I am going to run the half marathon (Kiss Me I’m Irish) that starts and end at Westgate on March 14, 2020 and the back-to-back sinus infections and multiple rounds of antibiotics have me almost 5 weeks behind on my training! Let’s hope I can get my running game ramped up in time to have a solid race.
I have asthma so running can sometimes be a big challenge for me. I worked closely with my doctor over the years and have a schedule for using my rescue inhaler during my runs. The schedule works for me and I will not be sharing that information on this blog because you should work with your doctor to find out what works the best for you. I can tell you that at the end of all of my runs I don’t just stop and start walking, I gradually slow my running pace down until I am at a slow jog then begin walking. It keeps the shock factor of the blood rushing to my lungs if I go from running pace to walking quickly.
Years ago we had some really good runners tell us that stretching elongates the muscles and when you run they are working in a compact form so the best thing to do was to either do a short, slow warmup run or start out at a slow run and speed up as you warmup. It has always worked for us in the races that we have ran and I will stick to that method. My goal is to be at my running pace by 0.25 miles into the run. After all runs or hikes, we always go through a stretch routine to show our muscles some love and keep them happy. The cool down walks are always nice and easy, no speed walking for me!
*Note: all times listed are minutes:seconds or hours:minutes:seconds
Monday my sister-in-law and I went for a nice hike. Once we got to the top, we jogged down and ended with 2.02 miles for a 31:53 overall time. We did a 0.11 cool down walk. The hike / jog down is always nice because it gives my muscles something different from regular runs.
Wednesday I went for a quick midday run 🏃♀️ to get my lungs and muscles working hard. These short, quick runs get my body ready to push harder on the next run. Ended with 1.25 miles at a 9:38 pace, 12:07 overall and a 0.14 cool down walk.
Thursday my sister-in-law and I went for a run: 1.00 miles at a 12:30 pace and a 0.87 mile walk.
Saturday a friend and I had previous plans to go take pictures at the zoo so I postponed my long-run to Sunday this week. At the zoo we ended up walking 4.2 miles so I got some work in!