Nadia Jones covered her training for the 3 months leading up to the Tuscaloosa Half Marathon. If you would like to read about her journey you can visit our blog at physioletept.com!

Here are the weekly summaries so far if you have frivolous amounts of time…

• Week 1 – I cover The Galloway Run Walk Run Method, and I attempt to define the word “postpartum.”
• Week 2 – Stop trying to buy your training shoes yourself and go to a running specialty store. I also discuss how NOT to clean your running shoes.
• Week 3 – A good book, a New Year’s resolution, and some lessons from my first love (basketball) gave me some good #thoughtswhilerunning.
• Week 4+5 – Lessons on SelfDiscipline from Navy SEALs and how it relates to physical training
• Week 6 – How "getting benched” can produce perseverance, a reflection on Jalen Hurts’ journey to his big Super Bowl win and how we can grow during challenging times
• Week 7 – Being “Type A” and adopting the mantra, “Done better than perfect.”
• Week 8 – #ThoughtsAfterRunning, need I say more?
• Week 9 – “Committed.” Contemplating why I keep getting up at 5 am to train when I just want to sleep.
• Week 10 + 11 – Never Say Never (when considering a sport or fitness goal)

Week 12 Update

I have started, stopped, and re-started my Week 12 update several times since I ran the Tuscaloosa Half Marathon (THM) in March. What was meant to be a simple explanation of how I went sub-2 hours using the Galloway Method has turned into another long blog post that somehow ties back to training for the race. This update has fluctuated between a paragraph and a short novel. But in the words of Sheryl Sandberg: “Done is better than perfect.”

Although this wasn’t my first half marathon, I learned many new things about training and competing this time around—proving you can teach an old dog new tricks. This training season yielded more than just physical health improvements; I also saw mental and spiritual growth. If you're looking for the TL;DR version, scroll down to the bottom for my training plan template. It is possible to run-walk a half marathon in under two hours.

If you’re interested in more details (Mom, Elliott, Allison), start here.

I’m not still running post-THM because I enjoy the act of running. Don’t get me wrong—I’m thankful I can lace up my shoes and go for a run just about anywhere. But the activities surrounding the run (and the actual run itself) don’t always excite me. Waking up at 4:50 a.m., resisting the snooze button, psyching myself up to “just do it,” warming up through the aches and pains that came in my 30's, constantly checking my distance hoping I’m closer to being done than I am—and trying to squeeze all this in before my family wakes up. It doesn’t always feel like sunshine and rainbows.

Thankfully, I’m not running just for fun—if that were the case, I would’ve quit before the THM.

I’m still running because I’ve found it to be cathartic.

(Side note: I always have to give a shoutout to my childhood best friend, Presley Dickson, when I use the word cathartic. She used it once in middle school to describe folding clothes. Since 2004, it’s been the last big word I learned.)

But I didn’t always find running cathartic. I specialized in jumping and throwing events in track and field because I despised running! Short, mid, long—I didn’t even like the warm-up laps around the soccer field at UAH. I started to tolerate long(ish) distance running during preseason conditioning, mostly because I could finally outrun a few teammates (mainly the throwers and sprinters who didn’t care about distance). It wasn’t the act of running I enjoyed—it was being first back to Spragins Hall so I could be first in line at the cafeteria for lunch.

TMI (Might Delete Later)

This part’s for those discouraged by a running injury or afraid to even start.

By the time I got to PT school at South Alabama, my small fondness for “campus loops” turned into a compulsive self-soothing mechanism for school-related stress. I clung tightly to what I could control—perfect grades and an “ideal” number on the scale. Everything was fine... until it wasn’t.

In my first spring semester, I began having sharp pain in my left midfoot. I had been running almost every day, sometimes twice a day. This might include a campus loop at lunchtime or the treadmill at night with study flashcards. Multiple doctors gave multiple diagnoses: stress reaction, tarsal tunnel syndrome, metatarsalgia. No one really knew what was going on. My stress levels skyrocketed. I tried to run through it—until I couldn’t.

My relationship with the Lord was strengthened remarkably that spring. When I couldn’t run, I spiraled. A minor injury turned into full-blown anxiety.

I never felt abandoned by God, but I do recognize that I created a season of spiritual dryness by seeking peace in perfection. I hit my goal weight. I had a 4.0 GPA. But my soul wasn’t at peace. The pursuit of perfection robbed me of so much joy.

