Half Marathon Training Week 8 / BEDA DAY 1

Happy April 1st! Or as I like to think of April, welcome to BEDA. This year, Bryce, Sarah, Abby and I are all doing Blog Everyday in April. Reading everyone's thoughts every night/morning is one of my favorite things about BEDA. I went back last year and read my posts and can't believe how things have changed. It will almost be a year since I took my full time job and moved out on my own. But we'll have plenty of time to talk about that this month. Let's get on to the Half Marathon Training, shall we?

Monday: Unlike past weeks, it was so nice outside Monday evening I went on a 30-minute walk around my neighborhood. I'm always hesitant to do this because 1. I don't have a dog, 2. I don't have anyone to walk with me, 3. I'm convinced I look weird walking around the neighborhood with an iPod. But it was nice and then I settled into my apartment to watch The Voice.

Tuesday: I had an event for work planned after work so I had no choice to do my running early in the morning. Around 5:15 my alarm started singing and I rolled out of bed to run 4.5 miles. It was dark, chilly, and early and I was nervous considering the awful 7 miles incident. I ended up having a great run, from my house 2.25 miles and then back. After I run in the morning I always feel like I can take on the world the rest of the day! It was good for me.

Wednesday: I planned on running in the morning but I decided to forgo that idea and get some extra sleep. I ended up running about an hour after work when it was a little cooler. I think that once training for the half is over (and after my Groupon bootcamp) I'm going to try to run 3 miles 5 times a week. I think that will help with my weight loss goals and 3 miles is a not-to-overwhelming distance. It's definitely a mind thing but I feel like 3 miles is a quick and easy run for me. 

After I ran I went to Spring Sing practice as a Sorority alum to critique. It was good to see the girls I knew and the ones that I was in the house with all commented on my weight loss. Sorority sisters will definitely notice weight loss/gain. So they all were asking how I did it and how good I looked! I love that I didn't have to say that I was on Jenny or WW but that I have lost 23.5 pounds by dedication, running, eating well and the lack of boozing (going on 3 months without being drunk!) 

I'm not the skinniest I've ever been but I am definitely the most fit I have ever been. I can tell I'm toned and that looks so much better than "skinny fat" I cannot even tell you. I also weighed myself Wednesday morning after a few weeks of staying off the scale. I went down from 192.6 to 189. I can't wait until I see 169 on the scale, because that's the skinniest I remember being in college. I might cry when I get to my GW. 

Thursday: I was suposed to run another 4.5 miles but the stress of my week was taking a toll and I ended up not running that day. BUT - I don't know if I've mentioned it on here I joined a co-ed soccer league for 25+ with a few old friends from college. I had my first game Thursday night and boy does that work you out. I haven't played soccer since 3rd grade and I was thinking I wasn't going to remember anything. Once I got out there though stuff started coming back to me and I had a lot of fun playing defense and running around. 

Friday: Friday after work I planned on running the milage I missed, but once I passed my first mile, a puppy ran up to me and I made it my mission to find the owner. In a story that will be recapped later, I returned the puppy safely to his home and only ran 2 miles. I excused it since I was planning on 8 miles later this weekend. And I did a good deed. That night - dinner with Kaelyn on the patio at Sauced - was so fun!

Saturday: I didn't do anything, exercise wise but I wanted to make sure I was prepared for my 8 mile run. My Hal Higdon app said that I needed 800 calories in my system to make sure I could run the 8 miles comfortably, so I took that to heart and had leftover Sauced and a huge salad from Tropical Cafe for dinner. I also drank about 3 Sonic lemon waters and ate the rest of my little's ice cream. So, I was prepared. (maybe a little too prepared) I stopped by Academy to pick up a running water bottle and some GU. I've never taken energy (or even water for that matter) but after last week I wanted to be prepared. I didn't find any water bottles I liked so I drove down to Red Coyote and bought a running water bottle and some new running socks. Those seriously help so much, but paying $11.00 for a pair of socks makes me cringe.

I was planning on running with Cyndi, but she has some sort of evil sickness (get better soon!) so I knew I was going to go the #8mile on my own. 

Sunday: Since it's practically summer here already (I saw a girl in a tube top in Academy and was like "Your epidermis is showing") I knew I had to get down to the OKC river before the sun came up. Like really tho. I left my house about 6:45 am after eating a  half a bowl of strawberry oatmeal with peanut butter and got to the parking lot around 7:10. I started off and was taking it slow, like super slow. The first two miles were good, and then the next 3 seemed to fly by. I ate my Expresso-flavored Gu at mile 5 and I feel like it gave me more energy. I couldn't believe it was over once I finished! My mile time was about a minute thirty seconds faster than my 7 miles last weekend. (My time for 7 miles was 1:41:55, this one was 1:44:32) I felt great, and sat by the river for awhile before I headed to Whole Foods for breakfast/lunch. I got some fruit, cottage cheese, a hardboiled egg, a chocolate croissant and a dark chocolate mocha. I may have over-done it.  But I figured I wouldn't eat until dinner and I was so excited about my 8 miles! 

Next week I'm scheduled to run a 10k, but there isn't one until the weekend after, so I'm switching my schedule up a bit. So it will be 5 mi, 3 mi, 5 mi and then 9 mi. Then the next week will be 5 mi, 3 mi, 5 mi, 10k. 

I think that's all for today. Until tomorrow...

Mal xoxo