Dang, I’m officially ONE MONTH into training for this half marathon! Which means that I’ve been exercising consistently for one month! I went to the doctor this past week (on my birthday actually) to get a clean bill of health and she said I’m good to go! Turns out my doctor is a runner too and we had a nice little chat about training plans and how awesome it feels to cross the finish line. 🙂 Here’s what was on my schedule since our last chat:
- Wed: 3.5 mile run
- Thurs: rest day
- Friday: 40 minute cycling
- Saturday: 5 mile run
- Sunday: strength + stretch
- Monday: 4 mile run
- Tuesday: 2 mile interval run
- Today: 4 mile run
Well things got a little crazy (we’re in the process of getting a new car and moving to a new place aahhh stressful) and I had to move some things around so I ended up doing my “long” run on Sunday and taking a rest on Monday and strength training yesterday. I got blessed with a gorgeous sunny day in the 60’s on Sunday and really enjoyed my time in the fresh air.
So today I did a 4 miler outside (another 60 degree day–woop woop!) and then I’ll do another 4 miles tomorrow instead of a rest day and then proceed with the schedule as normal. I ran my usual trail today but noticed a little stream that I never saw before! Nothing beats running outside.
Something I’ve been focusing on that I thought I would talk about today is staying hydrated. It’s something we all know we should be doing and most of us are falling short. I’m that person who will go days and realize I haven’t had any actual water. I know. It’s bad. But I live in the land of sweet tea and lemonade! Water is not a popular drink in the South! I get very bored with water and tend to forget. I joined a hydration challenge a couple weeks ago that my Tone It Up friend Alicia invited me to (I would link to her page but I can’t find one!) and it was such a great way to help me break my bad hydration habits! I tried a lot of fun new things to get myself to drink more!
Being dehydrated is NOT an option when you are training for a race or doing any kind of physical activity. I learned that I need a constant reminder to drink more or else it isn’t going to happen. I really like this iPhone app called Water Alert (no affiliation or sponsorship, I just like the app). You enter what your hydration goal is and it allows you to easily track your ounces throughout the day. So for example, when I drink a jar (my glassware of choice) of water, I tap the 12 oz. icon on the left and it adds it to my total.
I also have the app programmed to remind me to drink at different points during the day, which has really helped me!
To help with staying hydrated during runs, I asked for this awesome hydration belt for my birthday and my sweet in-laws were kind enough to get it for me!
It has 2 9 oz. bottles and a pouch for food or keys or anything like that. It took some getting used to the first time I ran with it, but it’s clearly an extremely useful thing to have. I don’t think I’ll be doing any more outdoor runs without it!
Do you guys have any tips of your own? How do you stay hydrated?
-Lauren