LIzzy B's Real LIfe, True Beginner, Half Marathon Training Schedule

Why am I posting this:

It’s simple. Sure…I looked at all those other training schedules online…but they all assumed things about me that weren’t true. I couldn’t run 2 miles. I was at square one and doubted whether I could really do it – whether I was crazy!

Disclaimer: This is how I did it. I am a 28 year old, perfectly healthy, slightly out of shape, never injured, novice runner. If you have other limitations, please cross-reference this info with other recommendations! The sole purpose of sharing this information is for moral support and to show that your schedule doesn’t have to be perfect to work!

So here it is:

Lizzy B’s real life, true beginner, half-marathon training schedule! That’s right folks… I went from being able to run a meager 1.5 miles to a half marathon in 12 weeks. Here is how I did it:

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Walk 1.6 m	Run 1.6m	Rest	Run 2m	Run 2m	Run 3m	Rest
2	Run 2.6m	Run 2.6m	Rest	Run 3m	Run 1.6m	Run 4m	Rest
3	Run 3m	Run 3.5m	Rest	Run 3.5m	Run 2m	Run 5m	Rest
4	Run 3.5m	Run 4m	Rest	Run 4m	Cross	Cross	Rest
5	Run 5m	Run 4m	Rest	Run 1m	Run 3m	Run 6m	Rest
6	Run 4m	Run 5m	Rest	Run 3m	Run 3m	Run 7m	Rest
7	Break	Break	Run 2m	Run 2m	Break	Break	Break
8	Run 5m	Run 4m	Rest	Run 4m	Run 3m	Run 8m	Rest
9	Run 4m	Rest	Rest	Run 4m	Run 3m	Run 9m	Rest
10	Run 4m	Rest	Rest	Run 3m	Run 3m	Run 10m	Rest
11	Run 3m	Run 6m	Rest	Run 6m	Rest	Run 11m	Rest
12	Run 3m	Run 3m	Rest	Run 3m	Rest	Rest	Run Half Marathon

NOTES:

1. Shake it out. I ran many of these stretches on a 4 mile loop – so if there was extra milage left over to get back to the car I would walk it. This added up to an extra mile walked on many days. Make sure you walk at least a half mile after you run to shake your legs out.

2. Rotate days if needed. Not every day is accurate to my performance. There were several Wednesdays that I ran, but then didn’t run on Tuesday or Thursday.

3. Take days off if life gets in the way. As the Half approached, so did the holiday season. I took off most of week 7 because of Thanksgiving. But you don’t have to take a break week if you don’t need it. I also changed jobs in week 10 and had to run a little less. The moral of the story is that you can still do it, even if you take an extra day – or week - off.

4. Cross training? Some people say you have to do it to prevent injury. If you believe that take a day of running out per week and put in some cross training. The walking we did after each run was cross training enough for us. I used cross training as an alternative when I couldn’t run or needed to stretch.

5. Stretching? We stretched before and after each run. Dynamic stretches before, stable stretches after. I did yoga a couple times during the schedule.

6. It’s all in your head. One of the biggest hurdles is the psychology of pushing past your limit. I had barely run 2 miles outside before I started training. Building up to the first 4 miles was the hardest part – mentally. I frequently pictured “control of my life” as my prize at the finish line. You have to psych yourself up and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. It’s HARD. But it gets easier. 7 miles seemed like a breeze when we got there.

7. Drink more water. This was a hard one for me. But you have to. Or running will be impossible. Drink an extra 8-16 oz. in the hour and a half before you run each day. It will make all the difference.

REMINDER: The goal of sharing this training schedule is to reassure you – anyone can do it! It doesn’t have to be rocket science!

Other Tips:

A) Get good running shoes. Fleet Feet or another store like it (Varsity Sports in Baton Rouge) can help you find your perfect shoe. There is the right shoe for your foot. They tell you what it is and you buy it. Don’t worry about color. You’re a hard-core runner now. You only care about performance.

B) Get a buddy and a route. It’s a lot easier to stick to running if you have a buddy supporting you and route you are familiar with. You won’t need to worry about where you are going to run, and if you try to chicken out your buddy will rope you back in!

C) Get appropriate attire. If you’re not comfortable, you won’t run. Splurge for some key items – like a couple sports bras and some nice running pants. Compared to a gym membership it’s cheap.

End Game:

I ran all of this schedule until week 12. In week 12 I came down with a virus that put me in bed for several days. I ended up not running the Half Marathon because I was so sick. It was a huge disappointment – especially because I felt like I could do it (minus the illness.) My friend, S, who trained with me did run the Half Marathon and found it to be completely doable after this schedule. I plan to use this schedule again in 2012 to finally cross the finish line!

