I’m not sure if y’all noticed, but I haven’t blogged about my half marathon training lately. No worries though because my sister and I are still going to participate. We just had to, umm, adapt our plans to fit the current circumstances.
The current circumstance is this – my sister’s knee is still bothering her a little bit. It’s gotten better, but she’s no where near ready to run 13.1 miles. But being the dedicated sisters we are, we decided that instead of aiming to run the entire race, we will run/walk and have lots of fun doing it!
At first, my sister was so upset. She told me to go ahead and train per usual. What she didn’t know is that the reason I’m so excited about the Providence Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon is because we’re going to do it together. So, I told her that, and now I’m training for this thing a little bit differently. Here is my plan…
I am still strength training 2x a week because I love how it makes me feel and because it really does help me with my cardio. And instead of building up mileage with 3-5 mile runs during the week and a long run on Sunday, I am now using intervals to train. In fact, run/walk interval training is what actually helped me lose weight back in the day, and it also helped transform me from a power walker to a runner. Running/walking is very near and dear to my heart!
Here are a couple of examples of what interval training looks like for me…
1. Alternate between power walking for 2 minutes and running for 3 minutes. I usually do this for 50 minutes.
2. Start with power walking for 3 minutes, then move onto jogging for 3 minutes, pick up the pace with some running for the next 3 minutes, and then sprint for the last minute. Repeat 4-5x.
Don’t let all the “walking” deceive you. These are still sweaty workouts that get your heart rate pumping. In fact, I kind of look like this after I complete them…
Well, kinda… 
Anyways, back to me and my sister. We’ve decided that we are not quitters, we are adapters. And personally, the bigger lesson learned for me is that you can’t let the curveballs throw you off. You have to keep moving forward no matter how disappointed or upset you are. Life isn’t about having things always work out perfectly – it’s about learning to deal with the imperfections and making the most of every situation. How’s that for a deep thought!?
So now y’all know why I haven’t mentioned the half marathon on here lately. But no worries, I will still be providing you all with a full recap of the race. You can breath easy now!
Do you ever do the walk/run combo thing for workouts?
Heck yes, I’m a big fan of the walk/run workout. It is great cardio and I feel like I am really elongating my legs through the walking.
Hi my Sunshine! I just wanted let you know that i am so so proud of you and my princess:) So what if it is not all run and it is walk/run…good for you…
hi there – im new to your blog and i love it! I think it’s a great idea to mix up your workouts – i personally don’t walk/run because once i stop running i have a really hard time starting up again but i know A LOT of people who do it and it really helps them. Good luck – looking forward to following along.
I absolutely love intervals. I think it’s one of the best cardio workouts there is for training, weight loss, and just to keep things moving along without getting bored. It’s so nice that you and your sister are still gonna experience it together!
Walking is highly underplayed in the training equation. For a starter like me it provides endurance to glide through longer runs and mentally motivates me to shoot for that target.
PS: I am sorry to hear about your sisters knee, but you are a good sister to do the whole thing with her 🙂
Life sometimes does get into the way of things. But you guys will still have a really good time. Obviously!
I do the same type of intervals when I’m training for long runs too! It helps my body adapt so much better than just trying to see how far I can run without stopping.
I used to snub walking/running but I’m all over it now! I actually think it helps me run faster and longer!As long as my heart rate is up, who cares what’s doing the job!
I think running/walking is great! It’s definitely a good way to switch things up!
You guys are so awesome for continuing with your half marathon plans, even if it means changing them a bit. And that’s really sweet of you to decide to run/walk with your sister. 🙂
I’ve been a big fan of run/walk workouts lately, especially with the heat we’ve been having!