Half-Marathon

For our one year anniversary (May 10th), Leigh and I have decided to train for and run a half marathon. A half marathon is 13.1 miles and they are done all over the country. The first thing we are having to do is update our foot wear. Leigh last had a new pair of running shoes last year and I have had the same pair of tennis shoes for probably 3 or 4 years now.

Next we needed to develop some type of training program. After googling for a while, I found a website, www.halhigdon.com, that has all type of information on training and running marathons and half marathons. So I took his 12 week novice half marathon training program and customized it for Leigh and I. I had to customize it because the half marathon we have chosen was a little more than 12 weeks away. The program incorporates progressive running distances, stretch training, strength training, and the choice to incorporate other aerobic exercises such as swimming, biking, walking, or jogging. It also encourages to run smaller races such as a 5k or a 10k to help you prepare for the real thing. In our program, we will be running a 5k in Mountain Brook, a 5k in Montgomery, and a 10k in Montgomery to prepare for the half marathon.

As I mentioned earlier, we had to choose the half marathon we wanted to run and this was our next step after getting a training program. We are going to compete in the June 7 half marathon in Washington Park in Chicago. This marathon is apart of an inaugural set of half marathons that will have the races in Miami, Atlanta, Fort Lauderale, and Chicago in 2009. Visit this website, http://www.131marathon.com/, to learn more about the races and specifically the Chicago one.

So, wish us luck as we start our training this Monday and hopefully we will make it through alive. We were at the gym on Monday and I was pretty winded after only running one mile. Looks like it going to be tough but I think we can do it.