My Half Marathon Training Plan

I've gone and done it: I signed up for my 6th half marathon! 

Half Marathon 1: Rock 'n Roll San Antonio Half in 2010 (2:44)
Half Marathon 2: Alamo 13.1 in 2013 (3:18)
Half Marathon 3: Cocoa Women's Half in 2015 (DNF)
Half Marathon 4: Alamo 13.1 in 2016   (2:39)
Half Marathon 5: Cocoa Women's Half in 2018 (2:28)

Half Marathon 6 will be the Missions Heritage Half on February 9, 2019.  I have more success running longer distances in the winter in Texas, so I avoid signing up for longer races in late spring, summer, and early fall.  January and February are the BEST times to run long in Texas!

Here's how I'm planning to train for this race:

The main training format I plan to follow involves running 2-3 days a week and cross-training 2-3 days a week.  I know; it seems strange to train for a running race with so much cross-training, but that is what I did for February's half and I came away with an 11 minute PR.  Typically, training includes different types of runs:

1. easy run (comfortable pace)
2. speed work (sprints with rest periods in between; these can be short or long sprints)
3. tempo runs (warm up mile, race pace miles, cool down mile.  Typically a longer run in the week.)
4. long runs (slow, for endurance)

I try to do an easy run mid-week when I'm exhausted, a long run on the weekend, and use Camp Gladiator for speed work.  I may add more longer tempo runs during the week into January. My training plan is only ten weeks instead of twelve because I can run 5 miles at this point in time.  (Sometimes, I need to start earlier because I'm not always in shape...)

My Missions Heritage Half Marathon Training Schedule:

	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3	Workout 4	Workout 5
Week 1: December 2	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 2-3 miles	Cross training	5 miles
Week 2: December 9	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 2-3 miles	Cross training or tempo run	6 miles
Week 3: December 16	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 3 miles	Cross training	7 miles
Week 4: December 23	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 3-4 miles	Cross training or tempo run	8 miles
Week 5: December 30	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 4 miles	Cross training	9 miles
Week 6: January 6	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 4-5 miles	Tempo run	10 miles
Week 7: January 13	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 5 miles	Cross training	11 miles
Week 8: January 20	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 5 miles	Tempo run	12 miles
Week 9: January 27	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 5 miles	Tempo run	8 miles
Week 10: February 3	Cross training	Cross training	Easy run 4 miles	Easy run 2 miles	RACE DAY!

As always, a good training plan needs to be vigorous but flexible at the same time.  I didn't label the top of the chart with days of the week even though I try to stick to workouts on the same days.  We all know that work and life get in the way so there needs to be flexibility.  Right now, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are Camp Gladiator Days.  Wednesdays and Saturdays are run days. I have a contest for work and two major holidays in there but it should all work out.  If I miss anything during the week I try not to freak out as long as I can get my long run in on the weekends. 

It's also important to make sure I'm watching my diet and fueling properly as mileage increases.  I'm trying to lose body fat right now, but as my runs get longer, I need to add more calories back to my diet. I never try to lose weight when training for a half marathon; especially the last month of training.  I learned that the hard way with my DNF in 2015.  Whole 30 and running long did not work for my body.

I always try to beat my last time for any race that I run, even if I tell myself to just have fun.  I'm very competitive so it's hard to turn that off!  My current half marathon PR is 2:28 which is an average of 11:17 per mile.  I did a lot of walking after mile 8 in that race so I'm hoping to avoid that this time.  I don't have a goal pace, but I think I will be training for under 10:00 per mile on my speed work/tempo runs and under 11:00 for long runs.

I hope this training plan inspires someone out there, and I hope I can stick to it and have a great race!

Cheers,
Kasey

References:
Kara Goucher's Running For Women

Weekly Recaps

One month ago, I posted with my health goals.  I'm in a private health group with friends on Facebook and I found myself adding weekly updates every Sunday night based on my 3 goals, so I will share them below.  I find that ending a week on Sunday keeps me accountable over the weekend, especially if I need to weigh in.  I'm going to buy a scale today, but in the past I've found that weighing in on Monday morning at the end of my week definitely keeps me on track over the weekend.  It's so difficult to keep up with healthy habits when you've had a tough week and just want to drink all the wine and eat all the food and lay on the couch watching true crime murder shows on Netflix. 

 But, when I know my week isn't over, I can keep up with the end of my week's goals.  Now, having said this, balance is okay, so if I don't track my food on Saturday, I don't beat myself up about it.  I also don't just shove food into my mouth, either.  My Garmin watch keeps me going, too.  My average step count today is 8,319.  I want to increase my average, so every day I try to beat it.  I try to "Beat Yesterday", which happens to be Garmin's tag line.  Even on Saturday and Sunday I try to get up and do stuff so my average increases or doesn't fall too much and then I have to work extra hard during the work week. 

Here's what I've posted in the Facebook group:

Week 1:

1. Track my food intake and hit calorie goal ✔️
2. Be more active; went to CG and went past my step goal ✔️
3. Get more sleep. Fell asleep before 11 last night and ready for bed now (9:15!) ✔️

Started last week, but it feels good to get back into my routine. I think my students can tell I'm feeling better, too!

Week 2:

1. Tracked food 6/7 days. Stayed at goal 6/7 days!
2. Active (outside of work) 4/7 days. 3 CG workouts and one run. Need to run more! It felt great tonight.
3. Hit sleep goal 4/7 days. I stayed up too late a couple of nights and really felt it at work the next day. Slept a lot this weekend!

Victory: I tried on some pants that were snug when school started and they fit now! Woohoo! I also haven't had an alcoholic beverage since August 28th, which I know is helping me stay on track on weekends and my sleep patterns more regular.

Ready for another week!

Week 3:

1. Logged food and stayed at calorie goal 5/7 days. Chose a healthier meal at Chuy's, even after a crazy work day.
2. Active 5/7 days. Goal achieved! I need two rest days in my week to keep up energy and it was difficult. I fell asleep on the couch when I got home from work on Wednesday!
3. Got enough sleep only 3/7 days. I didn't take melatonin and it's hard to fall asleep early when my husband doesn't get home from work until almost 10, when I need to be asleep. Still working on it, though!

Victory: I wore pants I didn't fit into in August!

Week 4:

1. Tracked and stayed at calorie goal 6/7 days. Yay!!!
2. Active 5/7 days with a long run today. Yay!!
3. Got enough sleep 4/7 days. :( I sleep in on weekends but it's still hard for me to fall asleep at a decent time during the week.

Victory: ran my longest run since April and timed a pretty good mile!

Week 5 ends tomorrow night for me, so I'm not adding another update yet.  After looking back on these updates, I can see that I'm achieving goals and feeling better.  It really helps to go back and see how good sticking to my goals makes me feel.  I'm two weeks away from opening night of our musical, and I've been so exhausted from trying to teach 7 classes and get the show ready.  This week I didn't work out as much because I hit my step goal at work, but I knew I needed to stay on track nutritionally and that has kept me going.  I don't want to go back to coming home and eating everything and sitting around.  I know that does not make me feel good; it makes me feel like I have less and less energy while my body packs on the extra fat from energy I didn't use.

I know my body, and I know staying healthy and making it happy is hard.  Keeping this little record of my weeks has definitely helped.  I challenge you to try it!

Cheers,

Kasey

Working Out, Eating Healthy, and Balancing Life

I am definitely one of those people who gains 5lbs from looking at a piece of chocolate.  In my 34 years on this Earth, I've learned that my body does not burn fat on its own like some lucky people; it HOLDS ONTO IT.  I blame my northern heritage.  It's so cold in the winter that a few extra layers of fat help a bit.

Knowing this, I need to make sure I am active and eat right.  Do I accomplish both things 100% of the time?  NO! I find it extremely hard to teach and take care of myself.  God bless teachers who have their own kids because I don't know how they do it every day.

On a "good active and healthy day", here's what my timeline looks like:

6:11 am: Hit snooze
6:30 am: Get up, make breakfast.  Breakfast is usually two fried eggs on two pieces of toast smeared with avocado.  Add Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning and chipotle hot sauce.
7:10 am: leave for work.
11:00 am: quickly shove food in my face and savor any adult conversation time.  Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before or a salad.  Greek yogurt cups, La Croix, and Baby Bel cheese.
3:40 pm: eat a snack.  A handful of almonds.
5:30 pm: leave work, change clothes, head to a Camp Gladiator workout.
(If I don't go to Camp Gladiator, I have to wait until it's not too hot outside to run.  Usually this does not work because I will either eat everything in house or fall asleep or both.)
7:45 pm: return home from working out, make dinner.  Dinner is usually planned, but I've added pasta into the mix now, as well as maintaining a vegetarian diet.
9:00 pm: shower and get in bed. (hopefully. Usually doesn't happen.)

