• Kimberly Wilson is training for the Philadelphia Half Marathon after losing 200 pounds.
• Run coach Tiffany Templeton created a personalized plan for her half-marathon training.
• Wilson's training includes strength, cardio, and run sessions to build endurance and pace.

I've had a love-hate relationship with running since the Presidential Fitness Test back in the 90s. Running a mile in front of my peers and always being at the back of the pack will certainly do it to you.

So, to think nearly 30 years later, I'd be gearing up to run a half-marathon, almost seems unbelievable. Still, as a millennial going through what is being deemed the new "mid-life crisis," it was either this or divorce. And well, I'm not married quite yet, so this will have to do.

Months and months of preparation are going to get me across that finish line in November at the Philadelphia Half Marathon, and of course, willpower, determination, and the grace of God himself.

I've come a long way. A few years ago, I was nearly 200 pounds heavier, couldn't run for more than a few seconds, and now, here I am: a member of a run club, can run 3-4 miles consecutively without stopping, completed two Hyrox races this year, and dare I say, excited, for this next phase of my fitness journey.

The decision to sign up didn't happen in a vacuum. A friend mentioned the race (I will report back if that person continues to be my friend after this experience), and I said yes before I could talk myself out of it. I then immediately started Googling whether I could get a refund. With no luck, I did the next logical thing and found myself a coach.

Here's the exact plan I'm following.

I found a coach who understood my goals

Signing up was the easy part. Figuring out how to actually prepare to run 13.1 miles without burning out, getting injured, or losing my mind somewhere around week six is a whole other story.

I was introduced to Tiffany Templeton, a run coach and the founder of Unity Performance Club in DC, through the nonprofit, The Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC)'s "Movement For All Program." It's a free program, and their goal is to pair non-traditional athletes, or those who face common barriers to running (such as access, community, money, or time), with in-person or virtual trainers, to help them along their journey.

As someone who has never seen herself as a runner, I absolutely fit into this bucket. So after a brief enrollment call, Templeton built a plan that works around my existing workout schedule, my fitness level, and the fact that I am a real person with real limitations.

Here's what my weekly training schedule looks like

My training plan was built on the fact that I already have a solid fitness base from Hyrox training, which means I'm not starting from zero, but I'm also not a runner (I will be, come this fall!). Coach Tiff took all of that into account.

I shared many details with her, including my current workout routine, my schedule, my injury history, and what I hate doing. And this is what Coach Tiff created:

Monday: Strength Training. Lifting gives my body the structural support it needs to handle increasing my mileage without falling apart. This is the foundation, and extremely necessary to my plan, Coach Tiff said. Mondays for me are for my upper body.

Tuesday: Zone 2-3 at Barry's Bootcamp. At Barry's, the treadmill workouts alternate between Zone 2 and Zone 3 training, which is what Coach Tiff recommended. Zone 2 is a conversational pace. Zone 3 is when we're hitting higher speeds on the treadmill to 8, 9, and 10, and I'm huffing, puffing, and ready to meet my maker. Both are key to increasing aerobic capacity and building the endurance needed for a half-marathon.

Wednesday: Strength Training + 2 Easy miles. I strength train first, then wrap the morning with two easy miles alongside Coach Tiff. I run these miles slowly on purpose, which may seem counterintuitive, but running slower can improve pace and speed over time.

Thursday: Rest or Zone 2-3 at Barry's. This one depends on how my body feels. I'm learning to actually listen to that instead of overriding it.

Friday: Strength Training or Zone 3-4 at Barry's. The plan has flexibility built in, again, depending on how I'm feeling, but also to add variety.

Saturday: Long run, 3 miles at conversational pace. This is the week's anchor. Three miles may not sound significant, but every Saturday run is laying the foundation for the harder weeks ahead.

Sunday: Rest day, or, for me, I typically use it as an active recovery day and get some movement in by walking for at least 45 minutes to an hour.

A coach is not the only way to reach the finish line. Here are other free and low-cost tools that can do a lot of the heavy lifting.

• Nike Run Club is the most obvious starting point, and it's free. The app has half-marathon training plans (and even 5K and 10K options for those who aren't quite there yet, like I was) built in, along with audio-guided runs that coach you through pacing and effort in real time.
• Runna is worth looking into if you want something more personalized. I haven't tried this one yet, but a lot of my friends use it religiously. It builds a plan around your goal time, current fitness, and weekly availability, and adjusts as you progress. It's not free, but it's significantly cheaper than a coach.
• Marathon Handbook offers free downloadable half-marathon training plans in PDF and Google Sheets formats, designed for beginner through advanced runners. It's, of course, less dynamic than an app, but it's straightforward and free.
• And if you do want a coach but can't afford one, look into the Running Industry Diversity Coalition's Movement For All program, which is how I found Coach Tiff. It pairs non-traditional athletes with coaches at no cost.

Having a coach helps keep me accountable

Now that I've officially started my summer training block, I already notice a difference. For one, it's a completely different experience having someone run alongside you to push you to go further, or even check in with you to see how the program is going.

I've had personal trainers that I've paid for in the past. And because I hate wasting my money, whether I want to be there or not, I'm going to show up.

Another thing I've realized about myself is that everything comes down to mindset. My body will only go as far, and for as long as my mind allows it to go. So if I tell myself I want to stop, I'm going to. But when I repeat to myself, "I can do hard things" (my personal mantra), I'm motivated to keep going. That's given me an extra push of .25 to even half a mile when I've wanted to quit.

And no, I can't run 13.1 miles quite yet, but I'm getting there with every step. I'm still in that 3-4 mile range, but my pace has gone from about 14-15 minutes/mile to 12-13 minutes/mile. And while that may still be slow for others, no one can take this joy away from me because I remember where I started.

November feels far away and very close at the same time. Still, I'll be there, still likely in the back of the crowd (but this time with pride), running a race I would have laughed at myself for even considering a few years ago.