After running 17 races last year as a complete beginner, I am now training for my first Half Marathon on the 13th May 2018.
I loved a blog post by Kelly Roberts from ‘She Can and She Did’ where she said of herself that “I am just not a very gifted runner”. This really struck a chord with me and I’m not trying to put myself down when I say the same words. I am not a very gifted runner. I am not a natural runner. As part of my training plan, I ran a 10k race yesterday – I had done the same race last year. And a year on, after so much more running, I was only 27 seconds faster. In the same blog post, Kelly added that “…it doesn’t matter how talented you are, success only comes to people who work their asses off.” That struck another chord. I may not be a naturally talented runner and that’s okay. But what I do have is a strong work ethic. I never give up. I know my weaknesses and how to deal with them. I know my strengths and how to use them. So what my training taught me in the last two weeks is I just have to keep pushing. I just have to keep putting in all the hours. I have to be patient. I have to remind myself that I have just been running for a little over a year. I still have a lot to learn. I still have a lot more work to do. And that’s okay because I know how to work. I know how to push myself. And I won’t stop until I am the best runner that I can be.
Week 11:
Monday, 12th March: Rest Day
Tuesday, 13th March: Gym, The Grid, 1 hr. Oh what torture but how I loved it! The instructor’s style really resonates with me. He knows how to push you to the brink. He doesn’t take no for an answer. He never loses energy and the whole class is just so upbeat.
Wednesday, 14th March: Hills Run, 40:59 min, 4.67 km. You may remember that just 2 weeks ago I felt defeated on this hill! But this time, I didn’t walk once during recovery intervals. I worked harder for longer. How amazing it was to see improvement!
Thursday, 15th March: Gym, Pilates, 1hr. After a long break, I have now been quite consistent with pilates. This was my third week in a row. We worked a lot on our hip flexor muscles. The instructor did call me out for no longer being able to do a teaser. But I’ll get back there soon!
Friday, 16th March: Treadmill, Easy Run 49:37 min, 7 km. I was dreading this run all week just because I have never run this long on a week day. With no one to help me with the kids, I was forced to use the treadmill. So I put on a Trevor Noah dvd and just went for it. I took it nice and easy. No rush. Just wanted to get to the end. I was tired after a long week but got a nice high from the run. Also proud that I did 7 km during the week!
Saturday, 17th March: Rest Day/ Meltdown. I had not hopped on the scale in MONTHS. This journey has always been about getting fitter rather than losing weight. But of course there has always been that hope that weight loss would follow. Well. Confident after a good week of training I hopped on to that dreaded thing. My word. How upset I was. I weighed MORE than I did this time last year. But how could that be? My clothes fit better. I feel healthier. I crumbled. There alone in the bathroom I cried. My husband Ditiro found me in tears. He then said I needed another metric of success. I need to look at how much stronger I am now and what I can do that I never believed I could before. His words helped a little bit but it was only the following day that they truly sunk in.
Sunday, 18th March: Long Run, 2:04:42, 15 km. I had done three 15 km runs before BUT all as races, the one where I got mugged mid-race, the one where I thought I was lost for most of it, and my last race of 2017. And for all three I had never managed to run the whole distance without walking. This time I did run the whole distance and so comfortably! I even had more in the tank when I was done. I ran with my cousin Tapiwa and it was so much fun. What a great feeling! I also wanted to test out some fueling options – so alongside my usual water bottle, I carried some hydration salts and some sweets. I had a feeling I would need something after we passed the 12 km point. But in the end, I managed the whole distance with just my water. On the drive home, I thought “I just did a 15 km run without walking.” I felt strong. And then Ditiro’s words in the bathroom came back. “You need another metric for success”. This was it. I had just run my longest distance ever. That was my true metric of success. Not some arbitrary number on a scale.
Week 12:
Monday, 19th March: Rest Day.
Tuesday, 20th March: Gym, The Grid, 1 hr. I worked hard and I am seeing lots of improvement. For the first time, I actually did a couple of correct box jump squats! My “shuffle” across a high step was really good. My high knees across some hurdles were very poor. But overall, I held my own in class today!
Wednesday, 21st March: Treadmill, Tempo Run, 30:08 min, 4.38 km. I was forced to use the treadmill as it was raining. Played some good music and loved my tempo intervals!
Thursday, 22nd March: Gym, Pilates, 1 hr. With our usual instructor not there, we did a combination of Power Yoga and Pilates. It was my first time doing power yoga and it was intense! I do prefer pilates but I still had a good class.
Friday, 23rd March: Treadmill, Easy Run, 35:45 min, 5 km. This was supposed to be a Fartlek Run but after a horrible day and 1.5 hours in traffic driving home, I just didn’t have the heart to do it. But I didn’t want to give up on the run altogether. So I did 35 min Easy. I struggled to put one foot in front of the other but got to the end. My left foot was sore. I think I must have pulled something in power yoga. Also my left hamstring was uncomfortable and my right calf muscle was tight. So I had a good stretch after my run.
Saturday, 24th March: Rest Day
Sunday, 25th March: Race Day. 1:14:44, 10 km. As part of my training I did a 10 km race, my first of the year! Last year I ran this course in 1:15:11 so I wanted a better time this year. I did get a better time, but I had hoped for it to be an even bigger difference! What I will say though is I ran a strong and comfortable race and my pace was the fastest its been for a long distance run this year. I finished strong with my last km pace being 06:37 min/km. I do wish I had a better time to show for all my training efforts this year. I am wondering whether I didn’t unleash all I had during the race? Maybe I need to push that accelerator a bit earlier on? More on that when I put up my race recap!
