Getting Started Goals

As soon as I decide to train for a marathon, I set 3 goals for myself:

1. Blow the dust off my training blog

Perhaps it sounds silly, but I know from past experience that keeping this blog is a vital step in keeping me on track with my training.  There is going to come a day in the not too distant future that the only reason I drag myself out to complete a run is because someone out there is expecting me to write about it.  Composing blog posts in my head about how my run is going also gives me something to concentrate on and helps pass the time, especially during the long and/or especially excruciating runs.

2. Create a training schedule

Most marathon training schedules start off assuming that you can already run at least 3 miles.  And...  well... you see... the thing is... that's just a wee little bit of a problem, because that 2 miles I ran a few days ago?  Let's just say I'm still sore.  So there's that.  Plus, by now I know myself well enough to know my habits, both good and bad.  If I don't optimize my training schedule so that most of my runs take place on non-work days things are gonna get ugly.  All of that adds up to the need for a custom designed training schedule, designed by none other than yours truly.

3. Order myself a new ID from roadid.com

I hate running with a bunch of extra stuff weighing me down, but it makes me nervous to run without ID or emergency contact information.  I used to always run with a shoe pouch and ID plate, but the info on my old one didn't even have my current name, never mind current contact information.  Let's just say that I highly doubt my ex-boyfriend would rush to offer assistance.  I was super stoked to find out that not only is the company still in business, but they still carry the same awesome products!  So, I was able to order myself a new updated ID plate.  Score!

I suppose I could have included start running as a fourth goal, but that seems a little silly now, doesn't it?

This week's 3 goals are:

1. Working on breaking that nasty pop habit I mentioned
2. Get. Enough. Sleep.
3. Personalize my Team in Training Donation Page (which can be found via the link I added in the side bar over there -->)

Training official starts today. Woo Hoo!

(Of course, Monday is a rest day on my schedule so it's a bit anti-climatic.)

They Say Admitting It is the First Step

I am stating for the record that I am addicted to pop/soda/cola/whateveryouwanttocallit, and it HAS. GOT. TO. STOP.

In the past I was never a total health nut, but I at least had the common sense to feel guilty when I ate like crap.  These days I more or less treat my body as a living, breathing garbage disposal without giving a second thought to what I put into it.  That attitude has got to go if I am going to have a hope of coming out the other side of this marathon training in one piece.

My list of bad habits that are going to need addressed along this training journey is quite long, but I figured I'd kick things off by battling the worst one first.  I figure that way I can lie to myself and say it's all downhill from there.

I wish I could say I was going to quit cold turkey (where does that phrase come from, anyway?), but if I said that, dear readers, I would be lying to you.  And while I may try to get away with lying to myself from time to time, I won't lie to you.  So for starters, I'm going to be clinging for dear life to carbonated flavored water and the occasional non-cola pop (which I like but don't have the same love affair with).

Starting tomorrow, you have permission to slap it out of my hand if you see me with a coke or pepsi.  I will probably have a death grip on it, and you will have to pry it out of my fingers.  I'll hate you at the time, but I promise I'll thank you for it later.

Live and Learn

My intent for my runs this week has been nothing more than merely "testing the waters".  I'm lacing up my shoes, putting one foot in front of the other, and taking it as it comes.  Six years is a long time, and in some ways it feels like it. (Like the way my lungs and every muscle in my legs are screaming at me every minute of every day.)  In so many others, it feels like my last run was just a month ago.  I can already feel the sense of well being returning to my psyche.  It truly feels like I am finally returning home after an extended stay some place where I didn't really want to be.

When I left the house tonight I had a vague notion that I'd try to run 2 miles.  I didn't make it.

Yeah.  I thought I'd just go ahead and get that over with.  I know I'm going to be typing those words a lot over the next 5 months, so I might as well start now.

I made the HUGE rookie mistake of starting out too fast, and then I crashed.  Hard.

But it's not my fault.

No really..... it's not!

I swear!

I started running and glanced down at my garmin and it showed that I was running a 16:30 pace.  Seriously?  Get your butt in gear, girl.  Next time I looked at it I was running a 10:15 pace, but I KNOW I didn't speed up that much.  The garmin just hadn't quite fully kicked in when I checked it the first time, and the damage was done by the time I checked again.  Live and learn, my friends.  Live and learn.

Splits:
Mile 1 10:46
Mile .5 5:52

A Friday Quickie

I managed to eek out a quick (or not so quick as the case may be) mile this morning with one of my little goobers in tow.  She's a total spaz to run with, constantly stopping to sniff everything in her path, barking at other dogs, crossing in front of my path, and generally just being a pain in the butt.  But she loves it so much, and I knew I wasn't going to make it very far anyway.  My other goober is so lazy that she flat out refuses to run, and if I try to make her she will just lay down and refuse to move.

