will thrive and I can make fresh salsa from my own garden! Any advice for me as I take on this endeavor again this year? What are your success tips?

-Amy

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*As I referenced, my poor track record makes me a novice gardener at best. I'm simply sharing what I'm trying, and hoping it will work!