Help me kick it up a notch, please?

[Jo]

So I’m..not quite where I want to be. I exercise daily, in some form (walks count). But it’s getting easier and easier to just do things that will maintain rather than things that will improve fitness. I am seeing small gains in some areas (strength, flexibility), but not big gains. And I’m sticking to some but not all of my healthy eating plan (questionable choices, but I’m snacking less and there’s definite improvement in mindless evening eating).

I guess I’m a solid C+/B-. But I want to be more like a B+/A-. I’m planning to run a HM April 27, but I’m just jogging, not actually training. As in, I go out and make my way up and down the trail or saunter around the neighborhood, no plan, no push.

I guess I need to figure out how to kick it up a notch. I’m thinking I need 1) a HM training plan that I can actually follow, and 2) some sort of structured eating plan that I can use for guidance instead of just eating stuff. I gained some weight last year and want to take it off. I’m not gaining any more, and am down about 3 lbs, but it feels like there’s more I could be doing. A lot more.

I’m kind of out of ideas. Calorie counting and an app? And a good basic beginner HM plan? I’ve run that distance before, but I’m nowhere near as fit as I used to be.

help me figure out how to get a bit more focused? Thanks. I really would welcome any suggestions.

[Wines Not Whines]

Yes, you need a training plan. What kind of plan did you use before? Hal Higdon plans are popular. www.halhigdon.com/training/half-marathon-training/

I can't help with the nutrition part because I don't follow any kind of plan for that (other than generally trying to eat healthyish and make sure I get enough vegetables).

[campermom]

Some Options that come to my mind
1) Hal Higdon
2) studio app for speedwork. This has been especially helpful for me as an Intro to speedwork. I do not want to have to crunch numbers or plan, and I truthfully don’t know what all those numbers mean. They just tell me to adjust the incline/speed of my treadmill, or if I’m running outside they tell me to run faster or slow down. I’ve been loving it!!


Nutrition:
3) myfitnesspal to count calories. This has only worked for me if I have “friends” who can see my food. I have a hard time keeping up though bc I don’t always have access to Internet in my phone at work
4) Renaissance Periodization but it’s a huge commitment.

Or
5) the plate breakdown. Each meal has a half a plate of veggies, a quarter plate of carbs and a quarter plate of protein.

[vcubergirl]

For my first half I used HH as well. It's a great basic plan, and I think it takes about 12 weeks, so now would be a great time to get started!

I also have had a lot of success counting calories with myfitnesspal. It's pretty easy to use, you can scan the barcodes of a lot of foods, there is some pretty decent restaurant information, and inputting recipes isn't terrible (truly it's the worst part of food tracking, no matter how you do it). The free version even gives you information about carbs, fat, and protein, which has really been helpful for me. I like that you can find friends, share your food diary, and join challenges, it makes it a lot more fun.

Good luck! You can do this!

[gt7301b]

I’d start by setting a goal for the HM. How can you become more focused if you don’t know what you are working towards. It could be a time goal or to run the entire race or maybe something else. Then once you have a goal you can select a training plan that lines up with your goal.

Personally I don’t like to focus on weight loss during my A training cycle, but I do focus on eating food that will fuel my running and help me achieve my goal. (But that doesn’t mean I always make good choices either)