Sunday morning I got up early. I was looking forward to an easy 6 mile long run. I ate a little something, got dressed and headed out. I did my warm up walk and then hit the ground running. Slowly. Very slowly. My legs had never felt this heave before. I was on pace for a 14:30 miles. My legs just kept getting heavier and heavier.

It was hot. It was humid. Why was it so hot and humid so early? And then it happened. I stopped. I started crying. I could not run any further. I checked my runkeeper. One mile. I went one mile. One mile of six. I could not run any further. Ii walked home, trying to hold in the tears. I took off all my gear. I went to bed. I was still in my running clothes and shoes and I cried myself to sleep.

I woke up about ab hour and a half later and realized this should not happen. Something was wrong. I felt tired, run down and always hungry. I need more calories. I need to eat more. But how much more? I don’t want to gain. I’d actually like to lose more, maybe 10-15 pounds.

I gave myself permission to eat for the last 3-4 days. And eat I did. Now I need to eat to survive and conquer my half marathon and the training that goes with it.

I am currently set to maintenance for moderately active (3-5 days/hours per week) but my miles are starting to rack up and I still want to do some strength training. Do I then use very active (6-7 days/hours per week)?

Here is what I am currently doing:

Tues/Thurs/Sat: 4-5 miles 45-60 minutes (not including warm up, cool down and stretching)
Sunday: 10+ miles (starting this week) 90-120+ minutes (again not including warm up, cool down and stretching)
You Are Your Own Gym: 4 days a week but thinking of cutting it to two days a week. I would do this Tues/Thurs/maybe Sat after my run. Then Mon and Wed would be complete rest days. Each YAYOG workout is about 40 minutes (including rest breaks).

Should I be moderate or very active? Or somewhere in between? Do I cut 10% to keep trying to lose weight? I don’t know why but my brain is just swimming with all these numbers. I am feeling completely lost.


Jenna

Jenna Volden has a degree in business and has spent the last 10 plus years working for others. She believes it is time to start her own photography and writing business. She enjoys running, coffee and helping others achieve their goals. Gluten-free foods are a lifestyle, not a choice, for her due to celiac disease. She is currently based in Phoenix, Arizona.