Bread Tinker #1: Honey Wheat Pizza Crust

Soooo....I've been eyeing the bread section Budget Bytes (a fabulous cheap, delicious eats blog) for weeks now...plotting.

Plus, I took advantage of a Cyber Monday deal to treat myself to a new Cuisinart Food Processor! You know what this means: a marriage of recipes....

GOAL: Make the Budget Bytes Honey Wheat Pizza Dough recipe using the Cuisinart instructions.

Here's how it happened:

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour (divided)
1 cup warm water, 110 degrees
1 packet Rapid Rise yeast
2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp salt

1. Combine the honey, warm water, and yeast in a small bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes, until the top becomes frothy. (This is called proofing the yeast, I recently learned.)

2. In the food processor, combine 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, and salt. Process for 5-10 seconds to mix.

3. Once the yeast is frothy, pour the mixture through the feeding tube of the food processor. Process for 45 seconds.

4. Add the olive oil through the feeding tube of the food processor. Process for another 60 seconds.

5. At this point, your dough will probably be very sticky. Add a half cup all purpose flour. Process for 15 seconds. If the dough is still sticky, add another half cup flour and process for 15 seconds. After you have add a total of 1 cup, continue to add flour one Tbsp at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl of the food processor.

6. Scoop the dough out of the food processor and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise about 1 hour or until doubled.

7. After the dough has doubled, punch the dough down to release air. Then divide the dough into two balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out with a rolling pin until it is about 9-10 inches wide. Place on a greased baking sheet and load up with toppings! Have your dinner buddy do the same with the other ball - or freeze for later.

8. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

I did two pizzas because Gus and I like different topping ratios. As you can see here. I also like smaller pieces of pizza - easier to wrap for lunch the next day!









Glad I got to take the Cuisinart on its maiden voyage! The honey wheat dough was delicious... can't wait to make another type of bread! Here is a picture of the new machine, ready to go :)

Juice Tinker #3: Sweet Potato Carrot Juice (with ginger)

The biggest downside to homemade juice, if you get past washing the juicer, is the sugar. When my tongue started hurting like I'd had too many Skittles, I decided to explore more veggies. I found this fantastic recipe on BlendHappy.

SWEET POTATO CARROT JUICE RECIPE(with ginger)

1 sweet potato
3 large carrots
1 square inch ginger (approximately)

Peel the sweet potato. Juice all ingredients.

INGREDIENT NOTES

Stick to a relatively high carrot to sweet potato recipe. I tried a variation of this juice using 2 sweet potatos and 2 carrots. It was quite chalky.

TASTE REVIEW

Yum! This juice is heartier than fruit juices and much less sugary. The ginger gives it a little kick and rounds out the flavors. As someone with a finicky stomach, the ginger also helps me feel good all day!

Juice Tinker #2: Blueberry Lemonade

In my juice making excitement, I purchased WAY too many lemons. And you know what you do when you have lemons....

MAKE LEMONADE.

BLUEBERRY LEMONADE RECIPE

3 medium lemons
1 pint blueberries
1 quart water
3 Tbsp Light Agave Nectar

Use a vegetable peeler to peel 2 of the lemons. Juice all three lemons (the peel of the third lemon will add lemony flavor) and the blueberries. In a pitcher, add the water and lemon-blueberry juice together. Stir in the agave nectar. Chill.

Make it Sassy: Add some gin ;) I like Beefeater.

INGREDIENT NOTES

Lemon Peel
Both lemon and lime peels contain oxalates, which can cause kidney and gallbladder problems in consumed in large quantities. Be sure to use no more than 1/2 lemon peel for every whole lemon you juice.

Lemon and lime peels can also be covered in wax. For this reason, it's better to use organic lemons or use a produce wash like Fit or biokleen.


TASTE REVEIW
Homemade lemonade, in general, it very tasty. The blueberries and agave nectar keep it sweet but light, and less sugary than other recipes. Quite refreshing!

HEALTH BENEFITS
I'm no expert on health benefits, but some common wisdom:

• blueberries are high in anti-oxidants


• lemons are high in flavanoids (anti-cancer)


• agave nectar is a great way to sweeten up without elevating blood sugar (low glycemic index)
  

Juice Tinker #1: Blue Print Cleanse Spicy Lemonade

While I experiment with detox recipes, I'm also experimenting with juices - perhaps to do a 1 or 3 day juice cleanse. I love the idea of being able to clean out my system and restart... but again, loving an idea and loving a reality are two different things. First, I need to taste some juice.

