My training for the Rock N Roll DC half marathon kicked off today. I went to bed last night really excited to wake up and run this morning. It's been so long since I've had the time and mental space to actually focus on training well for a race.



I ran a couple of half marathons during grad school, but the training always ended up being pretty pathetic. I would start with the best of intentions, but then schoolwork would become overwhelming, and I'd struggle to get even the most minimal amount of running in.

But now that grad school is over, the only true responsibility I have is work. And while yes, my work responsibilities have certainly increased over the years, I'm still pretty lucky to have a schedule where I can work from home a few days per week, which will make it easier for me to get my runs in.

So today was run number one -- a basic three miler.



It was cold and dreary when I left my house this morning, and I got a not-so-pleasant reminder of how much cold air burns my lungs until they have time to adjust to winter running.

But my legs felt pretty OK, which I figured was good news, since my running has been far from consistent the last several years.

I am using a beginner training plan this time around since I don't have a strong base to work from. I've got four scheduled runs per week. The weekday runs range from two to five miles, while the weekend long runs start at four miles and build up to 10. There are also a couple of days of cross-training as part of the schedule each week, and I'm thinking I'll do a mix of spin class and yoga on those days.

So, that's the plan, and I'm really excited to have a plan again. It will be great to get back to training and racing in 2017.