Weeks 2-3: A Snake in the Path

Week 2 of the half-marathon training program was spent at Myrtle Beach. The entire vacation was superlative in every way. The weather was 86 degrees and sunny every day. The beach was the best that I've ever been at. The water was warm, like a bathtub, and the waves were not too intense, until the late afternoon. The beach is extremely well lifeguarded, so I felt very safe. The hotel had a tiki bar with live music every afternoon, which could be heard on the beach and in the pools. We spent 3 days on the beach, and by then we were sunburned and friend. Then we decided to take a day away from the beach to visit Alligator Adventure and Boardwalk on the Beach, which had 100 shops and a the feel of a Disney theme park with its theme decor. My youngest son went off to a wizard adventure with his dad, while I shopped with my older son. Later, we all went to Ripley's Aquarium. You wouldn't think that Ripley had an aquarium, but it was excellent. The highlight of the aquarium was the "Dangerour Reef." To design the reef, most of the building was a giant fish tank with a glass tunnel at the bottom so that visitors could look up and see the sharks teeth as they swam over the tunnel. Every tank was clean and spotless and all of the fish, with the exeption of one or two, looked extremely healthy. We spent one more day on the beach, and then topped it off with a visit to a local water park, which was nice, but not all that great in comparison to some of the water parks that we've been to. The only downside was the drive, which was purported to be about 8 hours on TripTiks, but actually stretched to 11-12 hours with traffic jams, bathroom breaks, and food stops.

I'm still struggling to come back from injury and run in the humid heat. My training plan this week called for two 30 minute runs and a long run of 2 miles, which was accomplish by running and walking. At the hotel, I also took advantage of the workout room to cross train with the elliptical maching, exercise bike, and weights.

Week 3

My week calls for two 30 minute runs, one with 4 quick strides, and a long run of 4 miles. Two days will be spent cross training, and if I'm really good, I'll stretch and strengthen. A highlight of the week so far is that I took the longest bike ride ever for cross training--40 minutes. So far, no soreness or injury. Bike riding in the head is actually easier because there's the wind and the feeling of movement. But then, my bike tire went flat. I'll have to remember to get that fixed.

Today is the first run, and it's a steamy hot 93 degree day and I feel like wilting. I feel lazy like the alligator in the picture and I can't get motivated to run at all. I ran with generous walk breaks and I feel so discouraged and out of shape. All winter I'm running and trying to warm up and I can't wait for summer, but now I'm wishing for cooler weather.

But today was a rare back to nature exprience. As I was about to set out on my favorite trail, I saw a snake in the path. I walked up to it, wondering if it was poisonous or even alive, but then tought better than to cross it's path and I decided to head down another path, thinking that I could see any snakes more easily by running on a paved pathway. As I turned around, I could see it slither across the path. It was alive after all. As I ran down the alternate path, I saw a mother deer and a baby cross the path. I stopped at a distance and let them cross. On the way back, I saw a possum or beaver or otter-like animal. I also ran by a grazing deer. They must not be afraid of humans.

I've got to get back to studying! My husband has a terrible cold, and I hope I don't get another!!

Half-Marathon Plan, Week 1

I am so utterly discouraged. I signed up for a marathon/half-marathon program offered by my local running club. I was really looking forward to this. But now I'm wondering what I got myself into. I'm trying to recover from a knee injury and I've been fighting a cold this week after traveling.

The program kicked off on a hot day and with a dew point of 50%. I thought they'd probably have water because it was offered during other club programs, but they expected everyone to bring their own and of course I forgot to bring water. Then they had everyone run 4 miles--without any stretching. Perhaps they figured that everyone stretched beforehand or this was somehow unnecessary. It was the absolute worst 4 miles I have ever run in my life. I finished dead last.

I felt like my son. He's training for the football team and absolutely hates running because it's boring and he think's he'll loose weight (haha). The first time he did sprints he threw up. The second time, he laid down at the end. He said it was the hardest thing he ever did and he felt like he was in the military. I wanted to lay down during this run or just quit.

At the conclusion of the session, they handed me a half-marathon program that included a lot more miles and a lot longer runs sooner in the program than I was thinking of doing. After my knee injury, I've revised my goals downward and I'm planning to follow the "Run Half Marathon" program in John Bingham's book "Marathoning for Mortals." This program starts out conservatively and ramps up slowly. I pray that I don't re-injure my knee after that run.

I thought this was a program for beginners, but it turns out that everyone has been running for several years and many participants have run several marathons and are looking to improve their time. Prior to signing up, I even e-mailed and asked if this was appropriate, and was encouraged to register for the program. Now I'm wondering why they don't have a program specifically geared to first timers.

I feel so utterly discouraged and demoralized. Now, I am thinking about quitting.

Pittsburgh Triathlon
This experience comes on the heels of a really nice run. I traveled to Pittsburgh for a conference and the hotel had a a route developed by Runner's World. I was naturally hesitant to run early in the morning on an unfamiliar route in an urban area, but a co-worker did it and thought it was safe.

On the last day of the conference I headed out at 6 a.m. and ran along the banks of the Allegheny River. As I was running along, I saw two people with wetsuits get out of the river. I thought they were triathletes enjoying an Sunday morning open water swim. I was right! And that wasn't all. Soon, I came upon the transition area of the Pittsburgh Triathlon. I stopped to ask the volunteer questions, and we chatted about the temperature of the water as he patiently answered my newbie questions. It was the highlight of my day. I recently stumbled upon Meagan Timney's blog, "I Tri Therefore I Am," and if I didn't know better, I'd think it was a sign.

After all that, I ran back to the hotel quickly, and best of all, my knee was fine and I felt like I was back in the running.