Half-Marathon

So, I decided, along with my friend and past co-worker, Janet, to take on First Place Sports' half-marathon training course this fall.  Being a spectator at too many triathlons and Ironman races, I have gotten tired of being on the sidelines and not pushing myself to accomplish something physically. 

So, we began two weeks ago and so far, so good!  I missed the first week, but the second week, we ran 3.5 miles (expected) including over the Main Street Bridge (not expected)!  I barely made it over the bridge and back, but did with some walking, so I was a bit discouraged.

Main Street Bridge - it's long! (Photo from activerain.com)

This week, we ran over 4 miles including TWO bridges - the Main Street and the Acosta.  Wow.  I was slow as molasses, but made it and actually felt good afterwards!  And, I wasn't even sore the next day.  I attribute the lack of soreness to making sure I'm stretching sufficiently before and after each run, no matter the distance.

Acosta Bridge - even longer! (Photo from FDOT)

Yesterday was an "EZ 2 miles," as it's referred to in our weekly running schedule, but I ran late last night when it was getting cooler and I completed the two faster than I have in the recent past.  Tonight, an "EZ 3 miles" and rest day Friday (YAAAY), before the week's longest run Saturday (Boooo!).  But, I am joining a group for the long run, so am hoping that and a fully charged IPod will help me along.

To get through some of the training, I found a great recipe in Triathlete Magazine from five-time Ironman BJ Gumkowski.  The ingredients are below and if you click on the link above, you can get the remainder of the instructions. For those of you interested, try them out!

BJ's Protein-Packed Muffins
1.5 cups of oat bran
1 cup of egg whites
1/2 cup of unsweetened cinnamon apple sauce
1/2 cup of pumpkin (hard to find because of the shortage, so if you can't get it in your grocery store, just use more non-fat Greek-style yogurt to substitute)
1/4 cup of non-fat Greek-style yogurt OR cottage cheese
1 tblsp. natural peanut butter
1 full banana, sliced
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries