Hi Everyone. . .
Thought I’d make a little blog of my 12-13 week training for the Austin Half Marathon on Feb 20th. Enjoy!

Why in the world am I doing this?!?!
I’ve been on the road the greater part of five years now and my body has been aching for some solid cardiovascular training beyond what singing and roadside/hotel room yoga has provided. I’ve also been feeling really antsy about how chaotic my life has been for the last few years on the road and have been yearning for some routine, discipline and clarity. Training for a long race seemed the perfect remedy and this year’s winter months are not riddled with extensive touring. I’ve also been quite ill/near pneumonia for the last 3.5 months, so i figured my lungs might love me more if I made a conscious effort to rebuild their structural integrity.

I was a runner in middle school, placed in many track and field events and did a lot of running in college but over the last 10 years, I’ve been out of the habit. I ran the Pride Run 5k in June and thought a longer race challenge might do me good. Plus, I’ve got a bunch of crazy friends who are triathletes and marathon runners who keep bugging me to join the ranks.

So usually, someone training for a long race does so on a schedule. There are 3-4 days of running and 2-3 days of cross training (can be biking, swimming, yoga walking etc, just NOT running). The runner does 2-3 short runs and one long run in a week to build up. Sometimes the short runs involve sprints and hills to increase endurance and speed.

My dear friend, Amy Fletcher arrived back in Austin on Tuesday after running the NY marathon and she helped me put my training schedule together. We had to create one to fit a 12 week program as well as work around my work/gig/travel schedule. Most folks do their long run on a Sunday, but because my job requires me to travel most Sundays, I needed to move mine to another day of the week, so we chose Mondays. Hopefully this won’t mess me up too much as I get closer to the race. Most races are on Sundays, so the “long run” of that week falls into place nicely for that. I’m not gonna worry about it. . .

Miles & Cross Training First Week:
Day 1, 2.7 mile run in 38 minutes (with a few hills on pavement). In retrospect, I should’ve hit the trail for this one. My knee started giving me trouble on day 2. Funny thing is that I have only once had knee issues in my life, but now, I’m a little nervous that it may be funky for the whole time.
Day 2 – walked 4.2 miles. . . After this, my knee was in acute pain . . .
Day 3 & 4 were cross training days – I practiced yoga on these days. Went to Black Swan Yoga on Thursday morning and it did me RIGHT!!!!!! So strengthening and detoxifying. What a great studio. Austinites, if you haven’t been, CHECK IT OUT. It’s a donation based studio in downtown Austin and it simply ROCKS.

The weekend was all travel for me and my knee pain has subsided significantly. I’m excited to get my run on tomorrow!