Aaaaaaaand....They're off!

This weekend marks the official start of my training for the July 21st Half Marathon in Napa Valley! That means that the rest of my Napa crew will be at training with us tomorrow. We're going to be doing a 30 minute run while the Virginia and Chicago race teammates will be running 8 miles (their Halfs are in early June).

While we are also going to receive some footwear tips and a discount for the Greater Boston Running Company, I am most excited for the opportunity to meet and get to know the other people that I'll be training with over the next 16 weeks. This is going to be a huge undertaking, so it's great to know that we're all in it together!

I bought a new planner just to track my training.
Don't ask how this is all going to fit in with my work schedule...

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to get back into shape and to re-build up my baseline from the month that I took off when we got all the snow. Right now, I'm back up to being able to run 3-4 miles without completely exhausting myself. However, I'm not back up to the speed that I was so proud of last year. Right now, I'm doing around 10-10:20min/mi. In the fall, I was running 8:30-9min/mi. But my plan for the coming weeks also involves some interval training and some strength training to whip me back into shape :)

I'm excited to be starting my official training plan. Having a plan for each week and month on top of what I need to do for the day definitely helps to keep me on track. I can plan ahead for my work and volunteering schedule so they don't interfere too much with my training. And if I'm really tired one morning and don't want to get up for my 5am run, I know I can move things around a little bit to ensure I'm getting in the mileage that I need for the week. Also, as a side note, with the mileage I'll need to be getting in each day come June and July, I may have to change my running pattern and start going out after work. I just honestly don't think I'll be able to wake up any earlier in the morning for a 7 or 8 mile run...

Looking forward to the group run in Lexington tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll have some photos to share then!

Run strong,
ashley

P.S. I am not running the Boston Marathon like my picture above might suggest. However, I do know an awesome group of people that are running Boston for the nonprofit I work for, Cradles to Crayons, and I'll definitely be there to cheer them on!

My first group run in March. That's me in the back row in the bright pink fleece. 
It was freezing that day on the beach!