In the two years before having her, I had really started to get into running; that is, I started to not hate it. Part of this was due to a class offered at my gym, called Trekking. It's a treadmill based class, where the instructor tells you exactly what you should be doing in terms of speed and incline. The class is all based on perceived exertion, so literally anyone can do it. Whether you're fast or not, you get a great workout in. Some weeks we would do hill repeats, and another week we would focus on speed work. I really saw my pace improve over the two years I took the class, and it even inspired me to run my first (and only, to date), half marathon.
I stopped running when I got pregnant, simply because, even before I had a baby bump, it just felt weird. Then post-baby, I kept putting off getting back on the treadmill. Finally, I started taking trekking again, about six months after having my daughter. I was much slower, but it felt so good to be back. Just the other week, I ran 5 miles for the first time in over year!
I wanted to set a goal so I would keep on the running track, so I signed up for a race! I'll be doing the 10k of the Great Race of Agoura in March. When I trained for my half marathon, my Trekking instructor was so nice & made a training plan for me, but for this race, I searched the internet for a training plan that would allow me to build the minutes & miles slowly over time, so I didn't wimp out! I found a GREAT one in RunKeeper; they have three free online 10k training programs, and great app for my iphone, where I'm able to see my training calendar and mark off runs.
Today I will tackle speed work, starting off with 1 mile at a slower pace, running 2 minutes fast, and recovering for 2 minutes. I'll repeat 8 times, and finish with 1 mile at a slow pace. Wish me luck!
Hope everyone has a fantastic Valentine's Day.
xo,
Ali
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