That's when I realized a few things...
I have gone back and forth for a while now: Do I keep up with Hansons? Do I surrender and go back to Jeff Galloway? Do I try something new altogether? I found myself unable to make a decision about a training plan.
That's when I realized a few things...
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Off and on for about a week, I have been re-evaluating my training plan. I've gone back and forth for a while not about whether or not to follow it to a tee, not at all, or half-ass. After I failed my eight mile run, I started to be honest with myself about a few things that are important enough to share with my followers.
Most importantly, your body will absolutely stop you from beating it too hard. Mark my words that no mental training or stretching or pushing will stop your body from shutting off if that's what needs to happen. Let me preface this post a bit. My name is Courtney, and I am a recovering skinny-bitch-aholic. My activities through age 27 included .75 years of dance line. Before age 27, I was on the treadmill a hand full of times to "walk." Translation: I was on the tread mill hoping that guys lifting weights would stare at my ass. I didn't know that strong was better than skinny; I didn't realize that athletic activity could be for me. My "adventures" included opening up charge cards at various retail stores and gossiping about people too much. And my favorite quote was..."If I have to run for my life, I'd rather just die." So when I decided to start running, I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing. As you well know, I am training for my third half marathon (I mean, I post about it at least like 5 times per week...so I assumed you knew...). I'm doing a beginner training plan. Beginner. For my third half marathon.
I have it in my head that I need to train for this distance, but then I began to think, "Do I really need a training plan for a distance I have run two times, and have trained for two times, and have survived two times? Even with an injury?" I beg the question: When do training plans become irrelevant? When are we "done?" When have we graduated from textbook training to "I got this - I don't need a book"? By now, I am no stranger to the mile! I love to run distance races, but I adore running one milers. I ran my first one last year at the Pittsburgh Liberty Mile (part of the Bring Back The Mile tour), and since then, I have run two more and have signed up for a third.
Many of my distance running friends have never even thought about running mile races. I get the impression that they think it's kind of useless. But...trust me. It's not only fun, but it can be very rewarding as well as a huge confidence boost. Check out some key reasons why you should definitely register for a mile race TODAY. So, I'm 100% Italian. My mom and I always joke around about how we just "don't mess with the basics." In our cooking, that means that there's plenty of flavor and enjoyment from adding garlic and olive oil to almost any dish. Once you read this entire entry, you'll see how this pertains to shoes.
Long story short, I learned not to mess with what works - at least in this situation. And now that you've read the short story, keep going to read the long story. Did you ever read a book that just makes your jaw drop? Every so often, we come across books or speeches or something that makes us think, "Oh my gosh. NOW I get it. I actually get it." Hansons Half Marathon Method by Luke Humphrey, Keith Hanson, and Kevin Hanson has me reassessing many of my training practices. I'm not all the way through the book yet, but the philosophy is explained in the first chapter, and I must share.
As a veteran half-marathoner, I wish I'd found this book from the onset of my half marathon dreams. Even if you choose not to follow the plans, you can at least make sense of what the Hansons say are some very important aspects of training for a distance race. Let me explain. I'm not sure what to call you.
I could call you "new body," but that sounds like a pretty lack-luster way to honor how fierce you have been the last couple of years or so. I took this photo of you after I finagled my iPhone into a metal fence, set the timer, and ran past the phone perfectly. When I looked back through my photos that evening, it dawned on me that I owe you an apology. The girl in this photo is strong. She is capable. She tests her limits almost everyday. She is made up of miles and recoveries and therapies. She has built muscle. She has built strength. She has not given you the type of recognition you deserve. I don't really know where to start, so I'll give you the facts: Yesterday, I tried to run the Youngstown Memorial 5. I say "tried" because by the end of mile 1, I was actually considering dropping out of the race. I said I would never have the letters DNF next to my name, but I gave up on that, thanks to my IT band on my right leg. While I did finish the race, I considered it more of a nice walk in the park.
Every runner knows that there are times when you can't just sweep something under the rug anymore... Have you ever run a race that has been a complete cluster since you discovered the damn thing existed?
You know the one - that time there was one woman, named Bertha, handing out entire bottles of water at the one water stop on the 10K course (a few sips is fine, Bertha). Or maybe the race where the race organizer, some dude named Frank who refused to get out of his chair, told you the race was 3.1 miles, and it was actually 2.1 miles (and you were told this should "not be a big deal" to you). Well, after trying to prepare for my one mile race on Memorial Day, I've got a wealth of examples of what it means to prepare for an extremely disorganized race. |
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