This routine is exhausting.  I had a really rough start to the school year mentally, so all I wanted to do was eat and lay on the couch. So I did.

Sometimes, balance is good.  But, I tipped the lazy side of the scale a little too much, and now my fat pants are more like regular pants. I'm starting to feel like myself again, so here's the new plan to make my clothes fit better before the holidays: (notice how I'm not focusing on a number on the scale, because we don't have a scale.  Numbers are overrated.)

1. Enter food into MyFitnessPal. This always works for me.  I need to track my calories to force myself not to eat so much.  When I know I have to add what I eat into my phone, I don't eat as much.

2. Be more active.  I want to get back into running again.  My dog misses it. And we're giving our "foster" animals back this weekend so she will be lonely and bored.  My plan is to go to Camp Gladiator on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays, and run Wednesday or Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

3. Get more sleep.  I struggle with this.  My body cycle does not match my work schedule.  It's been 7 years and I still cannot get myself to sleep early and wake up feeling refreshed and ready.  Mornings are the devil.  BUT, I plan to stay away from electronic screens before bed.  I have a stack of scripts and novels I can read before I fall asleep.  I plan to get in bed at a reasonable hour so I can be asleep at a reasonable hour.

Getting healthy and staying healthy is tough.  Some people may find it easy, but let's be honest: a healthy lifestyle is difficult.  But when I achieve a fitness goal, I feel strong and unstoppable.

It's time to set some goals for the fall!

Cheers,
Kasey

Teachers: Let's Support Each Other!

It's the end of July, and some teachers may be ready to start setting up their classroom and utilizing all of the wonderful materials they read and skills and tips learned in trainings attended all summer.  Others, like me, may be in a panic thinking that I slacked off and only read one script and didn't update any unit plans nor did I continue reading and planning after attending an awesome training.  One of my flaws as a teacher is that I am constantly comparing myself to others.

I had a fellow colleague my first few years of teaching who always made me feel like I wasn't doing enough for my students.  This feeling has never left me.  When I leave at 5:30 pm when my students do, am I doing enough?  When I don't add extra trips and parties, am I doing enough?  When I step back, I can clearly see that I am doing more than enough for these kids.  Our performances and contest results validate that for me several times throughout the year.  But, I still have this feeling in the back of my mind that I'm just not working hard enough.

Ten hour days and spending my own time and money shopping for supplies for plays is most definitely enough. Planning field trips and parties is definitely enough. The fact is: every teacher has their own style, and their own method of doing the work they need to do in order to achieve their individual goals.  As teachers, we need to stop judging other teachers for what we see them do, or don't do.  We need to support one another even more now than ever.  So, when your colleague leaves at the end of contract time while you're still working, don't judge.  When your colleague stays until 7 every night, don't judge.  How about we all work towards asking one another for help or offering it?  I admit, I have a hard time asking for help, but I really appreciate it when someone does so.

I promise to work harder for my students AND my colleagues this year.

Let's get ready for another school year!  (Or take more time to relax before getting ready!)

Whatever sprinkles your doughnut!

Cheers,
Kasey

Plastic is EVERYWHERE

I dare you to pay attention to the products you use for 24 hours.  I triple dog dare you.  How much do you throw away in an average day?  How much do you recycle?  Do you know what happens to your trash when you put it on the curb?

Do you even care?

I grew up in the late 80s and 90s, and I remember learning about Reduce Reuse Recycle.  I remember turning off light switches constantly, making sure we didn't use too much water.  Anyone else remember this, or is it just me, from my small town in Wisconsin the 90s?  Have we lost our consciousness about how we are treating the Earth?

I watched this video produced by Buzzfeed a while back and I felt like her mission of producing ZERO TRASH was completely impossible. I still feel like it's impossible.  I always want to have a more full recycle bin than the trash, but it's not.  My city doesn't even recycle glass!  I bring my own bags to the grocery store, but sometimes I stop on my way home.  Or I don't bring them to Target or Walmart, or Old Navy.  I use a grocery delivery service and ask for paper, but most of the time the grocery store is out of paper.  My stash of plastic bags was embarrassing! I took them to Walmart and put them in the box they have at the entrance to recycle them, and I pray that they actually do recycle them and not just throw them in the dumpster in the back of the store.

