Training Day 1 & 2

As they always say, "You Gotta Start Somewhere!!"

Well, this is my official start to my half marathon training. Yesterday was actually supposed to be Day 1, but it was the Superbowl and I had ZERO time to myself. I know it's an excuse, and from here on out, I pretty much can't have those, but there it is. I don't feel that bad, because on Saturday I did a Nike Training Club workout with Jennifer, and Sunday was supposed to be "Stretch and Strengthen". I'd like to pretend that I was proactive and I did the workout a day early :). I'm actually just not counting that day at all and calling yesterday "Day 1" and today "Day 2".

So, Day 1 was a 3 mile run. Not too hard. I have ran 3 miles plenty of times, and recently just ran 5! Should be a cinch right? Wrong!! For some reason I was dead and felt like it took forever. I hadn't eaten much that day, so I'm trying to blame my exhaustion on that. I ran at my normal pace, 10min/mile, but it sure felt like I was bookin' it the whole time. So much for feeling fast. 

Aside from it feeling abnormally hard, there were some positives to it! I ran it on the track, which means the "weather" was great, and it was FLAT!!!! I am horrible about running hills/inclines, so I'll take a track day when I can get it. I usually get bored easily on the track and feel like stopping after 1 or 2 miles, but I think having the schedule laid out for me helped me stay motivated through the whole run. Hopefully this stays true throughout the 12 weeks!

Day 2 sounded like a super easy day, but turns out I was wrong again. The schedule said "5 x 400 5K pace", which is only 1.25 miles all together, and my 5K pace is 10min/mile so far. I felt like this would have been a huge cop-out, so I decided to run them as fast as I could (which turned out to be pretty slow). I also ran outside today, which may have attributed to the difficulty - it was pretty chilly. This is my new app that I'm going to be using for my running - it's called RunKeeper. I think I like it so far -

These were my splits for my 400's (0.25 mi) I DEFINITELY got slower as they went on. I guess it's where I'm starting, and I can only hope to get better from here!!! 

Sometimes quotes really help me stay motivated (usually only for a few minutes, but I feel like it's worth it)

.... here are a couple I've seen recently...

"Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I'm content with what I can do and if I'm completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. It's only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards." - John Bingham

 My boyfriend told me this one night before I went to bed. I was already dreading my running plans for the following morning....

"We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment."

- Jim Rohn