Live, Run, Grow

As November comes to an end I realized for the second month in a row I have fallen just short of my monthly work out goal.

I started keeping this calendar back in May when I started training for my first half marathon (it’s a free app called Tracker Lite).  I’m a very visual person and like actually seeing the check marks on each date that I’ve gotten in a workout.  I’ve set my “goal” number of minutes I’d like to work out each month and as I enter in my workouts it let’s me know how close I am to reaching my target.

Fall and Winter are my busiest times of year at work, so unfortunately I’ve fallen just short of my goals, but at the same time I’ve tried to be very conscious of listening to how my body feels – I’m working long hours and there are some mornings when I just KNOW in the long run the extra hour of sleep is what my body needs.

Training for my first full marathon in the middle of my busiest time of year at work may not have been the best idea, but from everything I’ve ready it’s the long runs that are the most important part of the training, and luckily I’ve been able to stay pretty much on track with those!

This weekend I have a 20 mile run planned so I’ve been really trying to prepare myself (both physically and mentally) this week.  Here’s how:

Hydration – I KNOW I don’t drink enough water during the day so I’ve been trying to make sure I’m consuming enough water, but I knew I needed help…enter Drink-O-Matic!  Yes, there actually IS an app for everything, and this one reminds me to stop and drink some water throughout the day!  I have it set to remind me every half an hour between 8am and 8pm and each time I drink a glass of water I check off a glass!  Totally cheesy, I know, but it works and I’ll be well hydrated going in to my run this weekend!

Fuel – Reading Lisa’s post earlier this week at Lisa’s Foods on  How to Fuel for a Run and Feel Good reminded me that I really need to be thinking about my fuel for my training long runs too, not just the actual race!  I know that before a run I like to have some oatmeal or toast with peanut butter, but I’m still not confident that I’ve found that right combination of fuel for DURING my long runs and race, so I bought a whole array of fueling options that I plan on testing out this weekend!  I’ll let you know what I end up liking!

Body – I definitely want to make sure my muscles are loose and ready to go for this long run so last weekend I got an hour massage and I’ve been making sure to stretch and use my foam roller whenever I get a few minutes (LOVE the foam roller, but more on that another time).

Gear – Hopefully the new Garmin running watch I ordered the other day will come in on time for me to try this weekend!  I’d like to make this training run as much like race day as possible so I’ll be using my running belt with one Powerade and one water and carrying my fuel options with me (I’m going to do two 10 mile loops so I’ll be able to stop at the house and refill).

Recovery – I have a few different recovery drinks to try out and some Epsom salts for a post run bath…and of course I’ll be using my foam roller a ton!

Honestly, who knew running was so  much work!  Hopefully all this preparation will pay off and I’ll have a good 20 miles this weekend!