I've been training for a half marathon. I am running with a friend who runs a ton more than I do and is way more dedicated. Lately, I have been really tempted to give up.
The furthest I've run is 4 miles. Plus, the few short runs I do each week (except 2 weeks off to get hitched) have lulled me into thinking that boosting my overall cheesecake and ice cream intake is a fine idea. My legs are getting stronger, but my belly is beginning to flop out over the tops of my nylon running shorts. My heart feels like it is less eager to go into full arrest, but my triceps are threatening to knock me unconscious as I pump my arms to propel myself forward.
I got my wedding pix back and my arms look beefier than I had hoped. It's a real test of my self-love to keep myself from pointing that out to anyone who looks at them. "See those arms? Looking beefy right?"
How the eff am I ever going to run 13 miles? The course goes from Brookhaven all the way down Peachtree to downtown and then winds up somewhere around Turner Field. The thought of getting in my car and driving from one point to the other is daunting enough, much less running it!
But I will not give up. If anyone has any tips on how to train, pass them along (crickets commence chirping here). Seriously though, what do I eat the night before I run? (Did I mention we run at 5:45 AM?) What other type of training is most helpful? Weights? Pilate's? The race is Thanksgiving day, so realistically, how far should I be running at this point. My goal is to do a 5 mile run this weekend. How much distance can a novice like me add each week? If I make it to 10 miles and do that 2 or 3 times before the race, will I avoid embarrassing myself and finish? Halp!