A Quick How to on Running a Half-Marathon

This is a quick how to on running a half-marathon (or possibly a full one):

First of all, you must set your intention. Be clear with your intention and what you're committed to. If you are doing a half-marathon because your girlfriends are doing it and you don't want to feel left out... say it. If you're doing a half-marathon because you want to look good in a bikini... own it! Ultimately, it's not going to matter why you did it once you cross that finish line.

Once you've made your commitment by setting an intention and making your declaration, you MUST register. There are people who register but don't end up racing but you're more likely to do it if you've already paid. Plus, it will put you into the mentality of running a half-marathon or full-marathon - it's the future that you are living into... which is 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

Now, you must create a training structure. Most people (like me) follow an existing training schedule. Google training schedules that will fit best with you and your lifestyle (I use Hal Higdon's). You're probably going to have to make some life adjustments yourself. Print out the schedule and post it in a place that you go to everyday. This is your structure for success.

Along with a training schedule, you need to speak to someone about nutrition and injury prevention. You can try doing it yourself, but it makes a bigger difference actually speaking to someone. They can answer any questions that you have. Your body is one-of-a-kind... let me repeat that... YOUR body is ONE-OF-A-KIND. Take care of it by doing what works for YOUR body.

By race-time, you should be ready and hydrated. At the end of the race, don't be attached to the outcome. If your toe nails fall off, it's probably because your nail was too long or you didn't train well enough. Learn from the last and kick ass in the next.

Happy running! :)

Jogging back to the past

I woke up this morning knowing that I had to get my 3 miles in. I started making up reasons why I don't need to run. "It's cold. You can do it tomorrow. You should just go to work early..." The conversation lasted about 15 minutes until I finally said to myself, "Ranny, just do it."

Instead of driving myself to Chambers Bay or the Tacoma water front, I decided that I would jog in my neighborhood - this is the same neighborhood I grew up in. The rain started coming down harder but I sucked it up and just started jogging. I wasn't sure how I was going to run without an ipod and no specific path. So, I created my own path. I headed towards Dominic's house and passed by Chaurita's. I went down the street towards Jennifer and Trung's house. I ran to Alaska Street and passed the house Vany grew up in. I headed north on Alaska and ended up on 84th Street. There was one more stop before I headed home, Kim's house - this was the house that we would all go to after school and on half days - so many memories.

As I jogged through my hood, I became present to all of the memories that were created in my adolescence. I grew up in the same neighborhood since I was six years old. I went to the same middle and high school with the same kids that I went to elementary school with. It's amazes me how far we've all come. Everyone has their own thing and has gone their own way to live their own lives - but no matter where we are, we are all still connected because of a moment in space and time.

Thank you, Facebook.

Week 1 Training Starts

It's official - the booty is back. My sister pointed out that I was getting bottom heavy again. Well... the booty will be here for awhile. The 12-week training schedule officially starts this week. I'm using the Hal Higdon's Intermediate Training Schedule. Somehow, I have to fit 14 miles of running into my existing commitments - not sure how it's going to happen but I got'ta get it in. Let do this!

12 days til the next race

I trained with Tamara, Nicole, Tiffany and Emily today. It was probably one of the most effortless running experiences I've had so far this season. Surprisingly, my feet didn't cramp up and my ankles didn't act up. What made the difference was 1. the dynamic warm-up 2. being conscious of my form and stride and 3. hot yoga (and possibly the cup of green tea).

As I was walking down the stairs at the Tai-Li Market, I missed a step and my left ankle popped. It hurt so badly but it seems to be fine. I think the Universe heard me as I was screaming in pain and begging for my ankle to be okay. I have only 12 days before my next 5K race and I cannot get injured.

I will be registering for this race tomorrow or Tuesday, St. Patty's Day Run in Tacoma, March 13th.

Me, an athlete?

Today, I went to a nutrition and injury prevention workshop put together specifically for the H4C team. The two professionals were Isiah Coles, trainer to professional runners and athletes, and Julie Starkel, nutritionist and a clean eating guru. As I listened to the two of them, I had a profound respect for professional athletes and the amount of practice, discipline and commitment they have. In two hours, Isiah and Julie overwhelmed me with a lot of important information but barely scratched the surface of what it would require for me to perform and achieve the goal I set for myself. (I'm getting a little dizzy just thinking about.)

Here are some takeaways that I'd like to share for those of you who are beginners or re-beginners, like me:

Nutrition:
1. Stay hydrated, (2.5-3.5 liters of water for women my size)
2. Eat 5-6 small snack daily containing both carbs and protein. (ALWAYS eat breakfast with an hour of waking up.)
3. Plan & Prepare: take the time to shop, plan and prepare your meals.
3. Take multi-vitamins (Especially B Vitamins, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc)
4. Caffeine can increase performance (No coffee though)

Injury Prevention:
1. Do a dynamic warm-up and active stretches before training and 30 second static stretches after the race
2. Do NOT put heat on swelling, always ice inflammation within the first 72 hours (ice massage: freeze water into a paper cup, tear the cup an inch or two below the ice and use it to massage injuries)
3. Incorporate weight training (strengthen muscles), circuit training (2-3 set and only 5 moves) and cross-training (swim, bike, cardio-machines)
4. Injuries are an athletes worse nightmare! (But it can be prevented.)

I'm really excited about implementing all this into my training and into my life. I should just register myself for a full-marathon in December so that I can take care of myself like this all year round. This is why I love training season!