Ready to Rock!!!

I’ve been going a little crazy these last few weeks, but I’m ready to get back on track! It’s time to get back to basics, working up a good sweat and eating well!! I’m planning to do 2 half marathons this fall, and I’m actually excited to start training again.

To paraphrase the advice a fellow runner gave me: Your first half marathon is really training for your second. I plan to take those lessons from last year’s race to heart, so I can ROCK the next one!

With a Little Help from My Friends... Last year I trained and supported myself – aside from my Spark Friends, of course – but this time I’ve realized that there’s no reason to go it alone! My friend is also ramping up her mileage right now, and we’ve agreed to do a lot of our training together. She’s also a devoted yogi, so we have a standing power yoga date to work out the kinks.

Born to Run... Another problem with last year’s training was Mommy-guilt that I wasn’t spending that available time with DD. I’m already psyching her up to hit the road more often with me for shorter mid-week runs. Bonus: I’ve heard that pushing the stroller burns 1/3 more calories, and it’s motivating to hear that little voice call out “Go, Mommy!” as I slog through the miles.

Against the Wind... I refuse to let weather derail me when I need to log some miles! I cancelled more runs last summer because of the heat, humidity, air quality, and rain, and the lack of a good base of miles really showed when I was trying to make it to the finish line. I ran consistently, if a bit reluctantly, on the treadmill all winter, and will commit to logging those miles indoors whenever I absolutely can’t run outside.

We Can Work it Out... The biggest issue last summer by far was DH sabotaging my efforts, as he was a bit resentful of the time running took me away from the house and caring for DD. (Fellow mother-runners report having this problem a LOT.) Lately though, we seem to have reached an accord regarding my running, and he hasn’t been grumbling as I head out for my long runs. I’m not expecting entirely smooth sailing, especially as I hit double-digit mileage and need to spend more time out of the house, but I’m optimistic that we can get through it.


So, my Sparkly friends, what obstacles have you run into while training? How did you work through them?