I originally read about BluePrintCleanse on LearnVest.com - which is a fantastic personal finance website geared toward women. The women who founded the company were profiled. To try BluePrintCleanse, however, is incredibly expensive. Luckily I found Juice101, yet another wonderful website, that has recipes for DIY BPC.

As I get ready to work my way through the recipes, I decided to start with the Spicy Lemonade which does not require a juicer. Here is the BluePrintCleanse Spicy Lemonade recipe. Below I've reprinted the recipe using layperson measurements.

Spicy Lemonade

2 cups water
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Agave Nectar

Squeeze the lemons. Mix all ingredients together. Chill.
Modification: Next time I would use 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper and 2 tbsp Agave Nectar.















What Gus said about it: Ack! Devil juice! Never make me drink that again!

Whatever Gus says, I think its tasty... although as I mentioned, I would make it more sweet and less spicy next time. You can viscerally feel your metabolism speeding up when you drink this juice!

Detox Tinker #1: Cucumber Avocado Soup

This is how I confessed my detox plans to my boyfriend:

Me: I'm thinking about going on a detox diet.
Gus: Good, hun. What's for dinner tonight?
Me: Cucumber Avocado Soup
Gus: Babe. (long pause) Am I going on a detox diet too?

The answer is probably yes. Either that, or Gus will be on a Chinese take-out diet.

Mr. Gus perked up, though, when he saw what I was making. I decided to try a semi-detox version of the Cucumber Avocado Soup posted on Gwenyth Paltrow's blog GOOP. I like Gwenyth's blog because she seems like a regular person leading a fabulous life and sharing tips on how to join her. Some recommendations are a little funny (like how we should all get a backyard pizza oven) but all in all, I'm charmed.

I made a double batch of this cold soup, and it was very light and fresh tasting. It was incredibly easy, too - just throw everything in the blender! This is the recipe for the double batch.

Cucumber Avocado Soup
Serves: 2
Time: 10 minutes (tops)

2 cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1 tsp salt
pinch black pepper

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

I modified the recipe by pouring it over about 1/2 cup of Israeli Couscous and sprinkling some Parmesan cheese on top. If you don't have Israeli Couscous, Orzo pasta would work just as well. This modification makes the recipe a little heartier and sufficient for a non-detox diet meal.


















Gus exclaimed: You're putting it over couscous? Its like Green Gumbo! This is like Top Chef!

I'm glad he approved :)

History of My Detox Infatuation

Back in college, one of my roommates went on a detox diet and I thought she was straight-up crazy. Nothing but salmon and wild rice for two weeks? Gross. I just didn't get it. But back then I also truly believed the cure for all ills was more coffee. And more coffee. And more coffee. It took me a long time, and a lot of yoga, to figure out that what you put in your body is directly related to how well your body functions and how good you feel. Nutty, huh?

Fascination with Detox

I first started thinking about detox in the context of carbohydrates. One day, about a year ago, I found myself in a happy relationship and about 15 lbs over my usual weight. I took up spinning and a more intense level of yoga. I even counted my calories. But I could only get about 3 lbs to budge.

That's when The 4-Hour Body came out... and I love me some efficiency! I immediately jumped into the no-carb lifestyle and found myself feeling AWESOME and loosing another 7lbs.

But one can only eat beans for so long, and while I still eat beans everyday for lunch- they give me crazy energy levels - I had to loosen up. And I'm glad I did, because I now suffer from on-and-off Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I guess my digestive tract has had it with me. :(

Why Now?

This leads me to want to try a detox diet, or perhaps a juice cleanse. I'm digging the idea of giving my digestive system a break, letting the blood flow to my brain, and saying good riddance to all the toxins I've accumulated from the lean pockets and ramen I turn to when I don't know what to make for dinner. I love the idea of being able to heal myself.

The Initial Plan

How do I turn an idea I love into a reality I love? First off, I'm bad at jumping into something whole hog. I tried this with The 4-Hour Body and it was stressful. The truth is that I have a very busy job, that doesn't pay a lot... so I have both time and money considerations as well. I've decided to take it one step at a time...trying out different detox recipes, doing some research, and having all my ducks (meaning recipes) in a row before I start. I'm hoping this will save me time, money, and frustration. Nothing's worse than having to eat $30 gross cold soup for dinner three days in a row because you didn't realize you hate parsnips.

So that's where I'm at folks - ready to start the detox journey... I will post my recipe attempts here, complete with reflections...hopefully to create a plan for rejuvenating my system.