Tag Archives: training for half marathon

How to Continue Marathon Training While Out of Town

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Keeping up your training and/or exercise while traveling can be a challenge.  Sometimes it’s too expensive to go to a gym, the weather is bad, or it’s hard to stay motivated.  During my recent two-week stay in San Francisco, I would leave the hotel early…usually 6:30am to jog anywhere from five to ten miles, three times a week, before attending class.

My hotel was located in the Union Square area of San Francisco and was about a mile from the Embarcadero…which was the waterfront where the piers were located and it was flat.

There are a lot of homeless people in San Francisco and generally they are rather non-confrontational and quiet.  Occasionally, one of them would say hello to me or vice versa.  A couple of times I would pass one that would be screaming vehemently at a wall or inanimate object.  I feel more connected to San Francisco from these early morning jogs!

The following are photos (not taken while jogging) of places and/or things that I would pass while jogging.

This is a temporary large piece (40 ft.) of art along the Embarcadero, called the “Raygun Gothic Rocketship”.

This is a permanent piece of art, erected in 2003, along the Embarcadero, called “Cupids Span”, inspired by San Francisco’s reputation as the home port of Eros.

One of the famous cable cars…invented in the late 1800′s.  These were designated the first moving national landmarks in the nation during the 1960′s.  We learned all types of information about San Francisco during our class, so be prepared to hear some trivia!

If you’re committed to your exercise plan, it doesn’t matter where you are!

My first half marathon is this Saturday about 1 1/2 hr. away from my house.  I went and bought some goo (a small packet of carbohydrate and electrolyte replacement substance) to swallow for energy half way through.  Wish me luck!!

Training for a Half Marathon

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I believe that most people are capable of much more than they realize.  We limit our thinking because of what we’ve been told or read.  A few weeks ago I was jogging three to four miles approximately four times a week and wondered what a “realistic” jump in mileage would be, so I googled “training for a marathon” and the first site was “Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training Guide“.  He said the first week you could run three miles, three days in a row and then after a day of rest, run six miles for your long day of running.  I started following his schedule and was up to 7 miles the second week.  My knees were a little sore that day, but I’m getting stronger.  I even started taking vitamins that include Omega 3 for joints.  The longest I’ve ever jogged before that was five miles in the bayou of Louisiana, while in the Army, when I was 21.

My doggie loves me, because I take him to a nearby nature center and trail run with him.  I’m usually the only one there, so I let him run free!

I didn’t plan on entering a marathon, in fact, my timing was off, because you need to train for at least 4 1/2 months and all of the marathons would be finished by then.  I was telling my friend, Sherry, about training for the non-existent marathon and she suggested a half marathon.  So, that’s how it came to be.