Carbing Up and Running Towards a New Goal

The following is a post sponsored by Thomas’ Bagel Thins. For our sponsored post policy, click here.

Now that I’m running faster, it’s time to revisit a past goal of mine: running longer. I haven’t entered a race since the big ol’ Disney marathon a year ago, and it’s high-time that I got my recovered bum back out there. So when Thomas’ Bagel Thins contacted us with the chance to run in the More/Fitness Half Marathon in New York City on Sunday, April 3, I was like, sign me up. And quite literally, they did! (Full disclosure, they’re also flying me out, putting me up in a hotel and giving me a travel stipend.)

So dear readers, I have a month to take my usual 3- to 4-mile runs to the double digits. Can I do it? And, more importantly, can I do it without injuring myself and beating my past half marathon time? I think so…I hope so.

First up on the training schedule is increasing my carb intake (hellooo Thomas Bagel Thins!) to fuel longer runs and workouts and a steady but aggressive mileage increase. I recently got in a 6-mile run pretty easily, so I’ll keep tacking on another mile each week to get to 10 miles the week before the race. I’ll also get in one or two faster yet shorter runs a week, some strength training, and plenty of walking, yoga and tortuous foam rolling to keep this body happy. While I’m not sure how fast of a goal I can realistically set for this race, I’d like to come in somewhere between 2:15 to 2:25.

Be sure to stay tuned for my training progress as the weeks ticks by and my Bagel Thins consumption racks up! —Jenn