week in the life of an average runner
A snapshot of how half marathon training has been going
Approximately ten minutes ago, I signed up for a trail half-marathon that takes place in September.
To be totally transparent and also show that I am a messy human, it’s a race that I’ve committed to before and then canceled the registration later without even getting close to the start line. That’s at least $200 just flat out donated to Ultra Signup. It’s a little embarrassing, but this time, I am finally going to run this race.
Hopefully. We’ll see! Send good vibes.
Callie Hikes is a reader-supported publication.
If you would like to show your support, you can do so by liking this post, commenting, subscribing (paid or free), or Buy Me A Coffee below! Thanks for being here.
In both cases, I didn’t do the half marathon because I was too intimidated and didn’t feel ready enough. I was also a busy college student with depression, barely functioning between classes and my commutes to campus. Did I gaslight myself and say I didn’t have time to train? Or did it all boil down to anxiety and low motivation?
Either way, the races didn’t happen. But this time, things feel different. I’ve been getting back into a consistent running routine that works for me. I don’t have papers and tests hanging over my head anymore. My mental health is not in a great place, and I’m doing my best to get better. Right now, training for this half marathon is providing some much needed joy and structure in my life.
For this post, I wanted to go through my most recent week and provide insight into how my runs usually look. I’m a very average runner. I don’t move very fast and I have other obligations outside of training. Right now, I’m in a base-building phase and trying to establish an appropriate level of endurance so that I can best prepare for the half marathon (and later full marathon distance). The farther along I get, I’ll report back and provide more detail as my training increases. For now, this is what a typical week is for me currently!
Tuesday
My runs for the week normally start on Tuesday, with Mondays and Fridays always being rest days. Wednesday and Thursday are also days when I run. Long runs either take place on Saturday or Sunday, depending on my schedule.
As I’ve expressed before, I have high hopes of one day becoming a morning person who fits in a run before the sun comes up. Well, today is not that day, so for now, I usually run in the evenings. With summer heat looming, I remember absolutely sweating my butt off during this run. After a full day of meeting with pet parents and doing drop-in visits with some of my clients, I finally changed into an oversized shirt and drove out to the trailhead.
This run was a chill 30-minute easy run with 20 minutes of strength/core exercises afterwards. Typically, before I even leave the house, I do a bit of stretching. Then, once I get to the trail, I do a quick activation routine with an exercise band. This simple warm-up doesn’t take a lot of time and isn’t anything special, but it definitely helps get my legs and hips ready for any run that I do. Once that is completed, I take off at a slow jog and ease into my easy pace for the duration of the run. On this day, I ran mostly on flat, gravel trails. However, I did hop on a nearby single-track dirt path that climbs into the hills to get some elevation in the middle of the run.
I got back to my truck an absolute sweaty mess and chugged some water before heading back home for part two. Doing my conditioning exercises is literally my least favorite thing, but it is so important for both injury prevention and to gain strength for running-related muscle groups. Despite knowing this, I very much complain when doing them every single time. It’s not fun, but I get it done.
Wednesday
There was a massive storm blowing through on this day with a tornado passing by very close to where I live. I certainly could have chosen to run earlier in the day to avoid the weather shenanigans, but I procrastinated too long and before I knew it, the clouds started getting dark. With rain and hail pelting the windows, I decided to just do my run on my treadmill. Like most runners, I don’t love the treadmill. However, it’s a great tool to use in cases like this.
For this run, I warmed up at an easy pace for 30 minutes. Then did some strides (4 sets of 20-second bursts with 2 minutes recovery after each). Doing this type of speedwork on a treadmill isn’t ideal, and I definitely prefer to do strides on any other surface because it’s less complicated. Even so, I got it done and then cooled down at an easy pace for 5 minutes to close out the run. Afterwards, I remember making apple nachos and absolutely crushing it. I love this snack so much.
Apple Nachos Recipe
1 apple
melted peanut butter
maple syrup or agave
chocolate syrup
Simply slice an apple into as many pieces as possible and set the slices in the shape of a fan on a plate. Top with melted peanut butter, chocolate syrup, and maple syrup/agave. Add any other toppings like crushed chocolate, nuts, cookie crumbles, or shredded coconut. Dig in!
Thursday
Like Tuesday, the same type of run and structured strength/core exercises were on the docket again. On this day, I started a pet sit in an area of St. Louis County that I used to live in. Because of this, I was close to Creve Coeur Lake, which is a place I frequented heavily for runs, walks, and hikes a few years ago. Since I was nearby again, I naturally wanted to do my run there. I did my exercises before the easy run so I could get my least favorite part out of the way first. While I planked on the floor, the cat I was taking care of rubbed against my arms and rolled in front of my face, providing a little encouragement as my body wobbled from the hard effort.
The run itself was relaxed and fun. Creve Coeur Lake is a very popular place, so I had to dodge a lot of other walkers, bikers, and people with dogs. The paved loop around the lake is almost 4 miles long, and because I was just running 30 minutes at a slow pace, I finished about a mile away from my truck. As a nice cooldown, I walked the rest of the way and headed back to my pet sit client’s house, ready for a hearty dinner.
Friday and Saturday
Both of these days, I did not run. On rest days, I like to prioritize eating well, relaxing on the couch, and trying to get enough sleep. However, I was still decently active as I attended to various pet-sitting clients, which included 5 am wake-up calls to feed two dogs whose owner was out of town for the weekend. To make up for lost sleep, I found time to nap later in the morning before more drop-in visits with other pets. As for food, I have been having a toast fixation lately. So, most of my snacks and lunches have consisted of avocado/tofu cottage cheese toast with sriracha and peanut butter/banana toast with agave. Along with vegan chocolate milk, these variations were super filling and helped prepare me for my long run on Sunday.
Sunday
My favorite day of the week: long run day! At this point in my training, that looked like one hour of running on a trail with some elevation. I live in the Midwest (where the rolling hills are plentiful), so when it comes to elevation, I do what I can. Since I was still pet sitting close to where I used to live, I decided to run on a four-mile dirt path in the upper Creve Coeur Lake area. In the past, I have hated running on this trail. But because it’s been years since I’ve been on it, I decided to give it another shot.
And I’m so glad that I did! The trail is a flowy loop typically frequented by mountain bikers, so the terrain makes for a fun run with a lot of small ups, downs, and curves. I ended up running it much faster than I thought and had to tack on another mile once I was finished with the loop to complete the full hour of running. In total, I ran five miles with an elevation gain of 308ft. Please don’t laugh at me (I’m talking to you people who live in the mountains). I don’t have easy access to 4,000+ feet like in New England or 14ers in Colorado.
Overall, long runs are really when I get to settle into a good groove and have fun going faster on the trails. So far, I am enjoying my training and can’t wait to go even farther. Even though I have run a trail half marathon before and several 10-mile days, I still don’t feel particularly comfortable with these distances yet. With this base-building phase, I hope to get my body ready for longer efforts on the trails and not only increase my mileage, but also feel good while doing so.
Some running reminders to end the post
If you take anything away from this post, know that a running routine doesn’t have to look one specific way. Things are really not as glamorous as influencers depict them on social media. Fitting in runs around a busy schedule is hard, but doable. Motivation ebbs and flows. Some runs just feel terrible for no reason. Your pace does not define you or your identity as a runner. Consistency is literally the most important thing. It doesn’t have to be pretty; you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you’ll get to where you want to be eventually.
Hope you enjoyed this style of post, and if you did, let me know below!
See you out on the trail!