Half Marathon Training: Week Four

Did you know some (all?) treadmills reset themselves after 60 minutes?

I’m guessing you didn’t because most people in their right mind won’t stay on a treadmill longer than 20.  But on Sunday, Tanna and I reset our treadmills as we ran our long run for the week: seven miles.  Thanks to the blustery Maine weather, a couple blizzards, and an often occupied indoor track, most of our runs have been on the treadmill.

That was the furthest no, we didn’t actually go anywhere, the LONGEST either of us has ever run.  The best thing about the long runs (which always fall on Sunday) is that we both have plenty of time.

I’ve found that my problem with the short runs (three and four miles) during the week is that I am so busy and I don’t give myself enough time to leisurely run/jog.  Sometimes I have just enough time to run with sprinting out the end before I have to be showered and headed somewhere.

This past Sunday we ran just under 11 minute miles and it felt good.  We chatted a bit and watched Notre Dame women’s basketball crush Marquette.

The seven miles brought on a different sore muscle.  The outside of my butt, near my hips, were sore for a couple days following that run… huh.

Other new findings:

I’ve found that during most runs I have the urge to pee around the second mile.  I just keep running, however, and joke that my sweat is soaking it up (is that gross?).  So I’ve yet to stop for a bathroom break during any run.  But, I’d like to figure that out and I wonder, is it even possible to run the 13.1 miles without stopping for a bathroom break?

I can run out a cramp so easily now.  At least once a week I’ll develop a cramp during a run.  Actually, I just did today, but I kept running and a couple minutes later I realized it was gone.

My favorite lap on the indoor track is the walking recovery lap.

I like wearing spandex while running.  Underwear=wedgies.

I’ve gotten a lot of compliments about how “great you look!”  I weighed myself the other morning and was just under 170 pounds.  Um, the last time any scale I was looking down on said that was, maybe, sophomore year in high school.  (At least now the weight on my license is correct!)  I don’t actually know how much I weighed when I started this training but I am guessing somewhere between 175-178.

Danielle Clark

About Danielle Clark

I am 28 years old and for 5 years out of college I played basketball for a living. I was a professional basketball player in Europe so I spent most of my years there and came back to Maine for summers and a couple weeks at Christmas time. I thought my years there would open my eyes to what I want to be when I "grow up." That didn't happen. I have discovered, however, that I just have to try something. Just do things and toss myself into them. I have currently tossed myself into being a college basketball assistant coach and one on one reading tutor. I grew up in Corinna, Maine and have been a resident Mainer. I love sports, reading, writing, cooking, baking, watching movies... everything. I have lots of hobbies and not enough time in the day!