Half Marathon Training: Favorite Apps

There are some people who are able to just go outside and run. They don't need music or podcasts- they just go. I have mad respect for those people because running without ear buds playing something to distract me is something I have not yet mastered. My phone was just as key in my half marathon training as my running shoes were. Okay, that's obviously a stretch, but you get the idea.

Map My Run

Parker introduced me to this app after using it in college, and I really love the features. I can see my pace and distance at all times of my run, which is great when you are trying to keep a solid pace. A voice comes on at each mile and tells you what mile you've reached, your overall time, your average pace per mile, and your split pace for that last mile. This feature is handy if your phone is in an arm band or not easily accessible. Regardless, you know you can count on an update at every mile. Another cool thing about Map My Run is you can use it to track all of your work-outs. If you do a circuit workout at the gym or go on a run without your phone, you can still upload it to your Map My Run account and see all of your work-outs for a given time period. Here's an image of the run summary I see at the end of each work-out (Yes, I ran 10 miles on a circular track. No, it wasn't exciting).

 

 

Pandora

 

I think almost all of us run to Pandora if you don't use a playlist on your phone, so this shouldn't be any big news. I liked Pandora vice a playlist on my phone because it kept me from having to listen to the same songs over and over again. I had several go-to stations that made running as enjoyable as it could have been.

• Katy Perry Radio: I'm a huge KP fan and like most of the music that comes on this station. 

• Disney Radio: Don't hate on it until you try it. As silly as it may sound, you haven't run until you've run to Hakuna Matata. Seriously, it's impossible not to run a little faster with a huge, goofy smile on your face.

• Casting Crowns Radio: Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian band, and I probably listened to this station more than any other. This won't be for everyone, but I found worship music to be incredibly motivating while I was running. There is something about running a long distance to worship music and remembering just how blessed you really are. I loved it. 

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Podcast

I didn't listen to a ton of Podcasts because I found I zoned out and got bored, but towards the beginning, Podcasts kept me thoroughly entertained. I am a Biggest Loser fan and think Jillian Michaels is a rock star, so I listened to the Jillian Michaels Show. They talked about work outs, health issues, and good foods to eat, and I liked it since I felt like it went hand in hand with the exercise I was doing.

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Charity Miles

 

My little sister actually introduced me to this app. Charity Miles donates 10 cents per mile that you run to a charity that you select. They had about 20 options, and I always chose the Wounded Warrior Project. I just turned that app on at the beginning of my runs and stopped it at the end. For no extra effort, it's cool to know money is getting donated to a good cause while you're running. 

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Those are the apps I found most helpful during my training. My iPhone went with me on every run!
What are your favorite training apps?

Half Marathon Training: Snacking, Snacking, Snacking

Once I got a couple of weeks into my training schedule and started building up the mileage, something became really evident: I was hungry all. the. time. I imagine this is how it feels to be pregnant. I would eat and be hungry 10 minutes later. It's funny because you would think I would have maybe lost a little weight during this grueling training process of running all the time, but not so. I think I lost a couple of pounds in the past four months, but that's it. I consumed way more calories than I usually do in a given day, but let's call a spade a spade. I was also burning way more calories than I usually do. 

Snacking became a struggle because it was so easy to grab a cookie or some chips every time I was hungry. And like I said, I was hungry all. the. time. I had to get creative and find snacks that would curb the hunger but that also weren't terrible for me. I would have hated to gain weight during the half marathon training because of my appetite. The thought of that just seems counter-productive and downright depressing, so the quest for healthy snacks was in full effect. What I found is that the healthier snacks were actually much better at curbing my appetite than the cookies were. Win win, if you don't count the fact that I didn't get to eat the cookie.

So what did I eat to curb that constant hunger during half marathon training? I want to share a few of my favorite snacks that were actually enjoyable to eat!

Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt, Blueberries, and Granola. 
This was hands down my favorite snack and my #1 go-to after a run. It has enough substance to keep me full for a couple of hours, and let's be honest, it's completely delicious. I used Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla yogurt. It is 110 calories for 1 cup and lower sugar than the other options. I know people rave about Greek yogurt, but I preferred this option, primarily for the taste benefits.

Pistachios.
I rediscovered these later in my training, but I was hooked. I say rediscovered because I absolutely loved pistachios growing up but had completely forgotten they existed. I also liked that I had to crack each one. It kept me from eating handfuls at a time. Let's face it, nobody has time to sit there and peel pistachios for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chunk Rice Cakes.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you this was a substantial snack that really curbed my hunger, because that's a lie. Rice cakes aren't heavy and therefore made a good snack if I just needed to make it an hour until dinner. I actually bought these out of peer pressure because a lady at the grocery store said they were delicious and I had to try them. Apparently I can't say no to a perfect stranger, so in my cart these went. No regrets here! These rice cakes actually have little chocolate chunks in them. Winning.

