"Disclaimer: I received free entry to the Hospital Hill race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"
With so much going on it's been crazy getting a training plan nailed down for Hospital Hill, however it's an extremely important race for me so once I got things in place and got started, it just flowed! This last week has been one of the best training weeks I've had for any race I've ran!
Why is this Half Marathon race important to me?
First and foremost, it's my first race for BibRave. Being a BibRave Pro has been seriously a dream come true and just the fact that I get to run a race as part of their team is just beyond incredible. I'm also looking forward to meeting the other BibRave Pro's who will be running the race as well!
Second, it's the second race I've ran out of town, the first one was over in Illinois and truth be told we could have driven in the morning of the race. It was fun being surrounded by friends during the run but it just didn't carry the same weight as Hospital Hill does! For some reason the fact that I literally have to travel overnight to make it to the race just really sets it apart from any other race I've ran.
Third, it's the first race that I feel fully capable. I've always known I could get out there and run a half marathon. I've done it on a couple occasions without any training at all and finished without incident. This time, this time it's different. I've been running consistently for almost two years now, the first year I was still a little shaky as far as how consistent I was and the second whole year was such a huge learning process, what works and what doesn't etc. I feel confident in myself, my abilities and the training plan set ahead. I've never had a training plan I felt full capable of handling without struggle!
So week one. Here we go.
Day 1:
The plan : Run/walk anywhere up to 6 miles at an easy pace.
The reality : Pretty easy 3.75 miles @ 10:17 avg pace.
Honestly, the first two miles felt GREAT but I had been having some tightness in the back of my legs still from the Ultra Marathon a week prior, so the last 1.75 was just getting myself home in one piece. I had been doing a lot of foam rolling, stretching and yoga to attempt to clear up the tightness, it was feeling really great which was why I went out as far as I did. Anyway, I shook it off and stretched like crazy that afternoon!
Day 2:
The Plan : Run between 7-9 at an easy pace (Long Run)
The Reality : Still feeling tight I decided to walk 2 miles and let my legs shake themselves out. It felt good to just walk/lightly jog. I stretched like crazy that entire day and evening as well, I was starting to feel a lot better by the end of the night and the next morning the tightness was virtually gone!
Day 3:
The Plan : Run/walk anywhere up to 6 miles at an easy pace.
The Reality : 3.14 miles @ 9:10 avg pace. A little over 2 for a warm up and about a mile worth of sprints. Did a little walking and stretching for a coll down!
Have to say, sprinting felt really good!
Day 4:
The Plan : 1-2 mile warm up. 9-10 x Hills (40-60 second hard up hill and jog easily down) 1-2 mile cool down as necessary.
The Reality : 5.63 miles @ 10:45 avg pace. 2 mile warm up. 10 x 1 minute hard up hill with 1 minute cool down in between. 2 mile cool down.
I love speed work/hill work days so much. It breaks up the run in a way that keeps me interested. Long runs and easy runs are great for what they are but give me speed work or hill any day of the week! These two are crazy and I love every minute of it, they're such great sports while I run and always want to get in on the after run pic!
Day 5:
The Plan : Run/walk anywhere up to 6 miles at an easy pace.
The Reality : Walked a mile with my boys! I was so proud that they made it a whole mile without complaining. Their reward was playing outside with their new bubbles and they had a blast! It was really nice relaxing on this day and I plan on incorporating at least one day a week to walking with them, I want them to understand why I train, what it means to me and that they can be a part of it!!
Day 6:
The Plan : 1-2 mile warm up. 2 miles at tempo (9:24 avg pace) 5-7 x 150m strong followed by 250m jog. 2 miles at tempo ( 9:09 avg pace). 1-2 mile cool down.
The Reality : 9.49 miles @ 9:53 avg pace. 2 mile warm up. 2 mile tempo @ 9:17 avg pace. 6 x 150m strong with 250m jog. 2 mile tempo @ 9:24 avg pace. 2 mile cool down.
I felt so good after this run, like I said before I do really enjoy speed work but honestly, even a few months ago it would not have been possible for me to hit those times the way that I did. Adding those sprints in between the tempo sections was a definitely test of my endurance!
Day 7:
The Plan : REST
The Reality : REST! We went out to celebrate our anniversary that evening, our actual anniversary is today!! Happy 7 years to us :)
Day 8:
The Plan : 9 miles at an easy pace (Long run)
The Reality : 9 miles @ 9:52 avg pace.
I just really have to say that it was incomprehensible for me to hit this pace less than a year ago. Last August I ran a 10 miler for a long run and it was beyond difficult, I think I averaged over a 12 minute mile. I was beat and was very glad that it was my longest long run of that training cycle. I've been working my butt off here lately and I'm really beginning to see the results, what I love most about seeing the progress shows me that it's possible, progress is possible, whatever we want is possible as long as we are willing to put in the work.
Day 9:
The Plan : Run/walk anywhere up to 6 miles at an easy pace.
The Reality : 4.01 miles @ 9:53 avg pace.
I really regret wearing this tank top today but let's be real, I was lazy and just wanted to get my run in before lunch, so I did what I had to do. Watched this weeks episode of Grey's Anatomy while running, I love that show and it keeps my mind occupied!
SUMMARY:
This week was a little longer than the rest will be but I started out at a weird date. All in all I would consider this week a success. I'm looking forward to the next five weeks of Hospital Hill Half Marathon training!!! I can't wait to race in Kansas City this June!! If you're interested in running I would highly suggest you sign up TODAY as prices will increase tomorrow!! On top of that, I encourage you to use code "BIBHHR18" at checkout and receive AN EXTRA 15% off of your registration!! Who doesn't love discount codes for races?!?
I hope everyone has an awesome week and I look forward to seeing you all back here next Monday for week two of my Hospital Hill training recap!!
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