After I awoke this morning, I went on my first post-half marathon run. My legs have felt 100 percent normal since Tuesday and I was anxious to get outside and shake them out on a run with Sadie.
We covered five miles and I felt great. The weather was nice and cool and my legs weren’t stiff at all. I’ll take it!
Sadie seemed to have a ball and finished our run completely unfazed and ready for more playtime. She settled on hunting some shadows while I walked for a little bit to cool down.
Once I arrived home, I made breakfast, wrote my morning blog post and worked through the morning until lunchtime.
Lunch
In honor of National Peanut Butter Day, I made sure to include the creamy nut butter in my mid-day meal.
I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on toasted Ezekiel bread and served it with an apple, Wheat Thins and Sabra roasted pine nut hummus.
Not too shabby!
Question of the Afternoon
Now that my half marathon is over, I feel like I need a new fitness goal in my life. I have a few ideas in the back of my mind, but I would love to hear about your current fitness goals, so I ask you…
- Are you currently working on a fitness goal? Any big races or fitness competitions in your future?
Of Possible Interest
- Drop-And-Do-Anywhere Toning Circuit Workout (FitSugar.com)
- How To Pick the Right Yoga Class (Fitbie.MSN.com)
- 60 Must Read Health & Fitness Blogs (Greatist.com)
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I think it’s great that you gave yourself a solid amount of recovery time after the half. I sometimes forget to allow myself that rest because I get so excited to go run, but it’s really not doing my body any favors. First track meet is tomorrow afternoon! I’ll be doing some shorter distance races until late spring when I go back to 10K and half training!
I am about 2 1/2 weeks into CrossFit. I go after my first Girl WOD tonight. Cindy, here I come.
I was pretty scared at first to start CrossFit. I am writing about my journey at www. crossfitbluefield.com to help other women get comfortable with CrossFit. West Virginians need more fitness options and goals!
Hey! Im training for my first mini- May 18!
im following a hal higdon full marathon training guide and will do the mini in between.
have to find the full one to do!
We’re planning on a 150 mile hike in high altitude this summer so everything I’m doing right now is with that in mind!
i cannot wait to read about this adventure!!!
Oh my gosh! That sounds amazing & I can’t wait to read about this too! I climbed the Grand Teton w/ my family last year, nothing near 150 miles, but def a great experience!
Thanks for the interest, you guys! I’m really excited! I haven’t been to the Grand Tetons yet, but I’ve always wanted to see them 🙂
You should visit the Tetons soon, they are my “Backyard” and worth the trip to play in!
Well my current goals right now are to 1) tone up and 2) get my injury under control so I can run again (it’s been 3 months…). But once that happens I’d love to PR in a 5K and in a half marathon!
I’m confused…why do you call it your “mid-day meal”? Isn’t it just called “lunch”?
haha – yes, it’s just lunch. just another way to talk about lunch, i suppose.
I would like to rediscover the joy of a long (anything over 8) run. I PR’d at 5k and 10k distances this past fall but would like to tackle another half marathon with a PR goal.
The Kidless Kronicles
My current fitness plan is to take it easy at the gym… well no high intensity exercise so no running for me. sad, but best for my body.
your body will thank you for doing what is best. 🙂
i wish races weren’t so expensive. my husband and i recently moved basically across the country for him to go to law school. so we are in minneapolis and i ran the twin cities marathon a few months ago. i scored a bib on craigslist for $30. there are a few 1/2’s that interest me. one is beginning of march. but my dream is to start my own race series that’s affordable. maybe someday!
I have a half marathon coming up in late August. I can’t wait!
I am training for two halfs – Run the Bluegrass in March and Wisconsin in May. My goal is to build a good base with Bluegrass and kick up training to PR in May. I’m also looking to REALLY build my fitness level as I consider a personal training cert.
I’m working really hard to get some PRs this spring – I have a 5k in March, a half marathon in April, and a 25k in May and I’d love to PR them all.. The major focus of the three is the 25k, though.
Well done for going out for your post half run – you did so much better than me! My legs were like planks of solid wood after mine, I couldn’t stop laughing when I first ran on them! Glad Sadie enjoyed it too!
congrats on making the Greatist list :). I have a half marathon in the spring but my cousins girlfriend is trying to get me to do a triathlon with her in the summer which I am currently mulling over in my head 😉
i was in the middle of marathon training when i hurt my hip after a 15 mile run (almost 4 weeks ago) 🙁 since then i have increased my time spent at the gym. my hip is starting to feel a little better, but with about 5 weeks until the marathon, i’m not sure if i will be able to do it! 🙁
last night i went to my very first crossfit box for a workout and I LOVED it! if it were up to me these would be my goals: run that marathon, then work on PRing in distances less than 1/2 marathon. maybe. i dont know! i love long runs but i also want to build some muscle and cut fat, which for me isnt all that possible when doing that much running.
