Half-Marathon Training Progress: Week of September 14th

This week was a little bit of a slow start but things are rolling well overall. I had mentioned last week that during the Marathon, I actually gained weight. Not all that uncommon, but for me, it was frustrating. So one thing I want to focus on this time around is weight loss. Not just because I want to run faster, but because I want to look better doing it :)

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Sunday: I didn't do anything last Sunday. My wife wasn't feeling well and I felt guilty for wanting to go for a run when she needed me. She would have wanted me to run, which I why I didn't mention anything to her about it being my long run day. Of course, my long run would have been may 3 miles, but still. I chose to stay at home. 

Monday: Monday is the day my wife works late so I planned on running my long run Monday night after work. Looking back, I don't know why I didn't. I know I was on the computer doing some work and I also wanted to try and get my car running again or at least cleaned up. This is a long story but basically, some varmint has chewed the fuel supply line AGAIN (3rd time) and it's really expensive to fix. So the car has been sitting there getting dirty and gross and the tires lost air from all the sitting. I hand washed the car and it looks great. But I realized there's a mold issue on the steering wheel and I didn't have the band-width to deal with that night. But that's enough about that. 

Tuesday: I went on a 2 mile hike and I did 10 Arm Curls with 20lbs. I was supposed to do a full body workout, but I wasn't feeling it at all. I tried the atomic habits trick of just doing something small and seeing if it went anywhere. After 10 reps, I set the weights down. Didn't do anything else, but at least I did that. 

Wednesday: Wednesday, I went for a 30 minute run and actually felt good. I ran the whole way out and back. I did another 10 reps of Arm Curls with 20lbs. 

Thursday: Thursday was a rest day since I ran on Wednesday. I should have worked out with weights but I didn't. 

Friday: I went for a morning run. I overslept and got up late and almost decided to stay in bed, but then I thought of Atomic Habits and decided to put on my running clothes and just go for a mile. I knew I had time for that. Well, once I was out there, I realized the time crunch wasn't nearly as bad as I had made it in my head. I ended up running just shy of two miles and felt really good and had plenty of time. I was so happy with myself, I made an Instagram post about it. 

I was really glad I went for the run because I had thought that I could always run at night. I rarely do that when I have that thought, but on this night, I ended up having to work late. Almost until 10 p.m. and by the end of the day with traveling and such, I was absolutely spent!

Saturday: This day was a 4.75 mile hike. I also was good and did my PT exercises. I can't recall if I mentioned it or not, but my ankles are doing something weird. It's like they've lost their flexion. They haven't, but it feels like it when going down stairs or even walking after sitting for a long time. 

This morning, Sunday, Sept. 21st, I weighed in at 197 even. Only a .2lb loss, but I'll take it. Tune in next week for this coming week's progress. 

Getting Back at It: My Road to the Asheville Hot Chocolate Half-Marathon in 2026

Goal: Be Half-Marathon Ready 

As you may know from previous posts, in March of 2025 I ran my first marathon. I would love to say that I used that to launch myself into a great level of fitness and kept all those gains. However, what was supposed to be two weeks off turned into 5 months. Let's just say I feel like I'm starting at square one again, but you know what? That's not the worst thing that could have happened. 

So here we are in September, and to motivate myself to get back to running, I signed up for the Asheville Hot Chocolate Half-Marathon scheduled for January 24th, 2026! There is also a 5K, 10K and some kids runs too, but I opted for the Half. Why? I had been thinking that I would love to always be Half-Marathon ready. Meaning that any given weekend, I could roll out of bed and run a half. About a week later or contemplating this, I read an article - somewhere online - that said a great goal for distance runners was to be...you guessed it...Half-Marathon ready at all times. That sealed the deal for me. 

I signed up last Sunday, so that gave me approximately 20 weeks to get into half-marathon shape. Once again, I'm not looking to do anything too crazy. I just want to finish since I've lost all the endurance I had built up. Back in 2021, I ran a virtual half - actually, it was the Asheville Chocolate Half-Marathon - and ran it in 3:04:55. In my marathon, I crossed the Half-Marathon point in 3:01:13. 

My Half-Marathon Goal

I believe I can break 3 hours. I really do. I think going sub-3 for the half is very achievable. I would have to average a 13:44 per mile the whole way. My fastest half ever was in 2012 when I ran a 1:56:54. While I would love to be that guy again, I don't think I'll make it by January. ;)

Here's my Training Plan. 

I will repeat my training strategy from the marathon as it served me well and kept me injury free. Meaning, I will run 3 days per week with a long run on Sunday's. 

I will be better about nutrition this time around. Last time, I trained for and ran the marathon and GAINED 3.5lbs. I like to think that it was lean muscle I put on, but who knows. The issue was the same as most runners have - I felt I had earned the chocolate, or the slice of cake, or whatever. Since the marathon, I actually have gained even MORE weight and recently topped the scales at 205lbs which for me was a hard NO! I'm back down to 199 with just some basic changes to eating: Cutting out sweets and sodas, but also trying to be better about how many calories I'm taking in. I believe they call it "Mindful Eating". 

I will also be better about strength training. I had done a little of it for the marathon, but definitely could have used some more strength in hindsight. My plan is to do 3 days per week of strength training. I have a set of adjustable dumbbells, a TRX band and some surgical tubing resistance bands that range from 15 to 85 pounds. 

Ideally, I would love to get to the starting line at 160lbs and timewise, that is doable. 20 weeks at 2lbs per week is 40 pounds. 

This weeks Half-Marathon Progress: Week of September 7th

As I mentioned, I signed up for the Half on Sunday, September 7th. My weight was down to 201.8lbs from the high of 205lbs just a few days before. 

Sunday, before signing up, I did a 3.5-4 mile hike. 

Monday, I went out for my first run. Just a mile and a half around the neighborhood to test the old body out. I had to walk 4 times! My legs felt like lead and my calf and shins were not happy. Keep in mind, we all have to start somewhere. 

Tuesday, I hiked 2.5 miles.

Wednesday, I went to the Mountain State Fair and was actually pretty well behaved. I did have an elephant ear, mostly to myself, but that was it. I did not get a lot of other sweets that I really wanted like fried Reese's Cups, fried Oreos, etc. So I considered that a win!

Thursday and Friday I didn't do anything. I wasn't happy about it. I had the time, I just wasn't feeling it. 

But today, Saturday, I tried the mile and half route around the neighborhood again, and ran the whole way. I averaged a 12:48 pace, so well ahead of the 13:44 I need to break 3. 

So, stay tuned and check in each week. I'll post my progress as I go and offer some tips and tricks along the way. 

If you'd like help running your first - or next - 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, or even Marathon, let me now. I would love to help.