- Burpees. I just hate them. They hurt. They don’t get easier for me. But I do them because they work my entire body, boost my endurance and get my heart rate up. I often go into the orange or red zone at Orangetheory when we do burpees.
- Pushups. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with pushups my entire life. While I like what they do for my arms, they are difficult for me. I often have to go to my knees. Pushups get my heart racing and that I love.
- Grapevines. We do these at group half-marathon training and I have to really think about what I am doing. They exhaust me mentally and physically, but I know they are important to work the stabilizing muscles (especially in the hips) that are key in running. Don’t know what a grapevine is? This video on SportPlan shows you exactly what it is.
- Leap Frog Sprints. With five people, we start running. The last person sprints to front, then the next person goes, and so on. I was struggling through these at group half-marathon training, but I know they made me stronger and faster. A way to do this type of without other people is to follow these fartlek instructions on the Runner’s World website.
- Rowing. When I row at Orangetheory, it takes everything I have. My legs feel like pudding afterward and it kicks my butt! But I do them for the benefits: increased endurance, improved cardiovascular fitness and a total body workout.
Chicago Marathon update!
I was accepted into the 2016 Bank of America Chicago Marathon this year! I’ll officially start training for that about four months out, but I wanted to share the news! I may have lost my mind, but I’m so excited to run 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago!
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Half-marathon training recaps:

Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.