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