Hi. Just read your post and want to share with you that I just ran the Disney Marathon and my longest run since October was 10 miles. I have neuromas in both feet and a bad IT band, so I didn’t want to push myself too much before the race. I continued with my “Insanity” workouts, weights, and yoga and finished the full marathon in 5:30. If you have a solid cardio and strength base and the determination to finish, I am quite certain you will rock your race! It’s amazing what the excitement of the crowd will so for you throughout 26.2 miles 😀
Awesome! Sabra roasted pine nut is always my go-to hummus 🙂
My goal is to complete a half-ironman triathlon this year! I’ve done several sprint and olympic distances. My fiance’s dad wants us to all do an ironman together someday (we do triathlons together), so this is the next step to get there!
I am big on fitness goals! My current goal is to be able to do REAL push ups. Right now it just isn’t happening… so I need to build up to it! I’m also planning on at least 1 5K each 3 months this year, and a 10K by the end of the year. It really helps to keep me on track if I have goals like this to hold me accountable.
Yes! My boyfriend and I are doing the Foam Fest in Atlanta in March and it’s like a mud run just less dirty. There will be a lot of different obstacles so I’m using Tina’s Bootcamp to get my body strength up so I can do all of them!
I am training for my first full marathon. Green Bay, May 19th. That is basically all I can think about these days!
Right now, I have my first half marathon in April. I’m also hoping that half training will help me PR for a 10k in May. We’ll see! Your half posts/tips have been keeping me really motivated, btw. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve really been struggling with my fitness goals due to several subsequent injuries that have my doctor ordering me not to run for at least 6 months. I was training to run my first half marathon, and was so incredibly excited. It’s been so hard because I lose myself in running and it truly makes me so happy. I like swimming and biking too, but with my knee injuries, my body can’t usually handle much of those either.
My fitness goals seem at a stand still, even though I’m still regularly lifting and working on strength training. I still feel like I’m regressing in a way, and falling out of shape.
If you could do a blog post on dealing with injuries and how to stay positive, I would def appreciate it–it’s been really hard. It weighs on your confidence and daily mood when you’re restricted, and I’d love to hear what other people have to say about dealing with being told you can’t do what you want fitness wise.
Great first post half run! My goal this year is to PR in the half. For a few years, I ran lots of races, but never really focused on training. I really want to focus on quality over quantity this year, which I hope will lead to a PR!
Hey Julie! I totally understand you wanting to do a new challenge after your half marathon. This past December I just ran in my 3rd half-marathon, and like you, I am ready for a new challenge. I am thinking about training for a triathlon if I can find a place where I can train for the swimming portion. Have you done any triathlons before? If so, how did you train?
I’m running my second Boston Marathon this spring for the Boston Bruins Foundation! My goal is to run it in 4 hours (or less, but that’s a scary thought)!
Definitely a good idea to give yourself some rest after the half. I probably wouldn’t be able to run for about a year after…I guess you can tell how much I love running;) I still haven’t tried Sabra hummus! I believe I’m missing out big time.
What about one of those Tower Runs? Where crazy people run up a million floors of a building?
I will soon be starting with a half-marathon training group to prepare for my first half in June, here in Duluth, MN! I’m really excited for it. I’m also trying to work on better strength training, and figure out the ways of the fitness world!
I am training for a stair climb competition in February – I’m so nervous! We will be climbing 50 stories in one of the tallest buildings in Philadelphia. The event is raising money for Cystic Fibrosis, so that is my biggest motivation!
My current fitness goal is to run my first 1/2 marathon! I’m 2 weeks into training!
my goal is to run 1000 miles this year. i’m blogging about it and you’ve been a great source of inspiration for me
runningathousandmiles.blogspot.com
My fitness goal is to tone up my body. This seems to be getting more and more difficult as I age. In fact, everything related to getting my body in shape seems to get more difficult with age. 😉 Anyway, I have been trying your circuit workouts and my goal is to repeat it as many times as you say to. Not easy for me!