Mileage last 2 weeks: 46.05 km
Mileage this training cycle: 168.77 km
Gym Classes last 2 weeks: 4
Grade: A (Gave it my all these last two weeks. Just need to be a bit more patient with myself and my progress)
To keep myself accountable I am linking up with the lovely Courtney from Eat Pray Run and as usual the inspirational Holly from HoHo Runs and fabulous Wendy from Taking the Long Way Home
The Gaborone Runner 
Congrats on that 10k and finishing faster than you did last year! You are getting stronger. You just have to believe!
BTW, I never weigh myself. I just know I would be too obsessed with the numbers on the scale. I prefer to go by how my clothes fit and how I feel.
Have a great week!
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Thank you Wendy! I feel so much stronger; just wish it would translate to quicker times! But I will keep working and believe. Yes, no more scale for me either, LOL!!
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I think hubby is right. I ditched my scale years ago and it was the best thing. I pay attention to how my clothes fit and how I feel. It’s funny, when I saw your first couple pictures in this post, I thought to myself “wow, she’s looking really fit and strong.” Glad you are feeling better about the whole thing!
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I hadn’t been on in so many months, but I thought “Hey I’m feeling so good, let’s see what the scale says”. 😂 Won’t make that mistake again soon! Thanks so much for the comment. I’m feeling so much stronger. Just need to keep at it!
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I think that you had a wonderful week of training!
I don’t weight myself that often, but I go with more how my clothes feel and how I look in them. If I weighed myself I know I would focus too much on the number and drive myself crazy.
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So much better to do it that way! After my 15k run I just kept thinking, “This body just ran 15k, so there silly scale!”
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Great job with the hills and the 15k! I struggle with weight too but that’s a great way to think about it, looking for another metric. It definitely sounds like you’ve gotten stronger and healthier 🙂
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Thanks Chaitali! Not sure why the scale upset me so much because I’m feeling so much stronger. When I read back what I did over the last two weeks, that’s what should really matter.
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Congratulations on a faster 10k! You ARE getting much stronger and I absolutely love the advice and words of encouragement your hubby gave you ….I’d say he’s a keeper. 🙂
From one not very gifted runner to another …you can do it and you will!!!
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Haha! Let’s wear those “not gifted runner” titles with pride as we smash all those finish lines!! He has his very wise moments and when I did the 15k run the day after my meltdown I realised just how right he was.
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Hard work pays off, but it takes so long! Great job at being faster this year. The only time I get weighed is for doctor’s appointments. When I moved out on my own, I did not buy a scale.
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It really does take so long! I’m so much more consistent this year in terms of my training so I’ll just keep at it. Good job not getting a scale!
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The scale lies. If your clothes fit better, you look better, and you feel stronger, the scale lies. Muscle is denser than fat, so it can cause your weight to say the same (or even go up) while you look smaller and fit into smaller clothes. 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat look very different! Don’t despair! Congrats on running faster at your 10K! Progress is progress, no matter how small you think it may be. 🙂
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I like that “The scale lies”! Thanks so much for that reminder! And I was so confident when I hopped onto that scale because I did feel I looked so much slimmer 😂 But yeah, the scale tells big fat lies!
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Great job on your race and finishing faster! Also, great job on all of the workouts and runs the last two weeks! I totally understand the scale upsetting you. I have had my own meltdowns. But, I think you have to look at it as how you feel and also how you’re clothes fit. I feel stronger and slimmer then don’t listen to the scale! It sounds like you are doing great in your training!!
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Thanks so much! I am really enjoying the training and pushing myself. Clothes also fit so much better so I agree with you, that’s what I am going to focus on, not that ridiculous scale!
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Great job on your race! Hey every minute counts. You should be proud of your efforts.
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Thank you! Feeling much better about the race now – I felt strong out there and as you say every minute counts!
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You have made some amazing progress! That 15K run, and the improved time with the 10K, you should be proud 😉 The scale can be SOOO evil. Mine is not playing nice with me, but all of my clothing is, so I’m good. You are probably building muscle, which may be why the scale is not showing an accurate ‘metric’ of your fitness.
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Thank you Kim! And I am discovering that I really enjoy the longer distances. My body seems to find a nice rhythm the longer I run.
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I think you’re doing great! It’s true that when it comes to running, it takes a lot of patience to fully realize all the progress you’ve made. Congratulations on your 10K!! Your hard work is paying off!
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Thank you Janelle. OMG – the patience! Thankfully, when I look back I really see I have come such a long way.
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Running an entire 15k and being stronger on hill repeats, etc. are testaments of how much progress you are making. Also, I wouldn’t get too caught up in comparing your times at the same race. There are factors at play — like the weather — that will affect your performance. The day is never exactly the same. If you feel strong, that is the best measure of success. Thanks for linking!
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On Easter Monday, I managed a 16km run… so there is progress! Those are my new measures. I just need to be patient! Thanks for hosting the link-up!
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Your husband is darling. It’s clear that you’re getting stronger and improving. My personal experience is that running longer just makes me hungrier. Haha
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Thank you Catherine! I get so hungry – shows how much work we are doing out there!
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If your clothes fit better, you’ve lost fat and gained muscle over the last year. That’s a good thing, so pat yourself on the back, don’t beat yourself up!
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