Thursday, June 26, 2008

Training for my challenge week 1


Training for my half marathon challenge is going great! At least so far. I’ve talked to some runners and decided to take their advice: I’ll first focus on building my weekly mileage and then, maybe 1.5-2 months later, when the legs are used to the distance, I will start adding speed training.

I don’t want to injure myself, or shock my legs, so I am starting things quite easily. This week I am aiming to do 20-25 miles (so far I've done 13, but it is only Thursday), with my first long run this Saturday! Quite excited! But I guess I have to get up around 5am or something in order to beat the heat.

I told some trainers at the gym about what I am training for, so now they are all involved in finding me running exercises. Lunges and that kind of stuff. I also told them that I don’t have to start doing everything at once, but that is obviously hard to understand. Yesterday when I walked in to the gym two of them came running towards me:

-you la, you la (yes, one was the Hunan boy!) we have some new exercises for you!

Well, let’s see how long this lasts? I give it one week then I bet they have all forgotten about me.

One funny thing one trainer told me though:

-You want to burn your fat?
-Yes.
-And you like chocolate?
-Yes.
-Stop liking it!
-Eh… stop liking.. chocolate?!
-Yes!
-Just like that!
-Yes.
-But I am a girl?!
-What?
-Eh… nevermind.

Stop liking chocolate?! Daaaah! If it was just THAT easy?!

5 comments:

Dedric said...

I love reading your blog. Casually but insightfully documenting cultural differences in China. Brilliant.

Jonna Wibelius said...

Dedric -I am so happy to hear u enjoy it! :) I hope I can keep it interesting when I go overseas for a holiday this summer

Anonymous said...

Good Luck in your training. I think you can do it in 1.5 hours. I am also traing for 1/2 marathon. My goal is to make it into the top 10 in my age group. You can probably win your age group with a 1.5 hr time. Good luck.

Ps my theory is if you run more you can eat more chocolate.

Jonna Wibelius said...

Kristin -that's the attitude! U and I seem to have the right sort of mindset! Actually, I am trying to limit my chcolate intake to the wknds otherwise it tends to get out of control.. and today it is Friday= WKND! My bf don't agree on that a wknd starts on Fri and sometimes ends on early Monday mornings, but who cares? Like u said: chocolate helps the running motivation. Amen.

I am not sure if I can make the 1:30 challenge (actually, I don't think so!) but better to try and fail but to not try at all, right?
What time are u aiming for? I think u will make it, u r probably more diciplined than me!

0carina said...

Totaly agree with you when it comes to choco. How can a girl just stop liking it? Seems way too impossible to me.