{Fitness Friday #5} Running Confidence

Hello Friends!

I am not an extremist with...anything really.  Especially with food and fitness. 

Balance.  Balance.  Balance.

When it comes to workouts, I try to schedule them in my phone, but I make sure to listen to my body. And hey, if I get too busy and skip a workout..it's all good. (For the most part..it depends on how many days I go without.)

Well, since I try not to get down on myself for not getting a workout in...this can lead to weeks (as in one week here and there, not weeks at a time) that I don't really make a specific effort to exercise.  And when you are training for a half-marathon, that's not so great.

I usually end up pushing my running until the end of the week, where I should be spreading out my runs so I can achieve better recovery.

I also don't run outside as often as I could.  I can blame the weather, but planning is also a key factor in getting outside during the daylight.  If it's dark out, I hop on the treadmill.

For example, in a last minute effort to prepare for the 10K race last Saturday, I ran outside on Thursday for a longer period of time than I'm used to.  And was sore for two days!  Including at the race.

In case you didn't know, or haven't thought about it really, running outside, especially on hills and in the cold and wind, is VERY different than running on the treadmill.  I think it's super important to get at least one run a week in outside...even if it's not the most pleasant weather.  (Okay, don't run out when there's a lot of snow and ice...an injury isn't going to help you train.)

You can also see super crazy things outside...dinosaur on a bike what?

After racing the 10K on Saturday, I've grown more confident in my abilities as an athlete.  Is athlete the right word?

I've grown more confident in my running abilities at least.  I now know I can run 6 miles.  I know I can run that six miles at sub 10-minute miles.  It feels awesome!!

It helps to remember how I felt AND how fun it was to run that race each time I go to run again.

I've done two 4 mile runs this week on the treadmill.  I even did my first run on Tuesday and didn't push all of my runs until the end of the week, which can stress me out.

Fancy shmancy treadmill at the rec center!

I also did a couple of strength training routines this week!  It's bad, but I haven't really done any strength training in about a month!

Something else that happened at the race...I met some new friends! 

I have technically been a part of a running group, but have only really met a couple of the 90+ people.  At the beginning of this week, I joined in the conversation about going on a long run this Saturday.  I will be there at 8am tomorrow for 6-7 miles! 

Although the name "Freaky Fast Runners" hardly applies to me, it's cool to be a part of a running group!

I guess to sum it up...if you want to gain confidence in your running, sign up for a race!  It's a great way to meet people and your confidence in your running will improve because the energy from the crowd and other runners will push you further and probably faster than you've ever gone before!

Linking this post up to my friend Katie at Talk Less Say More!  Go check her blog out!
 

Happy Friday all!  And HAPPY SPRING BREAK!!  

*~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~*

Have you run a race recently?  Did you run faster or further than you have before?

Are you a workout procrastinator like me?

Follow my running on:
DailyMile
or check out my
Half Marathon Training Plan