Well, it's been a while, but I'm back in action! This past week was my first week of training for the Nashville Half Marathon (Date: April 30th). The past few weeks I've been running at the gym, pre-training if you will, about 3 miles every time I go. Between all the snow days and gym closures, it's been pretty well!
I'm doing the Hal Higdon intermediate half marathon training this time around, a little bit more than what I did last year. I'm running 5 days a week, with one day of stretch and strength only and one day of total rest (Fridays!). My first strength session on Thursday was killer, we did back and shoulders and let me tell you my arms HURT by Friday night! It will be good though, with your arms moving in the same motion as your legs for the duration of the race, those are as important muscles to train.
Wednesday was my first speed training, I ran 5 x 400's on the treadmill, with a 400 jog in between each set. I was a sprinter long before I decided to run more than a lap, so fortunatly those came naturally (although I still ran them at 2 minutes, which is twice what I ran in a race!). Speed training is a vital training tool in bettering your time, so I'm all for it! My goal time is 2:10, so I have to really work hard to bring my time down and train my muscles to run at a faster pace so I know I can accomplish that time come race day.
I'm still getting a feel for the right pace for my runs, but as I get into it I think it's going to get easier!