Training

Journey to My First Half Marathon, Week 9

Shathiso @thegaboronerunner.com

After running 17 races last year as a complete beginner, I am now training for my first Half Marathon on the 13th May 2018.

This has been a solid week of training for me. Coach Nicola kept things interesting by adding a hills workout as well as a tempo run!  I thoroughly enjoyed both, although the hills workout had me really questioning my level of fitness! I also had my longest Long Run this training cycle. So I’m feeling good. Here is what went down this week.

Monday, 26th February: Rest Day

Tuesday, 27th February: Gym, The Grid, 1 hr. This is what I wrote down in my training notes, “Last week I died… this week I killed it”. This is such an intense class and this time there were 12 different stations, 6 for legs and the other 6 for abs. There was also quite a bit of equipment – spinning cycles, 20 kg bags, kettle bells, skipping ropes, etc.

I noticed some small improvements. For instance, usually I struggle to jump onto a step using both legs simultaneously. But this time I managed to use both legs for a few of the jumps. It is a fast and intense class but once you are done, you really feel like you have accomplished something. Love, love it!

Wednesday, 28th February: Hills Run, 30:12 min, 3.57 km. Haha! Now this was also fun, just so hard! Ditiro and Tapiwa met me at my office and then we drove down to Mokolodi together (about 15 min out of town). Gaborone is super flat but Mokolodi has some nice inclines. What a tough workout! We started (and ended) with a 10 min easy jog, but between that we ran uphill “fast” for 200 metres and then recovered x 4. It was a struggle and our egos were a little bit bruised at the end as we thought we were a lot fitter! The hills obviously thought differently, LOL!

I still managed to do my Planks Challenge when I got home though with my dog Zinzi supervising me!

Thursday, 1st March: Gym, Pilates, 1hr. This was my first pilates class in a long time but after my Grid Class and Hills Run, I felt I needed some stretching. Many in the class were beginners so it suited me as the instructor went back to basics. I have definitely lost a lot of the flexibility and core strength that I gained last year when I was doing pilates twice a week. I really need to stick to this class and get back to where I used to be.

Friday, 2nd March: Treadmill, Tempo Run 35:46 min, 5 km. This was a tough day for me for personal reasons so doing this run was the last thing I wanted to do. But as soon as I got home I just forced those shoes on and got on with it. I think I over-exerted myself on the “tempo” intervals as I was exhausted when it came to the “easy” intervals, but it was a great run that left me pumped. It’s amazing what a good run can do to uplift one’s spirits.

Saturday, 3rd March: Rest Day. I took advantage of rest day and the kids being at their grandparents to get some sportswear laundry done! With all the working out we have been doing as a family, we have had to add an extra day of laundry!

Sunday, 4th March: Long Run, 1:35:34, 12 km. I did it! Yay!!! So pleased with this run – my longest this year. We started at Airport Junction Mall and headed to the Airport and back which made it exactly 12 km. Tapiwa and I started the run together and then she pushed ahead around the halfway point. We had a good chat in that first half and when she left I focused more on my breathing and pushed my pace a bit more. My second half ended up being faster than my first half. My husband Ditiro was doing a 15 km run in the same area and once he was done he joined me for the last 2 km which was really nice. Towards the end of my run, the President was heading to the airport – we wanted to take a photo of me running as all the Presidential Escort motorbikes were passing but we didn’t know if that was allowed! But I could already see my blog post headline – “The Gaborone Runner gets a Presidential Escort for her Long Run!” LOL.

Overall, my pace felt comfortable but it was still much faster than last week’s long run by quite a margin. My knee started complaining around the 5 km mark so I did quite a bit of foam rolling when I got home (plus some arnica after my shower). I also (hands over face) treated myself to a new sports top for my 12 km run effort! 😉

Mileage this week: 20.57 km

Mileage this training cycle: 102.72 km

Gym Classes this week: 2

Grade: A- (A great week overall but I was not very consistent with the 30-day push-up, planks and leg challenge!)

To keep myself accountable I am linking up the inspirational Holly from HoHo Runs and fabulous Wendy from Taking the Long Way Home

29 thoughts on “Journey to My First Half Marathon, Week 9”

  1. You had an excellent week of training! Congrats on the longest run of the year too. I love what you wrote in your journal “Last week I died… this week I killed it.” It is so validating when you can feel progress! Oh, and don’t we all deserve a presidential escort for our long runs? LOL. Have a great week! Thanks for linking.

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  4. Great great week, my friend! Congrats on that long run. We don’t have many hills around here so it’s a challenge when I have to run them. Yesterday, I think I found all 3…

    Have a great week!

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    1. Haha! So you know exactly what I go through! So excited about the week. The feeling of finishing that 12 km was amazing. And something I forgot to write – after last week’s 10 km run, I felt so sick the rest of the day. But after this long run I recovered nicely, did some shopping and just got on with life!

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    1. Pilates is one of my favourite workouts – gives you such a strong core and I found it even helped me with my breathing when I run. You just have to be consistent. I have missed a few months and I really struggled that first class back.

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  8. I love treating myself to new gear 🙂 I should probably do laundry more frequently since I do have lots of sports gear to wash, but somehow I make to the weekend.

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  9. You had a great week! Isn’t nice to see/feel some improvement in the gym. Great job keeping up with your planks and for foam rolling after your long run. Would have loved to see a pic of your presidential escort. 😉

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  10. Sounds like a great week to me! I actually kind of like hill workouts. Even though they are tough, you can always see the top of the hill and know you get a break from the speed once you reach it. Good job!

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  12. Love your canine planking coach. 🙂 Sounds like a good week overall. I hope your knee is Ok. Now that the PF in my right foot is getting better my left ITB is complaining, ~sigh~

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  14. Great job with your workouts this past week! Tempo runs are challenging and definitely tire me out when I’m done – I usually end up sleeping like a baby that night!

    Oh and I have a load of workout clothes I need to get out of the dryer – I have way too much stuff!

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  15. Pingback: Journey to My First Half Marathon, Weeks 11 – 12 – The Gaborone Runner

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