DC Training Update

The Rock n Roll USA 1/2 marathon seems to be sneaking up on me faster than I had expected. Only 26 days until I have to stand at the start line with thousands of other people and wait to run 13.1 miles. Holy crap. This is all that runs through my head when I'm training. I'm not ready. Another thought that runs through my head every step I take while I'm running.

Each big race I do, I swear I won't again. Don't get me wrong, they are so fun and I love the feeling you get after finishing a race. However, I don't love training. I kind of jumped into the running thing backwards, and never really went back to do it the correct way. My first road race ever was my half marathon. I never did a 5k or 10k. This now results in anytime I look at races to do I end up with a half marathon. My problem with that is I never worked on building up my speed. I'm constantly pushing myself to do more distance wise, and when I come up short I am even more disappointed. I always think had I started with a smaller race first and worked my way up I would be doing my races much faster now.

With all that being said, I am still going forward in my training for the half. I did my 8 miles this past weekend and it was rough. I have realized though that the first few miles for me are the toughest, and after that I do better. I think in the future I need to have a better base for running before I start training for a race. I finished the full 8 though, took a little longer than I would of liked, but the key for me was getting it done. Because I had been sick, and then my work schedule, I hadn't really had a chance to run at all for a while. I figure this was more of the reason I was slow than anything else. I have 3 runs planned for this week and then my 10 mile run this weekend. I think the running this week as well as my long run this weekend will help boost my confidence a little for the race.

Hopefully in the next 26 days, not only will I be more prepared in terms of running, but also mentally. My biggest downfall in a race for me is getting too much inside my own head. I have 26 days to figure out how to make that not happen and to make the DC 1/2 my best 1/2 yet. Tips for this are always welcomed!

Happy Monday everyone!!!