As part of my goals for 2011, I was determined to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon.
See, 2 years ago, my husband and I trained for the 2010 Flying Pig Half Marathon, beginning in January of that year. I had run one other half in 2003, and my husband had never one run. This one we'd run together!
Then I got pregnant!
I was still training, just taking it at a little slower pace. I knew I could still complete the race. What an accomplishment it was going to be for me!
Then, 2 weeks before the race, I noticed a lot of blood. A LOT of blood. Luckily, after an emergency trip to my OBGYN, we heard the heartbeat, had an ultrasound, and everything was OK. I had a tear in the placenta, but usually they fix themselves. I was put on orders of no strenuous activity. And that meant no race. To say I was heartbroken was an understatement. For weeks, months, I had trained. But my baby's health was more important. My husband completed his first half marathon, and I couldn't have been more proud of him!
Even though I was elated for him and his victory, I cried as he crossed the finish line. Honestly speaking, they weren't just tears of excitement for him. I couldn't help but feel jealous and selfish, that I should have been out there too. I wanted to be out there running. I actually enjoy running, and I was devestated that I was on the sidelines.
Fast forward to 2011, and I was committed to completing the race. I knew it would be tough. Training for a half is a time commitment. With two small kids in the mix, the time management becomes even more difficult. But I was determined.
To say I was out of shape was an understatement. I knew I needed more time than the standard 12 week training plan. So, I joined the rec center and created my own training plan:
All of my week day runs would be on my lunch hour. My Saturday runs would of course require lots of help from my husband so I could spend 1-2 hours running, plus stretching and showering.
Once I got into 4 and 5 mile runs during the week, that meant longer lunch hours. I couldn't get in that long of a run plus showering in less than an hour.
But my job was flexible, and I could come in a little early, and stay a little later on the days that I needed close to a 90 minute lunch hour.
My cousin had decided to train for the Pig that year as well. We had babies only 1 week apart (how cool is that?!) Unfortunately, we weren't able to do any training runs together, but somehow, we found each other at the starting line the morning of the race! What were the odds? So, we ran together. It was such a blessing to run 13.1 miles with my cousin. We pushed each other and it was amazing to cross the finish line with her.
On May 1, 2011, I could finally say I had run the Flying Pig! Mission Accomplished!
While my husband and I would both like to run the half Pig together this year, it really does take a lot of commitment and time away from family. So, I think we'll stick to the 10k because training time is so much easier to manage. And if neccessary, we can stick the kids in the double jogger and get in a run (I wouldn't want to do that for an 8+ mile training run!)
I wanted to share my training plan with you all, just in case you're motivated to try a half marathon for yourself!
And don't worry about speed. My 2011 half was by far the slowest I had run any race in my entire life. But I finished. And I didn't walk. And I had no injuries.
This year's goals are more focused around weight training. I'm still working on that schedule and I'll try to remember to post it once I feel good about it. It's a work in progress :)
Happy Running!
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