Week 1 of training for this half-marathon was SO hard– on my hips, knees, ankles. My gosh- that elliptical I had been using for the last 6 years doesn’t really translate to running on the road very well. Last week was so painful, I was living on Tylenol after each run! And the week culminated in a 4 mile run on Sunday (after which I was sure I was dead).
This week, week 2, was already a little easier, thank goodness. I was having some serious regret for this goal- I mean, who says they WANT to run 13.2 miles?? It sounded great when I was just looking at the training plan on paper. But now that I am actually training for it…it’s not so easy.
The thing of it is, I have been an avid elliptical user for years, keeping my cardiovascular health in good shape. But the muscles I use for the elliptical are NOT the same muscles I use for running in real life. So, even though I was “running” 5+ miles each night on the elliptical very easily, it isn’t so easy to run even my “easy” 3 miles in 30 minutes runs twice a week on actual pavement. Not to mention, I am supposed to run 5 miles Sunday morning. Ouch. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have moments of regret.
There are moments of excitement, too, like seeing some quick results over 2 weeks! And, I am actually working out for less time, but more intensely than before, but it allows me time for some relaxing things, like chilling in the jacuzzi at the gym.