And here we go. This is my second attemt at starting a blog, and this time I have quite the mission. To document my way from zero to sixty, or more accurately - my way to the Oslo (half) Marathon in September. I have just under seven months to gain some marathon running abilities. And I do start at almost zero. I have shin splints, my knee will sometimes be really bothersome, and I'm not in a good shape generally. Whatever, I will try, nonetheless.
And I will not be alone. This mad plan is actually a deal between me and my friend Josefine. And besides, my boyfriend is a capable runner himself, and will hopefully drag me out those days when I'd much rather stay inside on the couch.
Me and Josefine, a long time ago...
Me and my boyfriend. Yeah I know, crappy picture.
I also have some kind of a mentor. I recently stumbled over Nurse on the Run; http://www.susanruns.com/, and she's AWESOME. I found inspiration, and as it seems like she really knows what she's doing, I might pick up some advice from time to time (or all the time). I might be a little bit in love... Or maybe I'm just some kind of starstruck.
I'm now at work. Every other weekend, I work 12 hour night shifts. It is rough, and almost impossible to get in a running session. I get off at 9 in the morning. I go home, and get to sleep at around 10. Then I wake up at 18 or 19 in the evening (no good at am/pm - I never remember which is which...). I shower, eat dinner and go to work. That's it. But yesterday, I slept at work, in on of the tiny bedrooms in the basement. It is completely dark, and in the weekends it's quiet. So I got a good, restfull sleep, AND time to work out in the gym we also have in the basement.
So. I have started following the half marathon training program that famous (?) Norwegian runner Grete Waitz has put together. The program streches over 12 weeks, which gives me plenty of time. I can take it slow, and considering my bad legs, that is not a bad idea.
Week 1 - Day 1
I was supposed to take a slow jog, ca 30 minutes. I was allowed to add some walking if I felt strained, and was not to push myself.
Did I stick to the plan? Well, i jogged for 30 minutes alright. But I never walked, and I ran a little faster than I probably should. But I was testing some compression socks I've just bought, and I wanted to know whether they worked or not. They did. I didn't feel the pain I normally get after 5 minutes. My legs wasn't very happy about the cramped space at first (not to mention that they're really hard to get on...), but halfway through it started feeling fine.
30 min - ca 4 km
Not very impressive, I know. But it's a start.
Anyone have any advice to a fresh runner? Especially running night shifters?
