Workout 1 — Half Marathon Training (sub 2:15)

I have always wanted to maintain a blog in the last 5 years but never got around doing it. The reason I have been delaying this is because I wanted to write on a topic that suited my interest. I was dabbling between painting, music, movies, books and travelling. I settled on running. I plan to train for a sub 2:15 half marathon this year, I don’t have any race planned yet but I have time in hands. I’m hoping in the process of recording my training journey, I will stay motivated to write, as well as to achieve my running goals.

To begin with, I’m following a training plan by Jeff Gaudette on Runkeeper. These running plans are for free, any aspiring runners can sign up for these training’s. They have different plans and goals based on your requirements. I chose the sub 2:15 plan. Note, if you upgrade to runkeeper pro, you get customized plans as well.

Day 1 of training -
My alarm rang at 5:45 and I hit the loo directly (yes, I have a pretty appreciable body clock like that). I had initially planned to start my run at 6:30 but I ended up running at 7. I skipped my pre-run stretches (please don’t ever skip them) but I warmed up by walking for a good 15 mins before the run (I was basically taking pictures of the foggy morning). My goal was to finish a slow 6.4k. I started with a 6:50/km pace and realised it was a slow run day and reduced my pace further. Truth be told, I was surprised with my pace yesterday (which was good according to me) since I took a 1.5 month break from serious running because of a hamstring strain but I was careful. Do remember, stretching is important to avoid injuries. Yes, I know, practice what you preach — I will definitely stretch tomorrow.

As I mentioned earlier, it was a foggy day and I was running wondering if I would fall sick. I generally cover my ears with earphones (Smart move no?) to avoid falling sick and also to listen to music. One stone, two yum mangoes. It was super cold and thanks to my new winter running t-shirt, I was warm but as the sun appeared I did begin to feel hot but it wasn’t that bad. Always remember to dress according to the weather for a run, it really helps in setting the mood. (What I’m trying to say is don’t wear shorts for running in winter, you will only feel like peeing all the time)

Now coming back to the pace of my run, I had a good pace in the beginning and then reduced it as per my plan. Once I reduced, I maintained a pace between 7:23–7:29/km throughout the course of my run. The only hardship was the traffic after 7:30am, I felt like I lost my pace by being a little cautious but that’s fine. It only means, I have to set out for my run earlier than 7am. I purposely did some uphill running as well. I wasn’t too tired after the run which is a good sign. My cool down was again a walk after the run. I came back home and had a bowl of hot upma for breakfast.

Today is rest day, but I plan to do some strength training. Tomorrow is again a 6.4k slow run day.