Here I am again picking races and attempting to actually train for a half-marathon

Last July my bestie called me up and said, wanna train for the Disney Princess Half Marathon?? After I got done laughing until my side hurt (I have/had never run more than 4 miles at one time in my life) I decided what do I have to lose besides a little time. The gains seemed so much better than the lost TV time. So I started training, did the C25k program and in 8 weeks I was running 3 miles. I managed to work up to 4 miles then my bestie fell off the running band wagon, then something else happened, then I got lazy, then it got cold (yes, I am aware that 40 isn’t cold anywhere else but in FL). Before I knew it the habit I had tried so hard to make was broken. I convinced myself “I was never meant to be a runner”. I have every excuse in the book. I probably would have forgotten all about the half and buried my defeat in the back of my mind never to be pondered again…but I didn’t. You know why I didn’t forget, because a girl I knew in HS, a girl who was no different than I was, (in fact I’d say in HS we were pretty similar in body structure) never thin always carrying a little extra weight trained and ran a half marathon one short month before I was supposed to run mine. And she kicked that 13.1 miles ass, and fell in love with running.

I wanted that to be my story. Watching her progression unfold I was envious of her new found passion, and her new found ass (but more her passion). So I picked my head out of my… well you know where, and I started running again off and on, a couple miles here and a couple there. I kept thinking, I will fall back into a habit. But I am coming to realize it isn’t as easy as that, I need a goal I need something to strive for. So today, when I should be doing something constructive like working, or writing thank yous to the 9 departments that interviewed me at the beginning of the week, I find myself day dreaming about running.

I have been running pretty regularly for the past month. I manage about 2-3 runs per week, I am working on consistency and making 2-3 turn into 3-4. I was traveling this month and some last month, but that is over for a little while so I am rededicating myself to training. I went online and picked a race that I want to train for in Virginia. I am moving in the next few months. My hubby is moving in 2 weeks, and I will follow at a date yet to be determined, but most likely June or July. I am moving to or near Fredericksburg, so I started looking near there for a half marathon in the fall/early winter. I found one… it’s called VA Runner Blue and Grey Half Marathon, registration costs a whopping $39.00. And it is put on by a local running club. I may end up joining after my transition. I am going to be a runner…I am going to be a runner…I am going to be a runner. That is my new mantra. And I am sure I will be singing it the whole way on 12/11/11 when I am running my first half marathon.

I also picked out a 10k to run in October, it’s the Spotsy YMCA 10k, and there is a 10 miler (16.1k…if I have trained up to that distance) in August. I am kind of excited about building distance and actually being able to run 6.2 and 10 and 13.1 miles without dying.

I still hope to be able to swing the Disney Half in January 2012, but I needed a finish line that will be executable regardless of funding. I know that I can afford $39.00, no matter the circumstances.

So, here’s to tangible finish lines and realistic goals.