I’m halfway through my training program for the Hapalua Half Marathon on March 10. So far everything is going well, if not exactly according to the schedule. Before I started this structured plan, I hadn’t been running regularly for quite some time. I find that training for an event helps keep me more consistent when it comes to cardio; otherwise I just don’t put in the time. Now I’m back to the point where running a few miles feels great instead of excruciating.
The three day a week running schedule has been enough to get my mileage in and up, but not so much that I don’t have time to focus on strength training and other fun stuff like hiking. It’s important to me that I incorporate lots of cross training so that I don’t get bored or suffer an overuse injury. I’ve also loved and hated incorporating more hill training into my runs. Those days are very challenging, but make me much stronger for the flatter terrain days.
I had a minor setback the first weeks of training. The back of my knee was getting inflamed after my runs. I have great shoes that fit properly and are still in good condition, so I knew that wasn’t the cause. After a bit of research and experimentation, I figured out my poor hamstring was so tight it was tugging at the insertion point behind my knee. A bit of daily and post run stretching solved that problem. I must confess: I am HORRIBLE about stretching. This was a great reminder of how endurance, strength, and flexibility all have to work together for maximum results. My advice to you: don’t neglect the STRETCH!
Are you currently prepping for a race? How’s your training going?
A new year means a whole new training schedule! I’ve been off distance running for some time now, but I have several half marathons on the schedule for 2013 that I need to get prepared for. The first race is the Honolulu Hapalua, brought to you by the same great team as the Honolulu Marathon. I did the inaugural race last year, and now I feel like I need to commit to it; my friend Amanda has already decided we will be the 70 year old ladies who are honored in 2043 for completing every run since its inception. But, in order to even imagine doing that, I need to make sure I train in a reasonable way to prevent injury. I’m also trying to improve my time this year, which is why I’m including some hill training days as well as tempo runs. The plan looks like this:
Week
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
rest
XT
3 EZ
XT
3 tempo
XT
4
2
rest
XT
4EZ
XT
3 hills
XT
5
3
rest
XT
3EZ
XT
4 tempo
XT
6
4
rest
XT
4EZ
XT
3hils
XT
7
5
rest
XT
3EZ
XT
5 tempo
XT
5
6
rest
XT
4EZ
XT
3 hills
XT
8
7
rest
XT
3EZ
XT
5 tempo
XT
9
8
rest
XT
3EZ
XT
4 hills
XT
10
9
rest
XT
3EZ
XT
5 tempo
XT
8
10
rest
XT
4EZ
XT
3hills
XT
rest
RACE DAY
For my hill runs, I’ll be including some of the steeper climbs in my neighborhood (Diamond Head and Kilauea next to KCC), which my training partner isn’t too excited about, but he’ll thank me later.
I really enjoy the half marathon distance; it’s long enough for me to require a formalizing training schedule, but short enough to avoid hysterical sobbing on the course (see my full marathon story for those details!) I also like being able to dedicate time to other physical endeavors; something I wasn’t really able to fit in while preparing for my full marathon. And I’m not alone in feeling this way; the half marathon is the fastest growing road racing distance in the US.
What about you? Any half marathons on your schedule? Which distance is your favorite?
Saturday morning I was standing on the North Shore with 700 other swim cap clad racers, wondering whether or not I was going to be the last person to finish the 1 mile open ocean swim from Sunset Beach to Pipeline. I’d be a disgrace to my profession! I trained for this race on the South Shore, doing laps at Kaimana, but I had never swam this route before and I was very nervous. I’m a super slow swimmer, and to be honest the ocean freaks me out a little; I don’t like being at the mercy of the current and waves when I’m in the water.
This race had an water start, and the men and women were divided into two waves. My stomach was doing somersaults as I swam out to the buoys. Just as I arrived, the second start went off and all of the women started swimming past me. After the first 15 minutes, the majority of the pack had sped off out of my line of vision. It was just me, a handful of other stragglers, and the entire ocean safety squad keeping a close eye on us.
