Training ... It's all I'm thinking about

So I made it through my 10k, and the next day I went and signed up for a 10k clinic at the Running Room. Why? I really want to do a half marathon. A very specific half marathon. More on that later. I decided that if I wanted to train properly I needed to take a step back and actually get some guidance on how to run. Yes. It’s awesome that I did a 10k. But, it was also really hard. And I felt like if I had better form, better pace and better breathing it would have been easier.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled with the result. I’m thrilled I did it. I just really realized I needed some help. It’s kind of like when I bought the Jillian Michael’s yoga video and thought I was rocking it, and then I went to a yoga class, and well … Most of the stuff I was doing wasn’t exactly right. (or was completely wrong). Side note – I went back and did this video recently and it is soooo much easier when a) I’ve been doing regular yoga and b) I know what she’s talking about.

Anyway. I’m getting excited about the group clinic.

Part of all this running is the training aspect. I’m trying not to think too far ahead. I mean, in 6 months I should be ready to run 13.1 miles. Or roughly 21km. And that’s almost 3 hours of running. OMG! So sometimes I’ll be doing something, like say running in the morning, and the idea of that much running starts to stress me out.

So … Train it is.  And these training schedules are a bit crazy. My morning runs (before work) won’t increase too much. I’ll go from about 4-5 km a morning to about 5-6 km a morning. That’s 2-3 times per week. The hard part comes on weekends (Sundays) when we do long runs. Long runs are long. Like building up to 14 miles. I don’t even know what that is in km. Again. OMG! Lots of people do cross training to stay in shape. I’m sticking with hot yoga. I’m already doing it about 5-6 times a week and managing my short runs (that don’t seem short, FYI). I think and hope that’s enough.

Next part? Nutrition. So, I stopped eating meat about 3 weeks ago. I’m fine with the diet, but it’s hard to plan meals. I have no idea if I’m following the right eating plan. I guess I will find out.

All in all.  I’m excited and scared. Some days I’m more excited. Some days more scared. But, what I know is that I am enjoying this sense of balance and control lately. I like having workouts scheduled. I love having something to work towards. I like the sense of community. I love that this all justifies more lululemon purchases (kinda kidding, but not really).