Hard Boiled Eggs.
This was the perfect healthy snack after a long run. I don't eat the yolks, but I ate hard boiled egg whites like they were going out of style. Simple. Healthy. Sustaining. Enough said. The only downside to this snack is that you have to peel the shells off. This wouldn't be a downside if I didn't have the patience of a fruit fly.

Sundried Tomato & Basil Wheat Thins and a Cheese Stick.
This is something I munched on consistently throughout my training. I like these 2% milk cheese sticks by themselves, but paired with a sundried tomato & basic wheat thin, you've got a match made in heaven. If you haven't tried these wheat thins yet, do yourself a favor and go grab a box.

What are your go-to snacks after a long work-out? I am always looking for new ideas!

Half Marathon Training: Favorite Apparel

Before I start with this post, I am a firm believer that you can run a half marathon, or any race for that matter, without the fancy gadgets and gizmos. It's fun to look like you stepped right out of a Nike advertisement, but don't let the higher cost keep you from running. For the 10 mile run I did, which was my longest run during training, I wore a t-shirt and an old pair of $5 Soffe shorts. I ran just as fast as I did in my Nike garb, so please don't think for a second that you have to buy the nice stuff.

That said, I definitely had some favorite gear during my training time. I was never the one in college wearing Nike shorts (Norts, as they were so lovingly referred to) every day to class. The cheapo in me couldn't justify spending $25 on work-out shorts when my old $5 pair worked just fine. That said, I have since seen the light and can see what all the fuss is about. They are just plain comfortable, and they are made for running. My all-time favorite workout outfits are actually the first nice work-out garb I ever received. I wish I had 20 different colors and could just wear this outfit every day, seriously. 

See, it's light and breezy and allows for sporatic jumping movement. If the weather is warm, that is my go-to attire. If the weather is cooler (and keep in mind I live in Texas, so "cooler" is relative), I wear capris and a half zip jacket. I love the capris from Old Navy (and I love their price) and Under Armor, and my favorite half-zip is Nike. Below is my attire in December after a 6 mile run. 

Twin sister on the left, me on the right

The day of the race, I actually wore a pair of shorts I got on clearance at Old Navy and a shirt from Target I was given as a gift from my little sisters. I think my outfit collectively cost $20, and it was absolutely perfect the entire 13.1 miles.

Last but not least, the shoes. This is NOT an area to take the cheap way out when you are training for a half marathon. I recommend a thousand times that you go to a running store and get fitted for shoes. Everyone is different and thus it's not a one shoe fits all scenario. I didn't live near a running store, so I went to Academy and bought a pair of shoes that felt good. They weren't even that much cheaper than what I would have bought at a specialty running store because I bought one of the most expensive pairs. It was my biggest mistake in training. When I got to the longer runs, I got some Texas-sized blisters. I took my shoes off after a run one day, and my toes were bleeding. Long story short(ish), get fitted for proper shoes. 

Favorite shorts: Nike Favorite top: Nike Favorite pullover: Nike Favorite compression capris: Old Navy Favorite sports Bra: Target   

The name brand stuff is awesome and really fun to own, but like I said at the beginning, it isn't a requirement. Old Navy and Target both have awesome selections at very reasonable prices. I find myself perusing the active wear every time I shop now!

What is your favorite apparel to train in?  

Half Marathon Training: Training Schedule

When my twin sister, Danielle and I decided to run a half marathon, we knew we wanted to train for it. I really believe that anyone in half-decent shape can run a half marathon. It may take you 7 hours and you may have to walk the entire thing, but you could wake up and do it if you really wanted to. In our minds though, training was part of the process. We started out with one goal: to run the whole thing. We came up with a 16-week training schedule to get us in half-marathon shape just in time for the big race.

I consider this a training schedule for beginners. I wasn't a very consistent runner before this training process, and the most I had ever run was about 3.5 miles. We took it slowly and built up the distance gradually. If you are a runner, you can probably eliminate weeks 1-4 and be fine. The great thing about this training schedule is it prevented us from having to run every day. Running 3 days a week is totally manageable, and it gave us rest days in between each run. We would run the same distance Monday and Wednesday and then double that distance for Friday's run. This also allowed us to only have to run one long run a week and then rest for the weekend. 

Since Danielle and I live hours apart, we ran separately, with the exception of the 6 mile run over Christmas. I highly recommend training with a buddy. Danielle knew exactly what I was going through because she was going through it too. Being able to talk each run through with her and motivate/receive motivation made the whole thing doable.

