YAY! The holiday season is finally over. My secret wish was that life would slow down so I can catch my breath. But then I realized…I have a race coming up – in about 16 days.
The good news?
I think I may be a little more prepared than that horrible Long Beach half about three months ago. I have an idea of what I did wrong. This includes:
- Over-thinking it: I am all about researching way to get faster, or what kind of meal will make my tummy feel the best during my early morning long distance runs. But I learned that I need to try one thing at a time. Trying five different foods that are considered ‘running fuel’ and experimenting with too many interval sets is not productive. I need to learn how to pick something new to try…and give it time to get real results. In the mean time, I will still be snacking from this (on the comfort of my own desk) on a daily basis:
- I didn’t push myself hard enough: YES- being able to run (and not stop) 13.1 miles takes some mental toughness and requires people who aren’t athletically blessed enough to be ‘good at everything’ to really really push themselves. I guess hoping that I would magically become a faster run over time doesn’t really work. After purchasing my first Garmin, now I can really know how fast/slow I go. It’s definitely a challenge to not be obsessed with watching my speed, but it has definitely helped!
I forgot to just have fun! I am by NO means a professional runner. And yes, it would be fan-freaking-tastic to PR every single race, but it’s not worth being too serious about. I don’t ever want running to lose its magic to me. At the end of the day, it’s what makes me a little more sane and a lot happier. I need to find that balance where I can push myself to improve over time, yet still keep it fun. It would be a sad day when running stopped being fun. So while I will attempt to stay away from boozing at least 7 days prior to the Carlsbad Half Marathon…why change who I am? I will continue to dabble in some fun from time to time….
What I will continue to do up until January 22nd…
- Logging the miles and tracking my time – I’ve been doing 4-5 mile runs on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesdays are mellow with a quick 3 miler OR some sort of cross training. Saturdays are the dreaded slow long distance runs that I’m upping to 8-10 miles starting THIS saturday! And Sundays are rest days or yoga days.
- NOT changing my diet – I haven’t changed my diet ONE BIT this time around. I don’t think too hard about what I eat – I’m just not completely stupid and eating nasty burritos from hole-in-the-wall places the before runs, or drinking tons of soda. Personally, I find that when I don’t think too hard about it, my runs are a lot of enjoyable and I’m lucky enough to have a pretty tolerable tummy.
- HAVING FUN – I started to have a little less fun towards the end of my training for Long Beach. I need to not be bumming over a run just because it wasn’t awesome. It’s really about putting in the effort and allowing myself to really appreciate when it pays off!
Hopefully, this will all help me stay healthy because I’m aiming to run a lot more races this year!
Random hilariousness:
1. my ‘snack drawer’ is really getting out of control:peanut butter m&ms, peanut m&ms, swedish fish, nutella and 2 jars of PB.
2. My little cousin trying to figure out what my foam roller is for. Isn’t she the cutest?
3. Having a friend send me this because apparently, I’m a huge snorer (so sexy, I know).
What kind of tid bits did you learn from your last race?
12 comments
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January 5, 2012 at 8:12 am
Snapshots of Happiness
How you had a great time over the holidays and happy new year! Good luck in the upcoming weeks as you prepare for your race.I know you’ll rock it.something I’ve never been able too get a handle on is properly hydrating. If you ever learn that read bit, send it my way.
January 5, 2012 at 11:16 pm
runningismagical
Thanks so much! I’m so glad to hear from you again! Hydrating is also something I have to make a conscious effort to do. I’m honestly one of those people who don’t get very thirsty ever.
January 5, 2012 at 12:13 pm
natalie @ southern fit foodie
I completely agree about wishing that life would slow down a little! One of my New Year resolutions was to make myself take time to REST and relax and have some balance in my crazy schedule. You are definitely right about picking one or two small things to focus on at a time instead of jumping in and getting overwhelmed. Please don’t change who you are – it would make me sad! 🙂 I will pray for you as your race is coming up quickly – I know you will do great! I could never ever work out or train for anything if I had to give up fun. 😉
January 5, 2012 at 11:15 pm
runningismagical
I really hope you stick to that resolution bc you have to be one of the busiest people I know (sort of know). Thanks for all the support!!!
January 5, 2012 at 12:43 pm
betybliss
” I don’t ever want running to lose its magic to me.” I completely agree!
January 5, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Army Amy
The foam roller picture is pretty funny! I agree that having fun while running is a good thing to focus on! When I ran my back to back halves, the second day was so much more fun because I didn’t care about my time. I just ran.*
January 5, 2012 at 11:14 pm
Khushboo Thadani
Wow love that you’ve taken so much out of your race…every one is a learning experience! I definitely agree with the part about running being fun..the minute I start to dread a run, I scale it back! I love running too much overall to ever want it to have a negative impact on me! Also your cousin is adorable!
January 6, 2012 at 10:14 am
em
Sounds like you are really learning a lot about what works best for you and what doesn’t! That is my favorite part about running, because you are constantly learning new things and improving. Good luck on your race, I’m sure you will do wonderfully!
January 7, 2012 at 5:57 am
Kristen @ notsodomesticated
Good luck on your next race, Janelle! I’m sure you’ll be awesome. I’m so jealous of your Garmin … I’m sure that helps a lot!
One thing I learned from my half: drinking LOT of water during the week before the race really seemed to help. So I will definitely be doing that next time!
January 9, 2012 at 3:11 pm
marathon winer
what race are you doing jan 22?? oh and SO random…but where in cali are you? anywhere near san diego???
January 9, 2012 at 6:17 pm
runningismagical
I’m doing the Carlsbad half marathon!!! I am about 1 1/2 hours north of San Diego. But I do frequent that city often!! Will you be around???
January 15, 2012 at 10:20 am
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn
Wheeeee! A fellow every-other-word-is-magical user! I knew there were some out there.