The plan.

Well, considering that my goal is to run a half marathon and I currently don't run at all, I figured it might be a good idea to consider a training plan. After doing a bit of research, most of what I've found as far as half marathon training plans go assume that you already run some. So I decided I'll take it in 3 stages: 5K, 10K and half marathon.

I'm going to work on a 5k training plan first. I found one called "10 Weeks to a 5K." I'm going to skip the first two weeks because I've already been active enough that I have at least some cardio endurance built up. On Tuesday I did a 30 minute walk/run on the treadmill, alternating two minutes of walking with one minute of jogging. I was breathing hard but I definitely could've run more and pushed myself more without feeling like I was overdoing it. Today (and one other day between Friday and Sunday) I'll alternate one minute of walking with one minute of jogging. Then next week I'll jump into Week 3 on this chart.

I registered Joe and I for the Reindeer Run on December 10th. It's a 5K run around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. I figured that registering for an event and paying for it and putting it on my calendar would keep me accountable to actually preparing for it and doing it.

Next, I'll find a 10K race to sign up for in February or March. Then I'll find a half marathon to register for, probably in June. It feels exciting to have a game plan. Now I just need a good playlist and some discipline. I'm a little worried about how running on a treadmill will translate to running outside, but with the kiddos (ages 4, 2.5 and 11 months) I don't have too many opportunities to run outside by myself. It's easier to check them into childcare at the Y and do my thing. I guess I'll just try to jog outside when I can and hope that I can handle the full races outside when the time comes.