therunnerwithin

Hello followers! I haven’t forgotten about my blog, okay maybe I did, lol. No, I’m just kidding. Life has been keeping me super busy, that I just haven’t had the time to blog. I recently moved and my workload has been increasing, which is a good thing and yet so exhausting.

Well, I have officially hit the 20th week mark, which means it’s taper week, also meaning race week for the Iron Girl Clearwater Half Marathon and 5K! I am still amazed at how fast time just flew by. At the time of registration, 20 weeks seemed like a long time and yet here it is. For those non-runners, taper week is the week of your race where you scale back on your training by reducing the volume of your workouts so that you can focus on resting for the big day! I have to be honest, it is difficult to “rest” when you’ve spent weeks upon weeks working out and running 5-6 days of the week and so your body is on a set schedule. Though for me, I hit a bit of a wall last week with exhaustion so my training was not on point but after having the weekend off with nothing to do, my body feels refreshed and ready to get back on schedule with the training.

So far my taper week has consisted with a gym session last night with my friend, Lindsey, and a two-mile run this morning before work. I am hoping to get in another strength training workout and possibly another low mileage run in by Thursday. After Thursday, I will be forced to do absolutely nothing until the race. I know, I probably sound crazy, but it really is hard when it has become part of your routine, not to mention a “healthy” addiction.

Tonight I received my confirmation email with my bib number for the race, it’s all becoming real now. Many of my friends and co-workers have asked me how I feel. It’s exciting, yet nerve-racking. I am looking forward to getting back into the racing, adrenaline-rushing atmosphere…to prove to myself that I am capable of more than I ever imagined. I am concerned about the bridges as I have not has much incline training as I had hoped to. I also fear that I will not finish within the goal time I would like to.

I recently read an article in the April issue of the Women’s Running magazine that discusses common errors that first timers, even old pros, make during a half marathon. This article was very relieving to me. One of the mistakes listed talked about “Setting you hopes and dreams on a finish time.” The blurb explains that when you set a specific goal time, anything slower than that time will feel like a failure. Further adding that a number of factors like the weather or a muscle cramp can hinder your performance. The blurb ends on a crucial note that all first time half-marathoners should know, “it’s wise to set your goals on finishing strong and celebrating every mile along the way because you only get to run your first half marathon once. Enjoy it!” This will be my mantra during the run.

My race outfit is already picked out and has been tested on one of my “long” training runs. I have slowly increased my calorie intake, healthy calories of course; and will begin to add on extra carbs later on in the week, especially on Saturday as well as hydrate.

If any of my followers/readers would like to come out and cheer me on, the race starts at 7:00am. Based off my training, it’s looking like it will take me about 2:30-2:45 to finish, though with adrenaline, I could finish sooner. The course maps are posted on the Iron Girl site, feel free to come cheer me on along the course or just the finish line 🙂

For those who are not able to make it out, look out for a race recap to follow in the near future!