A childhood friend invited me to Easter service at Grace Church in Mobile at the end of that semester. I don’t remember the details of the sermon, it was Easter so I have a good idea—but I remember feeling peace again. Jesus said in John 16:33:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

In Week 6, I mentioned how “getting benched” often brings a return on investment. I didn’t know it at the time, but I needed more than just physical healing—I needed spiritual renewal.

Romans 5:3–5 says:

“...we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame...”

The pain in my foot eventually subsided. I didn’t run again for almost a year. When I did, I used a Couch to 5K approach and went slowly. I stopped running endlessly on a treadmill with flashcards in hand and actually sat down to eat lunch with some of my classmates. I started prioritizing my life better. I attended church at Grace regularly. I joined a midweek Interprofessional Bible study at lunch. I said yes to plans with friends. I stopped overstressing about perfect grades.

I “ate the cake” at Carpe Diem.
I got rid of my bathroom scale.
I started weightlifting seriously for the first time.

I used to fear “getting too big,” and I regret not challenging myself more in the weight room as a collegiate athlete. Now, I encourage young athletes to lift—seriously. It prevents injury and improves performance.

Since Spring 2016, I’ve run a 5K or Half Marathon every year. I’ve had other injuries that have benched me for a hot minute, but having my priorities in check and surviving the Spring of 2014 has made me more patient and optimistic.

That said—nothing prepared me for the postpartum year after my second daughter. I don’t have the capacity to write about that right now, but when (and if) I do, I’ll share. 

Why I’m Still Running

Running is cathartic. Someone once asked, “If you could give yourself a gift, what would it be?”

After thinking about it for a while, I answered: “An hour to myself.”

At first that felt selfish—I'm a mom of two beautiful daughters and I co-own a small business. But I’ve learned that when I take care of myself, I can take care of others better. Running gives me that space. I’m alone with my thoughts. I meditate on what is pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

Sometimes, all I think is, “I want this to be over.” Other times, creativity flows. Post-run, I feel accomplished—one objective checked off before the chaos begins.

Running, in this season, is a gift.

To Close Week 12: Things I Actually Love About the “Act” of Running

• Hitting the anaerobic threshold and feeling weightless for a moment in time (very small moment in time I might add)
• Running with friends at a talkable pace.
• Listening to a good podcast (on 2x speed, under an hour).
• Running to good music. (Never took dance lessons, but I feel like Beyoncé when running to good music.)

This update took over four months to write—and I still feel like there’s more to say.

So… another reason I’m still running?
I’ve decided to train for the Rocket City Marathon in December 2025.

More miles. More training. More updates. Stay tuned!

Unlock a Sub-2 Hour Half Marathon Using the Run Walk Method (Template)

** See Chart for Miles Below Template **

Week 1

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – 0 incline, Run 4 minutes/Walk 1 minute

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Comfortable Pace, Run 4 minutes/Walk 1 minute

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 2

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – 0 incline, Run 5 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Comfortable Pace, Run 5 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 3

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day - 0 incline, Run 6 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day - Comfortable Pace, Run 6 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 4

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day - 0 incline, Run 6.5 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day - Comfortable Pace, Run 6.5 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 5

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – Increased Incline/Decreased Pace, Run 7 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Challenging Pace, Run 7 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 6

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – Increased Incline/Decreased Pace, Run 8 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Challenging Pace, Run 8 minutes/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 7

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – Increased Incline/Decreased Pace, Run 1 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Challenging Pace, Run 1 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 8

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – Increased Incline/Decreased Pace, Run 1. 5 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Challenging Pace, Run 1.5 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 9

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – Increased Incline/Decreased Pace, Run 1. 5 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Challenging Pace, Run 1.5 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 10

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – Increased Incline/Decreased Pace, Run 2 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Challenging Pace, Run 2 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 11

Day 1 – Treadmill Incline Day – Increased Incline/Decreased Pace, Run 2 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 2 – Treadmill Speed Day – Challenging Pace, Run 2 mile/Walk 30 seconds

Day 3 – Long Run

Week 12

Day 1 – Easier Incline Day

Day 2 – Easier Speed Day

Day 3 – HALF MARATHON!!!

12 Week 13.1 Training Plan

If you have questions about the plan or anything else related to these Weekly Updates you can email me personal at [email protected]. Thank you for letting me share a piece of my heart with you for 12 Weeks (well a little more than that).