I’d better introduce myself. I’m Natalie and this is my weekly blog. I’m hoping to run the Swansea Half (Sorry, I mean I AM running it, I can do this!). I work with the likes of Active Swansea in Swansea and feel (a little) inspired to get on the 12 week training plan which you can download here.
It’s now 14 weeks before the race (on 14 June – you can enter here). No, correct that. It’s precisely 3 months, 10 days, 16 hours, 33 minutes and 57 seconds away till race day! If I’m honest I’m hoping to train enough to enjoy running the course on race day, get fit in the process and if I’m lucky make a sub-two time. I’ve picked a JPS Swansea Half grey hoodie ready for the training runs by the sea along Swansea Bay! A bit about me…
- I just did my first training run! (4th March) I am currently very unfit! I ran along Swansea Bay opposite where I work. It was rough. The training watch (Nike GPS) is a god send as it told me I was doing good and managed to keep up the farce for long enough to make a decent first run of 2 miles in 30 minutes. I’m pleased with that plus I also burned 200 calories in the process. I’m kidding myself that the sand slowed me down. It’s a lie.
- Third time lucky for a sub-two? Not new to the half marathon this will be my third, however the first two were in Cardiff and my last one was in 2013 and I made it in 2:04. I was aiming for a sub two hours time so I was like ‘nooooooooooooooooooo!’ but hey ho. However I’m going to try and get past this terrible barrier once and for all and I reckon it’s like baking – you need to follow the recipe properly (or your cake flops in the oven like I flopped in my last race and dropped to 13 minute miles at mile 11). It’s about getting the miles in your legs so they say and previously I always started my training plan too late and was never quite ready on race day.
- General Fitness: I’m pretty busy and work a desk job and do zero exercise all day, literally. I drive for 2 hours a day commuting on the M4 and by the time I get home I think that cooking is really physically taxing. Followed by PJs and some TV. In other words I’m a couch potato. Can I do this?
This is me.
This is my running watch 🙂
My Asics on my desk where I do the zero exercise
My first run – along Swansea Bay past cafe 360…
The lovely grey hoodie I want to buy very soon…
The half marathon training plan I will be starting 12 weeks before the race (in two week’s time).
I’m going to share my pain and achievements on here, the things that are working for me and those that are not! Things like interval training, cross training, what food to eat, routes I run round Swansea, park runs and general whinging.
See you soon people.
This post is also available in: Welsh