Training starts today!

Training starts today!

I signed up to run the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon the second weekend of November and I am stoked to begin my official training.

I have 68 days to get ready to run 13.1 miles with thousands of other awesome runners.  I love big races like this.  Everyone there really wants to be participate so the attitude and atmosphere are unlike anything else in which I've ever participated.  

Now I've maintained a pretty reasonable level of fitness this summer with CrossFit and Hot Yoga but before this afternoon I had not run anything longer than 2 miles since June 2.  I mean, I've built some muscles this summer but running is a very different level of fitness.  It's about lung capacity and muscles working together and asking those muscles to work for a long time, at least 45 minutes but by November 10 I'll be asking my body to do cardiovascular work for somewhere around 3 hours.  

So here's the schedule of work: on Tuesday and Thursdays I'll be doing short runs, on the treadmill until it cools down.  Some of the runs are as little as 2, some as long as four miles.  Shorter runs will be about sprints, fartleks, and other speed work.  On Saturdays I'll be doing my longer slow distances.  Today that was 3 miles, next week it will be four, and so on until I get to 10 miles.  

So, my three miles today?  Really hard and really slow.  The temperature was okay but the humidity was unreal.  

It took me 46 minutes to finish 3 miles.

(I jogged the first mile, walked the second, and fartleked the third.)

My treadmill runs have been much faster, averaging 12 minute miles (roughly) but they're inside and I'm not running in and around other people like I was at the park.  I'm certain that as it cools down and as I get in better running shape I'll get faster and more comfortable.'

I love running season.  It's the most wonderful time of the year.