Bad to the Bone

I'm really excited about my next race - I'll be running the Charlottesville "Bad to the Bone" Half Marathon on April 9th. I've been saying for a while that I want to run races in states other than Massachusetts and New Hampshire (what better reason to plan a vacation!?) and now I finally am. What makes this even better is that my sister lives in Charlottesville, so I'm turning this race into an excuse to spend five days with Laura. I've decided to make this into a road trip (because road trips make everything more fun) and will be down in Virginia from Wednesday - Sunday (the race is on Saturday). I've never done a road trip by myself, but I'm sure once I stock my car with good food, fun music, a couple books on tape, and a GPS I'll have a great time. 

I'm also hoping to show that I am "bad to the bone" in this race and improve upon my half marathon time. My fastest half marathon was the Hyannis Half Marathon in 2008: I finished in 1:46:33. The past three half marathons I've run I finished in: 1:57:06 (Manchester Half Marathon - my slowest ever!), 1:52:25 (Chilly Fattman Cup Half Marathon), and 1:54:47 (Hyannis Half Marathon). I'm hoping to run Charlottesville in 1:47 (but if I can do it under 1:50 I will be happy). Now this being said, I have less than five weeks to train and try to shave more than five minutes off of my time. So it looks like I have my work cut out for me!

Some things I'm going to do to improve my health, which I'm hoping will also improve my time:

• No sweets Monday-Friday. I started this last week and found that I had more energy and slept better, so I'm going to try to stick with this for at least the next five weeks. 
• Continue to hydrate with lots of water (at least 12 cups a day) and fuel with good foods - complex carbs, lean protein, and lots of fruits and vegetables.
• No alcohol for one month prior to the race. Alcohol is full of sugar, and it interferes with good sleep and energy/motivation. I will have a celebratory beer when I finish the race on April 9th!
• Sleep more. This one is tough because it seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done, so sleep is usually sacrificed. I'm going to do my best to get more sleep every night and have good sleep hygiene (no tv/computer/blackberry within 30 minutes of bed).
• Strength train 4 times per week. Right now I strength train 2-3 times on a good week, and 0-1 times on a bad week - I'm going to make an effort to really stick to the strength training and build some muscles!

I'm also going to try a new training plan. In a Runner's World email this morning there was a link to Smart Coach. You can enter information about yourself and your goal distance and date, and it will put together an individualized plan for you. I just made a plan for myself. The days that aren't on the calendar will be rest or cross-training days.

WEEK 1: 23 Mi

Tue Mar 8 Easy Run Dist: 2 Mi @9:18 Wed Mar 9 Tempo Run Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 4 Mi @ 7:53; Cool Thu Mar 10 Easy Run Dist: 2 Mi @9:18 Sat Mar 12 Long Run Dist: 10 Mi @9:18

WEEK 2: 27 Mi

Mon Mar 14 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:17 Tue Mar 15 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:17 Wed Mar 16 Speedwork Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 7:21 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Mar 17 Easy Run Dist: 2 Mi @9:17 Sat Mar 19 Long Run Dist: 11 Mi @9:17

WEEK 3: 28 Mi

Mon Mar 21 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:16 Tue Mar 22 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:16 Wed Mar 23 Tempo Run Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 4 Mi @ 7:50; Cool Thu Mar 24 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:16 Sat Mar 26 Long Run Dist: 12 Mi @9:16

WEEK 4: 29 Mi

Mon Mar 28 Easy Run Tue Mar 29 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:14 Wed Mar 30 Tempo Run Dist: 6 Mi, inc Warm; 4 Mi @ 7:49; Cool Thu Mar 31 Easy Run Dist: 3 Mi @9:14 Sat Apr 2 Long Run Dist: 13 Mi @9:14

WEEK 5: 29 Mi

Mon Apr 4 Easy Run Dist: 4 Mi @9:13 Tue Apr 5 Easy Run Dist: 4 Mi @9:13 Wed Apr 6 Speedwork Dist: 4 Mi, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 7:18 w/800 jogs; Cool Thu Apr 7 Easy Run Dist: 4 Mi @9:13 Sat Apr 9 Half Marathon Race Day 13.1 Mi @7:54 Time: 1:43:37