It's all so overwhelming, but there are little things I realized I can do that will hopefully make a difference. The most recent trend in environmental conservation is banning the use of plastic straws.  I don't really use straws at home, but we do go out to eat frequently, and I use straws then.  Why?  I don't need a straw.  But, I bought some reusable, stainless steel straws.  I use them with my water bottles and cups at home now.  (In the summer heat, I always have a large cup of water near by.)  However, I have yet to bring them with me when we go out to eat.  Major fail on my part!  Sorry, turtles!  I promise to try harder.

I found that I also use a lot of plastic storage bags once, then throw them away.  I bought some reusable bags from Amazon and so far they are great.  One of them tore at the seal, but I super glued it back together and it's holding up well.  I used the disposable ones to store the half of avocado I didn't use with my eggs, or the half of cucumber I didn't use in my salad.  These reusable ones are saving us money on buying the disposable bags, and saving the amount of waste we throw out.  The company that I bought the straws from was offering a deal to get a set of 15 mesh bags for free, so I added those to my cart, as well.  I haven't used the mesh bags yet, but I bet they would be great for buying produce at the grocery store, or at the farmer's market.  I might just use them when we go to the river on Sunday. I will put a link to these items at the end of this post.

Now that I only have a month of summer left, I feel like I didn't achieve much with the goal of eliminating plastic from our house.  So many items are wrapped in plastic at the store (mushrooms!  They come a recyclable container but are wrapped in plastic wrap!), and Amazon items come shipped wrapped in plastic.  (Even the reusable stuff I bought above arrived wrapped in plastic!)  Sometimes I wish I could run with a trash bag and pick up trash on the run but honestly I would be stopping so much that it wouldn't be a run.  I know the more populated an area is, the more likely trash will be left on the side of the street. It can all be prevented if people didn't throw trash in their open truck beds before driving off, or literally throwing trash out of their car windows, or making sure your trash bags are secure in your trash cans when they are picked up by waste management.

Everyone has to be all in to stop the waste.  I know there were some people who thought my reusable bag purchase was silly, as they reach for their disposable bags and then throw them out the next day.  And that is the problem: we've forgotten our impact on this Earth. We are just living our lives in the now and not preparing for the future.  What kind of Earth will our kids have to live with in 25 years?  In 50 years?  What are you doing in your daily life to make sure your kids and grand kids will have a place to live in the future?

My goal of eliminating our waste is not over; it's never over.  I will give you updates on what we are doing to eliminate trash and the use of non-recyclables in the near future.  Hopefully I've inspired someone to bring their reusable shopping bags to the grocery store, or recycle more often.  We all have to do our part.

Cheers,
Kasey

Links:
YIHONG set of 8 Stainless Steel Straws
YIHONG Reusable Mesh Bags, set of 15
E-Z Seal EXTRA THICK Reusable Storage Bags

My CG Fit Experience

I first learned about Camp Gladiator two years ago, right before our wedding.  I received a postcard for a teacher appreciation deal and decided to give it a try.  A year and a half later, I signed up for their 9 year Birthday Deal and went Bold after that 4 week camp.  (Going Bold means you've signed up for at least a year instead of just a 4 week camp.  There's a shirt and everything!)

Since September I've been making time to get to camp 2-3 times a week, along with running.  I'm at 89 check-ins at this point and hope to hit 100 before school starts.  I'm choosing to stick with Camp Gladiator because I believe it really helped me to train better for the half marathon I ran in February.  I only ran 2 days a week, did CG 3-4 times a week, and ran faster than my previous record by 11 minutes! 

Every few months they run a special program called CG Fit.  There's a fee to join and it depends on your Bold status.  I also used points that I acquired by checking in to workouts since September so I didn't have to pay the full price.

I was skeptical at first.  I didn't understand what I was paying for, but I wanted to use the body composition scale, be serious about meal planning, and increase weights at camp.  So, I signed up.

I was really surprised with my first body composition test.  I know I need to lose fat, but I thought my percentage was lower than the scale showed me. As I get older, I'm finding it increasingly harder to lose the weight I need to lose.  My body just wants to make sure I always have a cushion-like seat with me everywhere I go!

