Half Marathon Training: Week 4 Wrap Up

My friends and I have attempted several times to sign up for a half marathon together, but our schedules have always been out of sync. In fact, I intended on running the Santa Barbara Half Marathon last year with a few friends but was out of town working right up until the day before the race. I ended up going as a cheerleader:

It was especially exciting, then, when about a month ago we all agreed on and signed up for a half marathon together. On January 19, 2014, I along with a handful of close friends will attempt the Carlsbad Half Marathon.

I'm following a simple training schedule that I found online:

And even though we are on the road and traveling about every single day, I haven't found it at all challenging to keep up with this schedule. On the contrary, I find comfort in having a fixed activity to look forward to in the mornings. It is also a unique and efficient way to explore the city in which we are performing. Here are a few sights I've seen while on my runs:

Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver, Canada

Philadelphia, Pennyslvania

Boston, Massachusetts 

Washington D.C. 

Kansas City, Missouri

Rice University 

Rice University

Houston, Texas

Surprisingly, one of the more challenging aspects of training has not been the lengths of the runs, but rather having to adjust to the different climates and temperatures of each city. I made sure to bring a variety of running attire with me (with a heavy emphasis on winter training clothes); but nothing could really prepare me for the weather in Nasvhille, Tennessee. At 21 degrees Fahrenheit, I could almost feel my sweat turning instantaneously into icicles.

The big day is still about 6 weeks away, but I already know for certain that no matter how cold Carlsbad will be that weekend, I'll be prepared.