How I did it: I ran the Jingle All The Way 10K in Washington DC this morning, rain and 35 degree weather and all. :D It was my first 10K and it was an absolute *blast!* I loved it. I used the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan to prepare and I felt great. I even had a great kick my last mile. I finished in 1:12 (unofficial time). I'm so ready for my half marathon training now!

Lessons & tips: Definitely train. My sister has several people at her workplace who told her that the only people who hurt after a race are the people who haven't trained. I used Hal Higdon's 8 week training program to get me ready for the 10K distance and I felt very relaxed and strong today. My last mile was my best and I was able to run the entire race. Eight weeks ago it was a struggle to run 2 miles straight. Easy does it and you can get there too!

Resources: Hal Higdon's 10K Novice Training Plan
(I didn't even do all my cross training and strength workouts, so I probably would've felt even stronger had I been even more disciplined. The cross training does help prevent injuries though, so if you're feeling the strain during your training, consider swimming or doing yoga on your cross training days.)

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Dec 13, 2009, 09:38AM PST | 1 comment | 1 cheer