So in August i had decided i was going to walk a half-marathon in Austin in February. Yes you heard right a half-marathon, that is 13.1 miles. WHOA! I had barely been doing 13.1 miles of exercise in a week, but over the last 3 weeks i've been exercising 3-4 times a week and i feel great.
I've been walking, doing the elliptical, and riding the stationary bike. Some days all 3, some days just one. And i've been doing some strength training like 3 days a week. I don't want to do too much lifting, since muscle weighs more than fat, and more muscle will decrease the amount of weight i will lose for my weigh-ins. I have a friend who is a personal trainer, who set me up with a program to exercise 4-5 times/week.
So yesterday i told a guy friend that i was going to do it, and he questions me. Saying something you know that's 12 miles right, and i said NO! It's 13.1! He goes, well can you do that?! I Said YES! of course i can.
Now, since yesterday i've been thinking about it. That's 13.1 MILES! I'm just concerned with completing it, in the allotted time. Since i'm walking the half-marathon, i have 4 hours to complete the half-marathon. I think that is totally do-able. Right now walking on the treadmill or outside on the track- it takes 20ish minutes to walk 1.25 minutes- So to do 13.1 miles at my current pace would take somewhere around close to 3 hours.
I REALLY wanted to do the half-marathon, it seems like a great goal. But is the goal too much for me right now, is the goal too big to attain?!
Thoughts on: doing a half-marathon for the first time? Should i do the 5k instead? How else should i be preparing to walk the half-marathon!?!
Any input is greatly appreciated.
6 comments:
Hey Britt...you can TOTALLY do this. I had the same thoughts when I thought about doing a half marathon in 2009, but I pushed my fears aside, trained, and finished the Nike Women's Half Marathon in SF in October 2009. This was before I even started my weight loss journey and lost any weight. Now I'm about to do my second half marathon on 10/10/2010. :)
It sounds like you're doing all of the right things! Definitely do strength training because you need those leg muscles!! Plus, every time I worry about the fact that muscle weighs more than fat, I remind myself that the more muscle I have, the higher my metabolism gets, and the more fat I burn. Win-win!
I'd be happy to share my training calendar with you if you'd like to see it. Jump over to my blog and shoot me an email.
I say do it! You have plenty of time to train for the half. You might want to do a couple 5ks before then just to get used to race walking! You can totally do it!! Keep us posted on training and we will all motivate you to the hilt!
You don't truly know if you can or can't do it unless you TRY! I say go for it. Then when you complete it, rub it in that douchebag's face. :)
Wow, I'm so impressed that you're even considering the 1/2 marathon. I've never done any such thing, so I can't give you any good advice... But, it does seem like you have a handle on what it will take and I have a sense that you can do it if you choose to. What have you got to lose by trying?
Just the 2 cents of a fellow Hottie...
I think you should definetely go for it! It is a great goal! And I know that you want to see weight loss on the scales, but it is really your overall body fat percentage that matters, not your scale weight, so I would also keep up the strength training. Building muscle is good!! It helps you burn more calories even when your body is at rest.
Sounds like you're doing heaps of training overall - so I think the half marathon is yours! Go for it!
But didn't you trainer friend tell you that with more muscle you burn more calories!!
I think your goal is very doable. That said, I have never walked that far and my feet hurt just thinking about it!!
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