<em>The Inside Track</em>: Training for a Half Marathon [Part 1] at Her Active Life

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The Inside Track: Training for a Half Marathon

Posted October 6, 2007 at 12:00 PM by Alexandra Haller

Section: Her Fitness, Athletics, Her Health, Her Motivation

Running Her Active Life writer Alexandra Haller is currently training for her first half marathon. Here, she shares the ups and downs of her training routine as she readies herself for the physical challenge of a lifetime.

The continuation of my training brings me to my longest run yet, 10 miles. Last week I had ran 8.5 miles and felt pretty good about that. In the week between I only had two runs, and one was ruined by stomach cramps. I was definitely feeling anxious about Sunday’s long run but I was also hopeful. There is a definite strength in meeting a goal that not many people ever meet in their lives. I felt I was moving up in the ranks of the running world…

I met my running partner Ed around 7am for my first ever 10 mile beastly run. This would be the longest run I had ever done. It would be my last “long run” before the upcoming half marathon. I appreciated having the obligation of meeting someone; otherwise there was no way I would have woken up on my own at 5:30 a.m. on a weekend to run a few miles. You read that correctly - 5:30. I needed the time to eat something substantial and let it digest. Then to pass time after wolfing down some oatmeal with brown sugar, I cleaned my kitchen and started some laundry. (Be careful of becoming a runner. You might engage in similar freakish behavior at ungodly hours!)

I actually felt pretty good that morning. Ed said that we should run as slow as I wanted and I took that message very seriously. Sometimes I’m a hare---other times, I am the turtle. It’s amazing how having someone to talk to makes the time go by faster. I wasn’t alone in my head to bemoan the early start. I wasn’t questioning repeatedly if this run was even something I could handle. Ed and I shared pleasing comments about the beautiful sunrise. We talked about our plans later in the day (of which mine included a nap as soon as I’d view my couch).

For the most part, I felt that I was holding a steady rhythm. Then by about mile 5 or 6 my left knee started feeling tight. I have never had a problem with my knee before so I thought it would go away. Wrong! I had to stop two different times because it was becoming more aggravated. The light-hearted guy that Ed is, he joked about a third stop requiring a doctor’s note. At that point, it wasn’t very funny. I was getting really scared. My knee was rapidly losing range of motion. If I hadn’t been trying to act tough around another person, I probably would have sat on a rock and cried. Finally, around the 9.5 mark, we paused for the dreaded 3rd time and I couldn’t restart. I was limping even as I tried to walk. Clearly, this condition was not lessening.

Ed kindly asked if he should get his car and pick me up. I was shocked! Was I really going to have to wimp out? I asked him if that would make me seem like a big disappointment. Nonchalantly, he replied “Yeah, a loser. I mean you only did nine and a half.” Again, not so funny! He insisted that in terms of training, another half mile would not break my readiness. He also reiterated that if something was wrong, there was no need to keep walking on it and irritate it further.

That’s how my run ended. With me hunched over a rock massaging my battered knee, waiting for a ride back to my car. If it weren’t such a beautiful fall morning, I might have suffered a major depressive episode.

Live and learn, right? That’s all I can do. The half marathon is still three weeks out. There’s no point in getting anxious. I’ll just ice my knee and try not to be so rough with it. I will definitely hold back from running until I feel better. After all, the goal isn’t to hurt myself---the goal is to stay healthy.

Check back in with Alexandra next week as she continues her half marathon countdown and shares her training experiences, the good, the bad, the ups, and the downs, with readers.