Hi! Welcome to week three of my training series! If you're new, head over to my first post to learn more about the Holy Half by clicking here!
With Junior Parent's Weekend (JPW) coming up this weekend, I knew that I had to get my running for the week done before the weekend so I could just enjoy the time that my family was here at Notre Dame. This meant many days of running in a row! With each run that I complete, I feel more empowered. Also, February 17 marked one month since I started training, which was a great milestone for me!
MONDAY | Recovery Run | 1.75 miles
In comparison to the four miles I ran on Sunday, this was easy. I was happy to run such a short distance—it amazes me that I have begun to consider 1.75 miles a short run. However, I feel as though it is a sign of my growth as a person and it excites me to see my progress.
WEDNESDAY | Benchmark Run | 15 minutes
This benchmark run I completed on the treadmill in Rolf's. I am a manager of the volleyball team which means most of the shifts I work take place in the Joyce Center located near Rolf's and I learned that I really enjoyed being able to people watch as I ran. So now, I head straight to Rolf's after my morning practices for a nice run and then head to breakfast.
I appreciate the benchmark runs more than most parts of my training plan due to the coach that motivates you through it. The fifteen minutes consist of a seven minute warm up run, followed by three minutes of running as hard as you can, ending with five minutes of cool down running. The goal is to measure how far you can run in the times you are given and the plan in my Nike Run Club app will then adjust accordingly. The motivation of the coach telling you how well you're doing definitely helps make these runs more toleratable.
THURSDAY | Recovery Run | 3 miles
I. Died.
Normally, recovery runs are supposed to be slower but unfortunately, I overslept and had to hustle through my three mile run in order to shower and make it to class on time. Therefore, I ran three miles more quickly than I intended to and felt like death promptly following. However, it was a good personal motivator to continue training hard because I realized what I am not capable of, although I would like to be.
FRIDAY | Recovery Run | 2.25 miles (actually ran 2.37)
BEST RUN EVER. But actually, I didn't want to stop. I ran at the slow pace recommended to me by my training app and was so very impressed with how easy it was. I felt like I could run forever! It gave me high hopes that my 13.1 miles might not be as awful as I originally thought. Unfortunately, I had places to be so I had to end my run but I look forward to the day that I can extend my run to see what I can really do.
This week proved to me how quickly your confidence in your abilities can change. I went from sincerely doubting myself on Thursday to believing in myself more than ever after my run on Friday. I think that this same concept can go for a lot of different parts of life. Some days, everything goes right and you feel on top of the world. Other days, everything goes wrong and you feel like quitting because you're never going to make it. However, the important part is pushing through to the end because the brighter days ahead will come! Never, ever give up because you are more than capable of accomplishing anything.
See my next blog post here!