Hello! Welcome to week five of my half marathon training! If you're new, head over to my first post to learn more about the Holy Half by clicking here!
As I mentioned in last week's post, midterms are upon us and that makes running even less enjoyable than it normally is. However, as I am aware that the run is less than a month away, I am very determined to keep running no matter how busy I get. Read how my week went below!
WEDNESDAY | Recovery | 1.75 miles (actually ran 2 miles)
Recovery runs are enjoyable solely because they tend to be shorter than long runs and are supposed to be done at a slower pace. After taking a few days of rest, I was anxious to get back to running so as not to lose the progress I had made last week.
THURSDAY | Benchmark | 15:00 minutes
These are still my FAVORITE of all runs. The trainer talks you through the different parts of the benchmark run which adds verbal motivation to the equation. Also, my playlist was on fire for this run which made it even more enjoyable. I truly believe that a key to a good run is good songs to run to!
SATURDAY | Recovery | 4.5 miles
Okay, so I'm going to be honest with you. I didn't run 4.5 miles non-stop, although I did go for 4.5 miles. My issue was that I normally run on the treadmill which means that my paces are guaranteed. However, this glorious Saturday I was home in Westphalia, Michigan, and decided to go for my run on the paved trail in the next town over. This was a terrible idea because I didn't know how to pace myself and therefore ran more than a minute faster than my normal mile pace, which means that after about two miles, I was DEAD. So I walked as a breather and then realized how terrible my pacing had been and tried to correct it for the rest of the run. However, it wasn't pretty and I did have to stop again to walk before I finished my run.
My lesson for this week is just that: Pace yourself. You don't have to build Rome in one day and you don't have to run 4.5 miles in 30 minutes. As long as you DO accomplish your goal, it doesn't matter how quickly you achieved it. What is more important is that you don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed because life can be very overwhelming. Take a minute and slow down, and take it step by step.
Read next week's reflection here!