Finally! A 2018 Race!

"Disclaimer: I received free entry to the New Jersey(Half) Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"


I’m IN to run the New Jersey Half Marathon on April 29, 2018! I am so excited to head to the Jersey Shore and run along the famed Boardwalk. Over the past 3 years of running half marathons I’ve realized that I’ve made it my unofficial goal to run something in (at least) every East Coast state so I’m excited to check New Jersey off the list.


I lived in New Jersey for 7 months during 2012/2013, but never made it down to the Shore. There’s so much I’m missing! Maybe I’ll fist pump through the race?! Is that still a thing? I sure do hope so.

With a race finally on the schedule for 2018 that means training officially starts on December 25, 2017. Merry Christmas to me! I’ve decided to switch it up this year and try Hanson’s beginner Half Marathon training plan.

The past two years I used the “Under 2:30 Half Marathon Plan” in the RunKeeper app. I thought it was quite effective, but I’m ready for a change. Hanson’s plan is 2 weeks longer than the RunKeeper plan and I think it has a bit more running overall. Most of the miles in the plan are “easy” miles to just get your body used to running high mileage. What I like about Hanson’s plan are the tempo runs at Half Marathon pace and then even some intervals at 10 sec under half marathon pace to REALLY push yourself.

I’m not going to lie to you. It looks really daunting. But I really want to come away with a PR. My fastest half marathon was the first one I ever ran. I didn’t know enough to know how to pace myself or how much I was hurting. It’s been 2 long years and I’m ready to go for it!

I’m itching to start training. I have my gear ready to go including a new pair of Hoka One One Bondi 5s and a brand spanking new pair of Wiivv Custom Insoles. I’m trying to increase my base mileage, but also listening to my body and trying not to get hurt. There’s just a lot of nervous energy right now!

April 29th can’t come soon enough! There’s a lot of hard work to come between now and then and I can’t wait!


Use code "NJMBibrave18" to save $5 off your registration! 

What races are you running? What training plans do you use?


-Happy Running!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Runniversary!

Image
Happy Runniversary to me!   I started running a year ago today. I can't believe it. It all started because I wanted to quit the gym and man, what a journey it's been!  In a year, I've gone from tolerating running for maybe 60 seconds at a time to finishing my first half marathon last month. I've had quite a few ups and downs, but I honestly wouldn't trade this past year for anything.  In honor of my runniversay, I want to give a shout out to everything that's kept me going this past year:  Altra and Hoka One One shoes: A good pair of shoes is a must. I wasn't too wise when I started running, but quickly found out the hard way. Though different in so many ways, I love my Altra and Hokas equally. They both kept me running strong this past year and I couldn't have done it without them.    Garmin watch: I love running, but I hated using my phone to track my runs. It killed my battery and it wasn't super accurate. Enter my su...
Read more

One. More. Month.

Image
The Willimantic Half Marathon medals were released today! I was casually hanging out on Twitter today and saw that BibRave tweeted out a picture of them. I think I squealed with excitement when I saw it. My very first medal! Naturally, I sent the picture to my sister RIGHT AWAY  and she kindly reminded me, we are exactly ONE MONTH  from race day!  One month...holy cow. I honestly cannot believe it. 12 weeks of training down. 2 more long runs to go.  I am still playing around with fueling before my runs. I thought I had it down, but I've started getting stomach aches again. So, I might go minimalist and see what happens. I think I've figured out raisins work well for me during runs.  The biggest thing I need to figure out is hydration. Not so much when or what, but how . I've been using a hydration belt I got at Marshall's last summer, which has served me well. But it's starting to fall apart. And it doesn't hold enough. So I'm on the sea...
Read more

Baby It (Can Be) Cold Outside

Image
Ahhhh Winter. The snuggly sweaters, the boots, the hot chocolate...what's not to love?! If only I could actually pull off that outfit... Source When I dream about my Winter Wonderland fantasy there is always cold, crisp air and sun. And there is NEVER snow. Ever. Quite honestly, I can't stand the stuff. Which is sort of funny since I'm from the Midwest and now live on the East Coast. But I digress. I'm clumsy enough on a good day. Add snow and it's a recipe for disaster. Now, I'll do just about anything to run outside, but some days (i.e. when it is snowing at a rate of 3 inches an hour) it is just too dangerous to run outdoors and I find myself on the treadmill (or dreadmill...whatever). Source Like most people I have a love/hate relationship with the treadmill.  I thought I would share some of my workouts that help pass the time so if you ever find yourself on the treadmill this winter you won't fall asleep from mind numbing boredom.  ...
Read more