I just signed up for The Biggest Loser 15k. It’ll be my longest race, and I am nervous but excited. The best part is that my dad signed up for the 15k walk, and he is not huge into fitness. I am so proud of him for taking that first step! It should be a run race!
Julie, you should train for a triathlon! You’ve got the swimming and running down, so you just need to get a bike and ride a bit. 🙂
Great post race run! I am hoping to get a 10 min mile half marathon this year and do back to back half marathons so I can join the half fanatics 🙂
One month into training for my first marathon! Trying to stay strong, focused, and injury free =]
Nice job getting back out there! I was the same way after my last race of 2012 and did this whole “uhh now what…” so I signed up for a half marathon in March, a half marathon trail run in June, and once registration opens I am signing up for a marathon in Sept. I figure this way I will have something to train for all year!
My current fitness goal is to just FINISH the Disney Princess Half Marathon next month. It’s my first half and because there are characters everywhere, I’m hoping to just finish and not worrying about my time. I think I’m going to get distracted by all of the Disney Magic 🙂 I’m having some IT Band issues right now, but I’ve found that stretching it out has been helpful so far, so I’m hoping I can stave off anymore issues for the next three weeks because I’ve been looking forward to this marathon forever!
I too have some IT bankd issues, what has helped you? I am curious to try some new approaches…thanks!
I do a standing stretch where I cross the affected leg over my unaffected quad and squat down until I can feel it in my IT Band. I’ll hold that for about 30 seconds, do the other side, and then repeat. I’ll also do a similar pose on the ground, lean back on the floor, supporting yourself with your hands (you don’t have to lean far), plant your feet on the ground with your knees bent, cross your affected leg over the unaffected quad and lift your butt up off the ground. I tend to move my butt up and down on this one.
I’ve found that most of my issues with my IT Band are where the band connects to the knee, on the right side of my right knee (I’ve always had issues with my right knee). When it flares up, I’ll ice that location, take some aleve, and try and do some cross training. I found that easy riding on the stationary bike has helped me. If it’s really bad, I’ll tape my knee, starting from the bottom, outside of the knee first, and work my way up so that the whole knee is secure. I’ll then slip my knee brace on over that and do some cross-training.
Good luck!
Do you eat anything before you workout first thing in the morning?
My fitness goal is to PR in the half marathon. I’ve done several, but have never specifically tried to train fast so I’m hoping for a sub 2:00 which is fast for me! What I need to be doing? Strength training, but I hate it!
I like having a run or something to work towards too. I’m not signed up for any runs so instead I’m working on improving my weight workouts.
My fitness goals are fairly general: I simply want to become a better CrossFitter. The ultimate goal for this semester is to become a CrossFit coach. I am going to graduate school this year, and would like to land a coaching gig wherever I end up.
My goal is to rock out the Pretty Muddy Dallas 5K mud run! I am more than capable of a 5K, but I’ve never done a mud run…I know it’s going to be a blast!
I am about to start a 6 week fitness challenge with my TRX studio & I am pretty stoked about upping my fitness level! 🙂
I have my first half coming up in February and my second in March. I’m actually following your half training plan while doing bootcamp on my cross training days. I feel like I’m going to be looking for another goal when I finish though…I’m not sure I want to do more running than a half, so what’s next?
I’m a novice at running (can’t even run a mile, though that’s my goal for this afternoon or Saturday), but I want to sign up for & complete a 5k this year. I don’t care about times, really, just want to run the whole thing.
My second goal: as a former gymnast currently taking an adult class (so much fun!), I want to do a roundoff, back-handspring, back tuck again. I did it months ago but took some time off .
I started the Insanity workout 2 weeks ago… And I absolutely love it!! It is an incredible workout every single time, pushes you to your limits, and is a fun way to challenge yourself. It is easy to find goals to set for yourself within it. I really recommend it if you are looking for a new fitness challenge. It also incorporates alot of circuits which you always talk about liking!
My main fitness goal right now isn’t a race or a competition – it’s to look and feel my best on my wedding day! Just over 7 months to go!
I am also in the 3rd week of a 10-week fitness challenge at my gym. Hoping to drop some leftover “holiday cheer” 😉
Yes, I signed up for a 5K in March and I am hoping to PR (sub 25-minute, maybe even sub 24-minute??). I recently joined a gym and have started strength training, hopefully that will help!
I plan on running a half in the spring. I just can’t decide if I want to run one that is at the beginning of April or May. I had an overuse injury the last time I ran one, so I want to be sure not to push my training too much, so I’m thinking to wait to run one until May to give myself enough time.