Getting Ready for Week 1

I'm still a couple weeks away from starting Week 1 of my training plan so I'm continuing to gradually build up my miles.  My long run this week was 4.5 miles.

Fitting everything into my day-to-day life still presents some challenges and I missed a weight training day.  However, I did do over 9.6 miles of walking that day so that probably counts as cross training.

More Cruise Training

My vacation on a cruise to Mexico continued to make it challenging to stick to my training schedule.

Monday was supposed to be a rest day but because we were at sea I did another run, this time on the running track, and turned Tuesday, when we were in Peurto Vallarta, into the rest day if you can call 20,000 steps a rest day.

Wednesday was Mazatlan. I managed to hit the gym before we arrived for my cross training workout.

On Thursday we were in Cabo San Lucas. It was too hot to run comfortably outdoors so I did my time on the treadmill and included some hill work.

Friday, we were at sea again and I did my scheduled full body workout.  Saturday was a travel day and I didn’t manage to do my cross training.  Finally, home on Sunday, I did my long run of the week, 4 miles.

Training During a Cruise

This week presented some challenges.  Leading up to the weekend, I got my training in while preparing for a vacation.  Then, we flew to Los Angeles for a Mexican cruise.  I still managed to get my workouts in despite losing most of Saturday to travel.

Most cruisers would prefer to spend their time by the pool or at the buffet, but instead I did my scheduled Sunday 3-mile run on a treadmill while the ship gently rocked in the Pacific Ocean.

I'm Committed

I went ahead and actually registered for the Great Trek Half Marathon in Vancouver, BC.  The course runs through the University of British Columbia which is where I attended university many, many years ago.

The training plans that I've seen are mostly 12 weeks in duration and I have more time than that until October 22 so I've been building up my mileage in preparation for the official Week 1 of training.  I just completed Week "-4".

I'm doing a modified version of Amanda Brook's beginner Run to the Finish half marathon program.

This week I completed a 2-mile and a 2.5-mile run with hills and an easy 3 mile run along with cross training days.  Like before, the majority of my training is on a treadmill.  It's felt good to get back into the exercise routine.

I'm Back!

It's been almost 14 years since I ran the Portland Marathon.  I'm over 60 now and starting to feel it.  My cholesterol and triglyceride levels are high and my doctor has given me 6 months to bring the levels down before she suggests medication to control them.  I definitely don't want that so it's time to get back to running.  Studies have shown that running lowers the amount of LDL cholesterol.  I haven't done much/any running for years and simply walking the dog and the occasional hike hasn't been good enough.  

As in the past, I decided that signing up for a race was the best motivational tool for me.  I figured that a half marathon was the best distance as a goal.  I haven't actually signed up yet but I'm targeting the Great Trek Half Marathon in my hometown of Vancouver, BC in mid-October.

I started training this week with a couple runs of 2.5 miles each.  It's a start and I'm looking forward to calling myself a runner again.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone! Once again it's that time of year to re-focus and re-commit. I haven't been running regularly for the last month due to illness, snow, festive season commitments, etc., etc.

It's time to put aside the excuses and get back at it. I haven't decided on a new race goal yet but I do want to make regular running a part of my regimen again.

I'll start tomorrow ;-)