Good morning!
I hope you all had a nice weekend (and are maybe still enjoying it with the holiday today for President’s Day!). I had a super low key, relaxing weekend and I’m happy to say I started feeling a lot better by Saturday! I still have a little congestion but I’m definitely on the mend and ready to tackle this week. 🙂
I’m also ready to get back to running, so let’s talk spring racing! You guys know I love training over the winter – for me, cold weather running (within reason) is a million times better than hot weather running, and as a result, I tend to do a lot of races in the late spring. This spring is no exception. I have not one… not two… but THREE half marathons on the docket. Whoa!
First up? The Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half Marathon on March 16!
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I’ll be running this race sponsored as part of my Brooks Run Happy Ambassadorship and I can’t wait! I ran this race two years ago with a group of my grad school girlfriends before it was a Rock ‘n’ Roll race – back then it was the National Half Marathon – and I love the course. I hear they’re changing it up a little for this year; the full marathon course wasn’t the best before so hopefully that will be improved and the half will still stay just as awesome.
Next on the docket I have the Nike Women’s Half Marathon on April 28!
This race was outrageously expensive (and sold out really quickly – they had a lottery system), but I’m not gonna lie – I totally signed up because I want the Tiffany’s finisher’s necklace they hand out at the end of the race. 😉 Plus, my college BFF Turner and grad school BFF Elle will be doing the race with me! Should be fun. 🙂
And last but not least – the ZOOMA Annapolis Half Marathon on June 1!
Those of you who have been reading since the beginning will remember that ZOOMA Annapolis was actually my very first half marathon back in June 2010! It was a ROUGH race for me – really really hot out and I was having some calf issues, too, but I pushed through and was so proud of myself for crossing that finish line.
I’m really excited to return to the very start of my half marathon adventures. I’ll be running the race as a ZOOMA Ambassador with a couple blogger buddies and it should be a good time! By the way – if you’re interested in running the race, too (they have a 10k as well!), use the code ANNAMB6 to get 10% off registration for either distance at Annapolis. Hope to see you there! 🙂
So now – let’s talk training! I didn’t find out until recently that I’d have the opportunity to do the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Half and I’ve been so busy with the whole RD exam business that it kind of snuck up on me! I can’t believe that race is in only a month! In the past, I’ve created detailed half marathon training plans (click to see an old training schedule) for myself that start at about 2 to 2.5 months out, but for this round I decided it would be best to be flexible. Here’s the general plan for the next few months until all the races are over:
Each week will include:
- 1 long run
- 2 shorter runs (1 hilly, 1 speedy)
- 2 days of cross training (either kickboxing or CrossFit at CrossFit Arlington/NOVA MMA)
- 1 day of yoga
- 1 rest day
Long runs will be on the weekends and won’t be more than 12 miles; short runs will be between 4 and 6 miles. I don’t run more than 3 days per week when I’m training because, for me, it helps to decrease chance of injury. Plus, I like mixing it up too much! Working in CrossFit, kickboxing, boot camps and/or yoga not only help to decrease boredom and burnout, but they also assure that my legs are staying strong in ways that compliment my running. I might also work some swimming into the mix once per week (in place of something else) occasionally – swimming is awesome cross training for running!
Other things I’ll be doing a lot of:
- Icing my legs (knees, ankles, calves) after runs
- Wearing compression sleeves/socks either before, during, or after runs
- Foam rolling! (Check out my extremely nerdy “How to Use a Foam Roller” video from last year for some tips – and just a note that another way to use a foam roller is to find a tense point and hold yourself still on that spot to release the tension.)
My original plan was to do another 8 mile over the weekend (you’ll remember I did 8 miles last weekend in Chapel Hill), but since I’d been sick I decided to bag the long run this weekend and got in a 4 miler instead, once I was on the mend.
So here is the new plan:
- Weekend of February 22nd – 10 mile run (I’ll need to do this during this week because I think we’re going on a ski trip over the weekend with friends!)
- Weekend of March 1st – 12 mile run
- Weekend of March 9th – 6 mile run (taper)
- Weekend of March 16th – HALF MARATHON!
Obviously not the most ideal training plan, but it’ll do. 🙂 I’m excited to share my training and racing adventures with all of you over the next few months!
What races do you have on the docket for this spring?
