Let’s just start this off by saying I am not a runner by nature. I am short with short legs. Every step for a regularly sized individual is two steps for me. I relatively enjoy running but was never an athlete and really am more comfortable with a 5K.

Also CLEARLY NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL! This is just my personal experience and what has worked for me.

Training Schedule

I follow a 20 week running schedule to prep the 5 months prior to a half marathon. I am a walk/run kind of gal. I am never running miles and miles at a time. My 20 week schedule looks like this! And to be honest I found this several years ago on Pinterest, I definitely didn’t make this up myself. I also pepper in some Pilates style ab workouts once or twice a week. I ADORE Reformer Pilates but unfortunately the $300/month price tag really isn’t in my budget right now.

I take about a month or so off post half marathon really to focus on things other then running. The last several weeks of training it really becomes all consuming. Running is life. The rest of the year, I run or walk 2-3.5 miles, 2-3 times per week.

Food & Alcohol

I really could do a better job at eating healthier, you know, just in general. Though I do try to eat better and truly do drink less when I am within the 20 weeks. It’s just more difficult to run if you are one, hungover, two, loaded down with unhealthy food.

My eating routine is also a bit different just in general. I eat only two meals a day. I don’t eat breakfast until 9 or 10. I have been really into egg, faux chorizo, and cheese breakfast burritos. It’s plenty of protein to get me through to dinner.

For dinner, I cook for both my husband and I. I don’t eat meat so I don’t cook it. Some of our favorites are sweet potato tacos or zucchini enchiladas.

The one thing I do is cut back on salt. I don’t know if I am super sensitive but even with the gallons of water I drink I tend to be more likely to swell when running if I eat too much salt. So I cut back on things like chips, pickles, whatever.

Tempering

I am a stiff individual. I have horrible posture and sit in front of a computer for most of the day. I have seen chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, even neurologists. I’ve tried yoga, foam rolling, static stretching. Some treatments much more costly then others. No one has really been able to help me with my joint pain without the commitment of thousands of dollars. Honestly, I had kind of given up.

My husband found tempering and surprised me with it. God, it was life changing even after the first session!!

I guess I would call it a form of weighted body massage. It is relatively new to the scene. It uses these things that look like weighted foam rollers and then a person applies pressure using these rollers. See below pictures. It’s kind of hard to describe but I ABSOLUTELY recommend it for anyone who is running long distance. I immediately had relief from my hip tightness and I am 7 days post tamper and it still feels amazingly loose!