Here’s how weeks 3 and 4 of half-marathon training have gone

Ahh! Where does time go? My daughter is already six-and-a-half months old, winter is half over (thank god) and I have about 8 weeks to go before my next big race.

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My goal in the month of January was to run more miles than I had in January 2014, when I was just starting my second trimester. Between the bitter, bitter cold and everyone getting sick, I fell far short of my goal of 60 miles (I finished 24).

The half-marathon I am training for in April will be my … 10th? I think? In 4 years? This experience in how to run 13.1 miles has both helped and hurt me as I’m trying to ramp my training back up.

It helps because I know how this distance should feel. I have confidence that I absolutely can do it. If this was my first time training, I probably would have given up after a month like I just had, but because I’ve done this before, I know I can bounce back from this and be fine.

Me and my running partner, Manchild

Me and my running partner, Manchild

It hurts because I know the absolute bare minimum I need to do. And I might even be a little over-confident about how many runs I can skip. There was a few years of my life when I could have run a half-marathon whenever I felt like it, and the truth is that I can’t (or at least shouldn’t) today. I really need to treat this training like I am building that base all over again … it’s been 18 months since the last time I ran more than 10 miles at a time.

I’ve run somewhere between 0 and 10 miles a week since the start of this year. My goal for February is run my training plan, which is averages 14 to 20 miles a week. I’m hoping that we’ll all be a little healthier, and maybe it will even get a little warmer so the baby can come with me again.

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So Felicity is 6-and-a-half months old now and I am within 5 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. I haven’t done anything special other than try to eat mindfully (and start running again) and … I am so hungry. ALL THE TIME. Felicity is now almost three times the weight she was when she was born. I can tell the impact that breastfeeding has on my appetite. I’m glad I didn’t freak out about losing all the weight right after she was born because doing it this way has felt sustainable … and pretty painless.

 

Pattie Reaves

About Pattie Reaves

I'm a new mom and renegade fitness blogger at After the Couch. I live in Brewer with my husband, Tony, our daughter Felicity, and our two pugs, Georgia and Scoop.