Every summer when I’m running in 90 degree heat, I always tell myself that I won’t complain about running in the cold in the winter. Yet every year during my first freezing cold run, I pity myself the entire time! If you’re serious about running, you can’t stop running for an entire season of the year, so how can you make the best of winter running months? After running through quite a few Minnesota winters, I’ve found a few hacks to make it not so bad!
Sticking to a diet and fitness plan can be really challenging, even with the best intentions and willpower. Between our busy lifestyles and food-centered celebrations, it’s hard to stick to a plan long term. Here are some of the ways that I stick to my fitness goals:
After having a crappy race day experience during my last marathon, I decided to sign up for a thanksgiving turkey trot 10k to give myself something to move on to. I wouldn’t call it a ‘redemption’ race since I really did nothing wrong before the marathon, I just wound up really sick and stressed out on race day and didn’t enjoy it. I wanted to have a race to spark the enjoyment again.
Running your first marathon is a nerve wracking experience, especially on the night before and morning of the race. To help battle as many nerves as possible, I begin to prepare for the race weeks before to help ensure that I am as prepared as possible.
My training for the Twin Cities Marathon this year was some of my best training ever. My long runs went great and I did more strength training than ever before. I also feel like I was able to balance my training with the rest of my life, and I took a lot of pressure off of myself by feeling like I had to post each and every workout on social media. I felt like I was running for me, and really enjoyed the process.
Everything was great until an easy 12 miler 2 weeks before the marathon. I felt fine when I was running, but after the fact, I started feeling pain in both of my feet on the inside of the arches as well as the inside of the knees. Whenever I experience something like this, I usually take a few days off to make sure I feel better before running again (Sorry if this offends you. If you believe in running while injured, go for it!).
After running my first full marathon last fall, and missing my goal by only 11 seconds, I knew I had to return this year for redemption. I am well into my training plan and it is going well so far. Since I know I physically CAN complete a marathon, I’m a lot less nervous than I was last year. But, I have felt a little burnt out knowing that I just have to check the long runs off the list, so I’m really trying to reset my mindset into enjoying the process.
I’ve learned a lot about running along the way, and I thought I would share some of my top advice for runners– whether you are training for a 5k, marathon, or just looking to get in better shape!
Continue reading “Marathon Training Update and Tips for New Runners”