I really wanted CG Fit to meal plan for me because my husband and I were in a food rut.  We were tired of making the same things every week and feeling like our options as vegetarians were small.  You can purchase planned meals from an outside company through CG Fit, but I can't afford that on my teacher's salary.  So, I did lots of research online (Pinterest, mainly) and found several recipes to try.  I printed them all, added them into MyFitnessPal, and wrote down their macro nutrient content.  I printed a meal planning page and wrote down what I would be eating at every meal, including snacks. 

CG Fit advised that if I wanted to lose fat, I needed to increase my protein intake.  That was the super challenging aspect of meal planning.  Even when I wasn't a vegetarian, I found it difficult to get 40% of my calories to be protein instead of carbs.  If I worked out that day, I didn't beat myself up about going over on carbs.

The end of the school year is so tough, but I'm glad I signed up for CG Fit to make me stay on track.  That doesn't mean that I didn't skip happy hour on the last day of school, but I considered it to be balance.  Yes, I need to lose weight, but I also need to train my body to learn what balance feels like.  I didn't exclude treats, but I made sure to eat in moderation during CG Fit.

I was concerned about paying for the program, but I felt it kept me going knowing that I did pay for it.  If I ever felt like quitting, I told myself it would be a waste of money to do so.  I paid for it; I better see results!

Overall, I lost 7 lbs and increased my weights at camp.  I didn't run as much as I would have liked because it's so damn hot here in the summer, but I know that will change when temperatures cool in the fall.  That being said, I would love to do CG Fit again because it keeps my results so I can compare to different points throughout the year.  It also forced me to find new recipes and sit down to really meal plan for nutrition instead of just for a shopping list.

Now that CG Fit is over, I need to create new fitness goals to carry me through the rest of the year.  I know I will be running the Wurst 5 Miler in November, but I want another longer race to train for this winter.

Thanks for reading about my experience with Camp Gladiator and their CG Fit program!  If you follow me on Facebook you may be tired of hearing about it!  If you are interested in trying it out, I have a code that will give you the next three weeks free.  If you sign up to be a Bold member, ask me for my email address; I can't "level up" from Bronze to Silver until I get 2 referrals. :)

Cheers!
Kasey

Other dieting things I like or have tried:
Diet Bet:  Find a game, pay your part of the pot, lose 4-6% of your body weight, and win!  I played a game led by Chris and Heidi Powell and won $40, which gave me a $6 profit. :)  If you play with higher pots and less people, then the payout will be greater, though!

MyFitnessPal: This is my favorite calorie counting tool to use.  I mainly use the app on my phone to scan and add foods I eat throughout the day.  It breaks it down into macro and micro nutrients, as well.  I used the website on my computer to copy and paste recipe links to load into my database so when I ate that food for dinner, all of the ingredients were already there in the recipe title.  Super easy!

Nike Run Club app: Before I got my Garmin watch, I loved using the Nike app to track my runs.  Great data break down and I could see my pace on my phone.  I stopped using it because I didn't want to use phone data, but it's still a great app!

Recipes We Liked:
Pinch of Yum: Spicy Sofritas Veggie Bowls
This was really spicy (we added a 2nd pinch of sugar the third time we made it and it wasn't so bad!) but we LOVE putting this stuff on rice with pico, guac, cheese, etc.  It's like Chipotle has come to your kitchen!

One Pot Cheesy Mexican Lentils, Black Beans and Rice - Recipe Runner
Delicious, chili-like meal that's full of protein and very filling.  We cooked the lentils and rice ahead of time to cut the cooking time down.

Greek salads:
I created a greek salad with seasoned tempeh, lettuce, black olives, cucumbers, and italian dressing.

Taco salads:
Taco seasoned tempeh, tortilla strips, red bell pepper, and cilantro-avocado dressing.

And greek yogurt as a snack for protein!

My Running Playlist

Do you run with headphones?  Do you listen to music, podcasts, or books?  Personally, I need to have music playing, and I rotate out my playlist every few months to keep it fresh.  There are a few songs that I've kept on my list for the last 9 years, like "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, but for the most part I need to have a good beat to keep me going. 

Below is my Running List from Spotify; this is my time to listen to those guilty pleasure pop songs that make you move!  Enjoy, and happy running!



As always, safety should be your number one priority when you're out running, so make sure the volume is low enough for you to hear your surroundings.  Or you could purchase fancy Aftershokz headphones so you can still hear your music and surroundings.  Maybe if I make enough in my side gig I can splurge on those!

Cheers,
Kasey