Everything was fine, and I was cruising along at my steady, yet slow pace until I hit Rocky Point. In the summer the North Shore of Oahu basically flat; big waves make their appearance in the winter. So the waves that were breaking at Rocky Point this weekend were teeny tiny by North Shore surf standards, but swimming through waves is an entirely different story! I kept being pushed around by the water and the current was kicking up a bit too. I felt like the reef below me wasn’t going anywhere, and I was getting really frustrated.
Luckily, my now personal lifeguard was there to help direct me past the breaking waves. It was really difficult to figure out where I needed to go with the waves crashing over me. I rounded the point, and I could see the finish up ahead! But again it felt like the ocean was conspiring against me, and I wasn’t making any noticeable progress toward shore. I paused to tread water and take a quick break. And a brief cry into my goggles. I couldn’t get too emotional because I had to keep swimming! There was no way out of this except to finish, because I’d be dammed if I’d already been in the water 45 minutes and then gave up.
Just me and my safety squad
My lifeguard (and now my coach too) pointed out the finish line buoys up ahead. He encouraged me to keep going, that I was so close! I looked around and didn’t see ANYONE else in the water. “Am I last?” I asked him. He looked around behind him and shouted “No!” That was the last little push I needed! I sped (well sped for me, anyhow) past the buoys and fought the waves to run up onto the beach. I have never been so excited to be almost last in my life!
This race was really tough for me, both physically and mentally. I’m glad I did it, but I’m also glad it’s over!
Last weekend I ran in the 37th annual Wahiawa Pineapple 10K Run. This was my second year, and it’s one of my favorite races on the island. Not that I don’t love Ala Moana or Kapolani Park, but this was a rare opportunity to run in the country. The course started out at Ka’ala Elementary School and then went straight up Kamehameha Highway through Wahiawa town. The next 4 miles of the course led through rolling hills alongside agricultural fields with great views of the Waianae Mountains. Ironically, I didn’t see a single pineapple during the race; most of the land is now used for other crops.
View of the Waianae Mountains from the 10K course
I was not going for a personal record this race, and I took a very easy pace. I’ve found it a little difficult to get back into speedier short distances after training for long-distance races. All 755 of the finishers, no matter what their time, received a pineapple at the end of the race. To celebrate my sweet victory, I think I’ll make a pineapple sorbet, similar to this one, but without the addition of agave. I think the fruit itself will be sweet enough.
I love participating in races like this one. There is a great energy during the event that you just don’t experience during a training run. There are TONS of foot, bike, swim, and even SUP races taking place this summer and fall. Check out Active.com or the Running Room’s event calendar to see what’s coming up. Several of my clients are going out of town this summer, but will be training for a race during their extended break to help keep them on track. It is so much easier to stick to a plan if you have an end goal in mind.
What event would you like to complete? Have an great race experiences? Tell us!
Considering that over 20,000 people will be participating in the Kaiser Permanente Great Aloha Run on President’s Day this February, I’d be willing to bet that many of you who come to my site are currently training or considering registering. While you could just wake up on race day and do this 8 mile run, it will be a lot more fun for you (and your body) if you train in advance. There is an official (free!) training taking place in Kapiolani Park Sunday mornings at 6:45am to take care of some of your mileage, but if you really want to train for and complete the race with the smallest risk of injury and least amount of aches and pains, not to mention the best time you can muster, you’ll need to do a little more than run. You’ll be able to complete this strength training workout with equipment and time, but if you commit to it 2-4 times a week, you’ll definitely notice a big difference in your runs, especially as you increase your mileage. As an added bonus, strength training will also increase your metabolism, strengthen your bones, improve your balances, raise your HDL cholesterol levels (the good kind), improve your posture, and elevate your mood! Oh yeah, and it will help you look good too!
I tried a new format with the videos here, so please leave me a comment if you have any feedback!
You can also print this workout and have a handy reference sheet when you perform your exercises.
To download this image, simply right click on the photo below and click save image as.