If you are planning on training for a half marathon, and I mean seriously training for it and not just running once a week, 16 weeks is plenty. By about week 14, we were starting to get burned out and just wanted to get to race day. If I ever decide to do this again, I will definitely condense the training to 12 weeks. For a beginner though, 16 weeks is a good time frame. I ran on my lunch breaks so I could have the evenings off. Everyone will have different availability, but lunch runs were perfect for me.

The farther we got through the training process, the easier it became. I know it's hard to believe, but one of my hardest runs was the 2 mile in week 2. I remember coming home out of breath and telling Parker there was no way I could ever add 11 miles to that. I found that as I continued to train and build up distance, my pace actually got faster. 

The 7 miler was the slowest run I had with a 10:40 pace, and I actually remember that run. It was super windy and really not enjoyable, but it felt so good to finish it. The fastest pace I ever ran was with the 9 miler, and the 10 miler wasn't too far behind. The training works. If there is one thing I learned throughout the experience, it is to trust the process. Some runs were so hard they made me want to give up altogether, and some runs gave me an adrenaline rush that made me want to keep going. Regardless, every single one of them was worth it.

Training for a half marathon was physically exhausting, obviously. My legs were sore for the better part of 4 months. One thing Danielle and I weren't ready for was how mentally exhausting training was. We felt like it was our life- we ate, slept, and breathed training. Meals were centered around runs, social functions were centered around runs, and really just life in general was centered around runs. It was a good thing, though. We wanted to train for this half marathon all-in. We wanted to give it everything we had, and we did. Looking back at my run times and the training process, I have no regrets. I pushed my body farther than I ever have before, and I accomplished my goal through hard work and dedication. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!

13.1 and Done

Four months of grueling training paid off when my twin sister and I crossed the finish line in our first half marathon on Saturday! It was the culmination of a lot of hard work, blisters, and sore muscles, and I honestly can't believe it's over. It was terrible and a total blast all at the same time. Crossing that finish line was something I never expected to do, and I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for Danielle. She was the one that came up with this crazy idea to run a half marathon, and I don't think I could have ever found the motivation to do it by myself. She was my rock through the training process, and this is an experience we will treasure forever. 

 

 

We woke up bright and early at 5:00 AM on race day energized and ready to go. Adrenaline was already kicking in (thank goodness since we were up at that gosh awful hour on a Saturday), and we were fired up and ready to get to the race. We got to our corral and were off by 7:10 AM. It felt so good to finally be running! Seeing our family cheering us on at the starting line and running with so many athletes was such a rush. I now understand why people get addicted to running these races. It's much cooler than I thought it was going to be. Parker even jumped in the race at the beginning to take a quick video, which was hysterical to us and the runners around us. Everyone is still in the laughing, happy stage on the first mile. Everything went fine the first couple of miles, but it didn't go as we had hoped from there on out. 

The weather was hot and humid with a slight breeze coming and going. To me, this was great. This was the weather I was used to training in, and I even told Danielle before the race that this was identical to the weather in which I ran the 10 mile training run. For her, though, this couldn't have been farther from what she was used to. She lives farther north and is used to much cooler temps. By mile 3, she was dehydrated and dizzy. We stopped for water so she could try to cool off, but the damage was done. We had to stop several more times and decrease our pace, but she dug deep and was able to finish the race. I really can't imagine finishing a half marathon while being sick from dehydration, and I give her huge credit for getting through it. Crossing that finish line with our family cheering was so sweet!

 

Our finishing time was 2:44:31. This was a disappointment to both of us and about 30 minutes longer than we originally planned, but you play the hand you're dealt, and you do the best you can. She got sick, and that could have been either one of us. Bottom line: I wasn't finishing without her, and she wouldn't have finished without me. 

 

 

I couldn't have gone on this journey without Danielle, but I also couldn't have done it without Parker. He has been so supportive and encouraging throughout this entire process. He was understanding when I missed countless lunch dates for training, and he was encouraging when I had a bad run. He was also tolerant and never complained about how much I talked about running. I feel like I have been a broken record about all the training, which is enough to drive anyone not also training up the wall. He never wavered in his enthusiasm for what I was doing, and he was always a listening ear when I needed it. I got pretty lucky in the husband department, that's for sure. 

Not only did Danielle and I run the half marathon, but Danielle's husband, Logan, ran the full marathon, and my mom and sister ran the 5K. It was definitely a family affair, and Parker, my dad, and my youngest sister were out there cheering us on the whole time. I am so proud of my mom and sister for running the 5K, and my brother in law is a beast for completing the marathon in under 4 hours.

I have nothing but positive things to say about this experience. I had never run more than about 3.5 miles less than 6 months ago, and I just ran a half marathon. Not only did I run the half marathon, but I genuinely enjoyed the half marathon. More than anything, I am glad Danielle and I got to go on this journey together. I couldn't be more proud of her. 13.1 and done!