Running Goals

Hey y’all! Happy Friday.

Today, I wanted to talk a bit about my current fitness goals, specifically centered around running! If you have been following me for a while, you may know that I have completed a couple of half-marathons, and that I signed up for another one in January.

I am always trying to change-up my fitness routine. If I do the same thing for too long, it stops being effective for my body and I stop seeing change. Over the summer, I did a ton of spinning, barre and “bounce” classes (bounce is a like a trampoline cardio thing). These were all really great exercises during the hot, Houston summer.

In early August, I decided I missed running and needed a change of pace with my fitness classes. As of late, I have been doing more “boot-camp” style classes that focus more on strength training. This has been extremely challenging for me, which is good! I love being challenged.

I didn’t log many running miles in August despite missing it. It was extremely hot in Houston, which was my main excuse. Now that it is September, I have my sights set on running and logging more miles.

Running Goals

I am running the Chevron Houston Half-Marathon on January 15, 2017. This is a pretty big race, and I want to PR. My goal is to finish in under 2 hours and 15 minutes.

You may be thinking, what the heck?! That is so slow. It is. However, I would still consider myself a beginner runner. I haven’t been a consistent runner since I started running half-marathons in April 2015. Not only am I not a consistent runner, but I also didn’t train like I should have for the other half-marathons.

I have a new attitude this time around, and I am ready to crush my goal. I will not miss a training run. I will not make excuses. I will fuel my body properly. I will cut-down on wine (as much as it hurts to say that).

Something I am doing differently this time around is joining a support group. I joined The Woodlands Fit running group! They meet every Saturday for the longer training runs. I think it is so important to have a support system and have other people to keep you accountable! We have done 1 training run with the group so far and I loved it.

I am also planning on using the Hal Higdon iPhone App to help keep me accountable through my week-day training runs.

Beyond running the Chevron Houston Half in January, I am also planning on running the Katy Half Marathon in February and The Woodlands Half Marathon in March! I am excited for the challenge of doing 3 big races in 3 months. It will keep me focused on my goals and (hopefully) make me a consistent runner.

Ultimately, I want to be able to run a half-marathon in under 2 hours. I won’t stop until I get there. Once I achieve that goal, I hope to do even more.

Running Equipment

Running is a sport where you really don’t need much equipment. You just need a good pair of shoes. That is your “equipment” so don’t skimp on the shoes you choose to run in. You will ruin your knees if you don’t invest in a good pair of shoes.

My recommendation is to go to a running shoe store in your area where you can try on several pairs, test them out and talk to the experts. It took me 3-4 different pairs of running shoes before I found the right pair for my feet. It depends on a lot of things like your arch, your stride, how you stand, etc.

Again, I am not a professional runner, but I highly recommend investing in a solid pair of running shoes.

Another thing that I use for every run is my Garmin watch! It wasn’t cheap, but I am glad I spent the money on this. I use it every time I run, and I love everything about it. It is comfortable and it does everything I need it to do – tracks distance, time, pace, beeps at each mile, logs your history, PRs, etc. I would save up for one of these if you are serious about running!

Other Thoughts

While I train for these races, I won’t be running every day. I will be running most days, but there will be rest days and there will also be cross-train days.

I am planning on going to my local gym and taking a few strength training and boot-camp style classes when I am not running. I think it is important to change-up your routine to keep your body guessing. Also, strength training can help to prevent running injuries.

Another thing I am planning on doing a lot of is stretching. I have been extremely bad about stretching in the past, which usually leads to an injury. I am going to make this a priority this time around while I train! Fingers crossed for no injuries this year.

If you want to follow me along my running journey this fall and winter, follow my Instagram @run4cabernet – I am planning on documenting every single run on this account! You can check-in on my progress and see how slow I really am 🙂

That is all for today! I hope you all enjoyed this quick post about my current running goals, and I hope I inspired a few other beginner runners out there.

Are you all training for a race? Which one? I would love to follow you along your running journey as well!

-Catheryn