It’s April — less than a month away from my first half marathon, and just a couple of weeks away from my first race of the year — the Pikes Peek 10k in Rockville, Md.
I don’t feel as prepared as I think I should.
I’ve always been more of a treadmill runner than an outdoor or trail runner. I’m trying to change that. Now that the weather is starting to warm up, I’m hoping to get outside more. But it’s been hard.
The weather hasn’t been my only obstacle. Time has, too.
During the last six months, my schedule has been filled with academic work, adjusting to a new job, and moving into a new place. I’m not quite settled yet — I have a longer commute, different work hours, and a new living environment that my body is still trying to adjust to. And finding the time to run has just been challenging.
But maybe I’m not trying hard enough.
With my race dates getting closer, I need to stop making excuses (trips to Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn for new furnishings will have to wait), and make training more of a priority. Setting aside time to run will be even more important when I put myself on the marathon training schedule in mid-June. In the meantime, it’s just preparing for the three half marathons I have coming up (soon!).
I’m averaging about 20-25 miles a week, mainly on the treadmill right now. Ideally, I would like to do at least half of those miles outdoors. That’s this month’s goal.
I went to the Googles, and found some tips for finding time to train:
- Make a running schedule
- Stick to the running schedule (this is key)
- Wake up earlier to run (I wake up early enough – this is not a likely option for me)
- Run to work, or run home from work (also not really an option – I live too far)
- Run during lunch (work day is way too busy for this option)
- Sacrifice other activities (I guess I could do this one)
Sigh. Time. I wish I had more of it.
Running the States 