Postpartum Training Plans

I've been thinking a lot about running and what my goals are and how I'm going to achieve those goals. I am now 3 weeks postpartum which means I've got just over 3 more weeks until I am cleared for running again and I want to use these next few weeks to come up with a clear plan. Here are some things that I've been thinking about:

First, running long distances is not the healthiest form of exercise. There is a lot of research about how hard on your body running is and the problems with "chronic cardio." I really love the race environment and having a goal such as a race to train for and look forward to. My thoughts right now are that maybe I will work on walk/jogging a half and then full marathon. I think that by purposefully adding walking to my runs I'll feel less like I've failed when I need to walk during a race and my training will be a lot less taxing on my body. I'm thinking of doing the Cowtown half in February 2014 and then the full the following year, 2015, which would give me plenty of time to train without overdoing it. It also means that most of the training would take place during the cooler months rather than the heat of summer.

Second, I really want to lift weights but have no idea where to begin. I'm going to think about this some more and perhaps look to see what the personal training options are at the gym on campus. I don't want to do the machines, I want to learn to lift weights for real in the "boy" section of the gym :)

So, right now I'm still thinking and plotting but I know that I need to have a goal or the only exercise I'll get will be walking from my office to the classroom!

The Next Big Race!

As I alluded to in my Catalina marathon recap, I'm running another full marathon! I've decided to run the Marathoning For Miracles race right here in Abilene. I'm looking forward to running a race where I can sleep in my own bed the night before and where I have some support from the husband. The race is on November 3rd and I spent the afternoon plotting out my training schedule. I will start officially training on July 1st but starting tomorrow I'll be doing some short runs and building back up. Here is a picture of my training calendar:

Each day has a small sticky note and the plan is to rip the sticky notes off each day as I do the run. The goal is to have no more sticky notes on the calendar by the time the marathon is done. I'm excited by this new system and will definitely let you know how it goes.