Monday, December 3, 2012

Half Marathon Training: Day 1

To celebrate my 50th birthday next March, I'd been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo. However, I decided that improving my health and reaching a challenging goal would be a better choice.

So, to commemorate my half century milestone, I decided (with a little help from my friends) to sign up for a half marathon.

I'm going to keep track of my progress here, mostly as an inspiration for myself. I've read that keeping mentally focused on my goal is just as much a battle as the physical training.

Speaking of physical training, at the end of this blog entry is the 12-week training schedule that I'm following. It's meant for an absolute beginner like me. During my training, and during the marathon itself, I will follow a cycle of running for 3 minutes then walking for 2 minutes. I feel this is the most doable plan of action, since my goal is simply to finish the race without keeling over!

[Nerd note: The Chinese for 'keel over' is 弱不禁風 ruòbùjīnfēng, which literally means "too weak to stand against the wind"]

A great benefit of preparing for this goal is improving my health. So, as an added motivation, I will also keep track of my weight and waist size. If I can find a free blood pressure checker then I may add that measurement here as well.

Date Weight Waist Run
04/15/2008
(Arrival in Taiwan)
70 kg
(155 lbs)
84cm (33") --
12/03/2012 75.5 kg
(166 lbs)
94cm (37") 30 minutes
3.5 km

This is embarrassing, but embarrassment can be
a great motivational tool.

Below is the 12-week training schedule that I began today, which I got from this site at Shape Magazine. The half marathon is on March 10, 2013—14 weeks away—so that gives me a little wiggle room.

Week

Sunday
(Rest)

Monday
(Easy)

Tuesday
(Cross Train)

Wednesday
(Easy)

Thursday
(Cross Train)

Friday
(Rest)

Saturday
(Long)

1

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

4Mi/6.4Km
3R/2W

2

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

5Mi/8Km
3R/2W

3

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

6Mi/9.6Km
3R/2W

4

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

Rest

7Mi/11.2Km
3R/2W

5

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

4Mi/6.4Km
3R/2W

6

Rest

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

35 Minutes
(4Mi/6.4Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

8Mi/12.8Km
3R/2W

7

Rest

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

30-40 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

9Mi/14.5Km
3R/2W

8

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

6Mi/9.6Km
3R/2W

9

Rest

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

10Mi/16Km
3R/2W

10

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

45 Minutes
(5Mi/8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

7Mi/11.2Km
3R/2W

11

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

35-45 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

45 Minutes

Rest

6Mi/9.6Km
3R/2W

12

Rest

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

30 Minutes

30 Minutes
(3Mi/4.8Km)
3R/2W

Rest

Rest

13.1Mi/21K
Race day!
Run/Walk
3R/2W

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