No Turning Back

Last week marked the half way point in the half marathon training. Wes and I finally registered for the Marine Corps Half Marathon. Perhaps subconsciously we were waiting to see if we could make it to the half way mark. I have to admit that training has been an adventure and I have learned a number of things so far. I am looking forward to a couple races before the big half marathon. The first is the Believe in Heroes 8K on September 11th, which is part of the Wounded Warrior Project and the second is the Purple Stride 5K on September 17th, which is for Pancreatic Cancer research. Please visit my race page. 

LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Do not wear brand new high heels on your first day back to work because you will get four blisters on your foot and it will hurt when you have to run later that day. In my defense the shoes were super cute and I received several compliments about my outfit.

2. Always keep your power song handy. New power song alert! Last year Wes and I went to see Cold War Kids at Freebird Cafe, which was an awesome show. A band called The Cave Singers opened for them and their foot stomping music was the best new thing to our ears. To be honest not possessing any of their music caused me to somewhat forget about them. However, a few weeks ago I randomly decided to search for them on YouTube and discovered a ton of their songs. I sat for an hour listening to their music which is phenomenal by the way. Their song, Dancing on Our Graves is my new power song. It gets me moving.

3. Consistently switch up your work out music. I have to admit that I am beyond bored with my current “work out” playlist. In my experience when I change that playlist it actually makes my runs more fun and keeps me motivated. However, I have already changed my “work out” playlist several times and now I am to the point that I just need new music on my iPod. So if you have any songs to share please let me know.

4. Remember to breathe! Going back to work is harder than I thought. Trying to work full time and keep up with training is stressful. Wes has reminded me it is important to breathe. Wes has actually reminded me SEVERAL times it is important to breathe. He has been my rock at the start of this new school year. I have been a crazy person and he has so much patience.

5. Watch what you eat because it has a huge effect on your work out. First of all let me say that I am a chocoholic and keep dark chocolate in the fridge, which I nibble at every evening. My last blog post made it clear that dark chocolate is healthy. YUM! With that being said I do watch what I eat closely. I have found that taking my vitamins as well as eating healthy makes me a strong runner. We eat LOTS of protein and omega 3’s. Wes and I have been chowing down on eggs, chicken, salmon, and pork. Oh, and we have enough nuts in this house to feed a small village. We buy the Emerald mixed nuts but Wes despises the Brazil nuts and eats around them so guess who gets to eat them? Additionally, we have been snacking on lots of carrots and  Sabre hummus as well as Barney almond butter and bananas. Mmmmmmm. I am so obsessed with almond butter. Next on my list of things to try is cashew butter.

6. You will have to adjust the play schedule. Wes and I have found that we cannot stay out late on Friday nights because we have to wake up at 7am for our run Saturday morning to beat the heat. We have declined a few Friday night invites due to our training schedule. Additionally, there have been days where we just didn’t feel like running and wanted to do other things such as a bike ride, etc. However, we were able to switch up cross train days and running days to make it happen.

7. Buy a water belt because it is awesome! I have to admit I was very skeptical about a water belt. The thought of having something attached to my waist while running did not sit well with me. However, due to the extreme heat in Florida and the fact that our running mileage would only be increasing. I found a water belt at Academy Sports for cheap. I use it every time I run and love it! I find that I have slightly more energy for my workout because I am able to stay hydrated. Plus it has a little pouch where I can keep my iPod and a snack.

8. Running while traveling makes for a fun adventure. In the last month I have done a lot traveling. I went to Washington D.C  and then to Canada. In between those two trips Wes and I ran in the Tour de Pain race. We had a blast and both of us beat our times from last year. Woot! I had a lot of fun running while traveling. Mostly because the weather was so much less humid and hot than Florida. In D.C I enjoyed a beautiful morning run by the Potomac River as well as a nightly run on the treadmill at the hotel where I was staying. In Canada the terrain really kicked my butt. I am used to running in good ole flat Florida and running in hilly Canada made for a hardcore work out.