Nashville Marathon Training: Weeks 1-3 + Aaptiv

I’m following an 18-week marathon training plan so I thought that it’d be appropriate to do 6 3-week updates. This week I’m also talking about the Aaptiv app and how it’s pushed me on short runs and kept me motivated on long runs.

Training

My training plan officially started the week of December 24th. I started tracking my runs beforehand though. I tried to get into the routine of 3 during the week and 1 long weekend run. I’ve done a pretty good job sticking to the plan, although I’ve switched up days quite often due to other activities, work and the weather. There has only been 1 “bad” run. I physically felt sluggish (shin splints, sick ache) and mentally felt like a wuss. The rest of the runs have been pretty good!

Aaptiv

Have you heard of Aaptiv? It’s a trainer-led workout app that I’ve been using for the past few months. I first heard about it from BevCooks. I did the free trial and wasn’t convinced right away, but now that I’ve been using it for awhile I LOVE it.

There are hundreds of workout, but I’ve mostly done outdoor running and treadmill workouts. It’s easy to find that one you’re looking for with all the filters. I’ve tried a few stretching ones, but I hate stretching. I would like to try an indoor cycling one, but my bike is set up in front of a HUGE TV.

Did I mention the confetti when you finish a workout? (Note the time is correct, but the mileage is an estimate, I still use mapmyrun to track location/distance, which goes against my running with less technology theory.)

My favorite trainer is Ben. On one of my first long runs in November I was on a new route. I knew it was around 6.5-7 miles, but I didn’t know where the hills were. Just as I was trudging up a hill and wanting to stop, he popped into my ear and said “You are AMAZING!” It was perfect timing and got me up and over the hill.

We all get motivation from different places. I’ve always been a strong believer in doing whatever you need to do to motivate yourself to be healthy. Whether that’s attending group classes, buying a new cookbook, joining an online community, buying cute workout clothes, music, signing up for a race, or making your husband hide the chips. 🙂