Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate or referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services.
The first week of training for the Energy City Half Marathon has come to an end. Check out the lessons learned and how I’m moving forward.
Here we are — a full seven days into 2018! And what a week it was. I started the week off celebrating my 29th birthday, ended it with a five mile run, and went back to school for the spring semester somewhere in the middle. I can already tell January will be a whirlwind. I’m looking forward to it though. It feels good to be training for something again. Check out my week one!
Sunday, 12/13/17:
Rest day! It was a cold, cold Sunday — and also my birthday 🙂 — so my husband and I spent most of the day relaxing on the couch. We cooked a chicken, ate birthday cake, and went to bed by 9:30!
Monday, 1/1/18:
How serendipitous is it that my first official day of training fell on January 1 and a Monday? I had a lot to get through. With 4 miles on the treadmill and an upper body “push” day, it took me about 80 minutes. Honestly, it was the last thing I wanted to do, but I did it anyway.
Related: Currently + Goals {January 2018}
Tuesday, 1/2/18:
I had a faculty work day, so just like that it was back to early morning alarms. Leg day was on the docket — squats, step ups, single leg deadlifts! I hit it full force.
Wednesday, 1/3/18:
The first day back in class started with 5×400 and “pull” day (back/biceps). It was a great day with my kiddos, but I was exhausted by the time I got home.
Thursday, 1/4/18:
Rest day. So glad to sleep in for an extra hour!
Related: Last Week’s Workouts: Birthday Edition
Friday, 1/5/18:
Yoga! Although it was cold in my house, I pulled myself out of bed for yoga and abs — hoodie and socks included! It was a nice way to stretch it out and slowly start the day. I usually reserve yoga and “active rest” for the day after a long run, but I’m going to play around with my schedule for a while and see how yoga the day before a long run makes me feel!
Saturday, 1/6/18:
My first “long” run of this training cycle! The plan called for five miles. Back to school left me exhausted, so I took advantage of Saturday morning and slept in, ate breakfast, and let it sloooowly warm up outside. When I was getting ready to head out, Pippa was too excited for me to leave behind. We did 1.5 miles together and then I dropped her at home to finish up.
This being my longest run since Wine & Dine, I was a little bit nervous (and slow). But I hit a groove and was able to finish strong. The only snafu I faced was when I turned my head to check the traffic coming and somehow smacked myself in the eye with my ponytail. How does that happen?? I don’t know, but I took a minute to walk it off. Ha!
Week 1 Miles: 11 miles
Total Miles: 11 miles
I also jumped back into the blogging game this week. On Wednesday, I shared Currently + Goals for the month of January and Friday had me talking about my plan for Weeks 1-4 of training for the Energy City Half Marathon! Get caught up now and be sure to stop by this week for more fun stuff!
Question: How was your first week of the new year?
I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for Weekly Wrap!
Follow Along Here: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Bloglovin | Newsletter
You crushed it! Great job! My first week of the new year was spent getting back into the groove of work + workouts. I hit spin class, a killer upper body workout and 5 miles yesterday and felt SO strong! A little time off was just what I needed to reset and get back into half-marathon training. Mine is in March! – Kaitlyn | http://www.poweredbysass.com
I wish I could still run with my dog, but now we just go on walks. Good job for your first week back!
Great job getting back on track! Having a goal helps to get the job done. My first week of the new year was spent trying to force myself to the gym. These temps have me in hibernation mode. I’m looking forward to the warm up this week and getting back to my regular routine! Good luck with your training! Can’t wait to follow along
Happy Birthday! Nice first week of half marathon training especially with your birthday, the holiday AND returning to the classroom. I had a birthday recently and I think I ate the entire cake by myself — over a span of two weeks. It’s never occurred to me you could hit yourself in the eye with a ponytail. I guess mine is too short for that. LOL. I’m interested to hear if you like yoga the day before your long run better. Thanks for linking!
Happy Birthday! Looks like a great week for you. Except for the ponytail to the eye incident… been there, cut mine off…
Happy birthday!
I love doing yoga in hoodies, but I do skip socks. If I’m in down-dog, I slip if I’m wearing socks. Bare feet lets me dig into the carpet.
My first week of the new year was C.O.L.D. (and spent mostly indoors). Glad you had a great birthday 😉
Happy belated birthday!
Great week of workouts and first week of training for your half marathon!
Definitely smart to let it “warm up ” outside before your long run!
Happy birthday! Sounds like a great first week of training!
Happiest of birthdays to you! I started a new Half Marathon training plan on 1st Jan! And I was so excited that it was a Monday, lol! All New Years should start on Mondays! Well done on Week 1 of Training.
You’re doing an awesome job, Jessica! Happy birthday. May all of the year be as good for you as your first week! 😉