Some days I wish I could get away with that myself.

So she only gets to go along on days where a very short walk is all that is on the agenda.

Split:
Mile 1 12:16

In other thrilling news:

I'm in the middle of a love/hate relationship with the nickel size blister I've got going on in the middle of my right arch.  I will be so thrilled when my beloved calluses return to me!

I discovered this morning that my running shorts are all too big.  Not that I'm complaining.  And I spent the entire run this morning pulling them up every 5 seconds.  Looks like a shopping trip is in order very very soon.

Now aren't you glad you stopped by for that?

Happy Friday, Friends!  May you all have a fabulous weekend.

I've Only Just Begun

Tonight I managed to crank out my first run on this insane adventure that I have decided to embark on.  I only made it 2 miles, but considering that I haven't ran more than 25 times in the past 6 years that's really not too shabby.

Splits:
Mile 1 11:25
Mile 2 11:45

I made it about .25 of a mile before I realized that I forgot to put on my knee brace.  Oy.  But, hey!  At least I remembered the gum.

Honestly, the run felt good.  I know I'm about to jinx myself for even thinking this, but it was much easier than I expected.  After the first half mile, I was in a smooth rhythm and it felt like my body knew just what to do, leaving my mind free to wander where it would.

It felt like I was right back where I belonged.

Unfortunately, I am very well aware of the fact that the saying "the hardest part is getting started" does not apply to marathon training.  I think "I've only just begun" sums it up a little better.

2 miles down.  24.2 to go.  Let's do this!

The Return of Runnergirl

When I said Goodbye 6 years ago, I never would have dreamt that I'd be back.  I certainly never intended to return.  But 6 years is a long time and things change.

Never. Say. Never.  Right?!

So here I am, blowing the dust off of the ol' running blog and gearing up for another attempt at training.

But let's back up a bit...

If you've been here before, welcome back and thanks for once again joining me for the ride.

If you're new, let me give you the major condensed version:  Six years ago I quit running.  It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.  It hurt and I've never really gotten over it.  If you want to know any of the history you can find it in the archives.  Every. painful. detail.

I feel like my life can be describe as a house of cards, and running (or more specifically the way running made me feel) was that bottom corner card that supported the rest of my life.  When that card got yanked out from under me, the rest of the cards tumbled.  I've been trying to rebuild my house of cards ever since, but without the card that used to support the rest I really just don't know how to make them all stand up.

I've spent the past 6 years looking for alternatives to use as that bottom support card, but so far nothing else has worked.  Every time I think I've found a substitute and start stacking more cards on top, the new card buckles under the weight of the rest and the house collapses again.  So here I am, 6 years later, still surrounded by my pile of cards, wondering what the hell happened to my life.

I've reached the point where I feel like I have no choice but to give running another try.

And to be 100% honest, I'm scared shitless.

Because let's face facts... I'm 6 years older.  My body is 6 years older.  If it was protesting so much that I was forced to quit back then, what makes me think it is all of a sudden going to get on board now?  The bottom line is that I have no idea if it will or it won't.  But since the last time I felt completely, totally, deep down in my gut happy was in 2006, it's time to put it to the test.

So, yeah.  I'm back.

And this time I'm not messing around.

I just signed up to run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 20, 2013 with Team in Training.

Go Big or Go Home: It's the only way to live.

The End of an Era

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have
ended up where I intended to be. ~ Douglas Adams

When I set out on the journey that led me to start this blog, I had expectations of where I was going and why. I knew what things I wanted to get from running, and felt confident that I would obtain them.

Boy was I in for a shock!

Not only did I never make it to my marathon, but the process was nothing like what I was expecting. The wealth of things that I learned about myself was unfathomable, and I got what I wanted out of the experiencing without ever reaching my perceived end point and goal.

I have learned several invaluable lessons along my journey and gotten to know myself better than I ever could have imagined.

But, after many months of soul searching, it saddens me to report that this will be my last blog post. I haven't trained for a race in well over a year. It's been a year and a half since my knee started bothering me, with no real relief in sight. And the farther away from it I get, the less I miss it.

I just don't feel like runnergirl any more.

I do miss the competition of the races. The competition with myself, that is. I miss pushing myself to get better and be better. Not just physically, but mentally as well. So, maybe one day I'll decide to take up swimming or biking.

But not now.

Now...

I'm going to start directing my energy in other directions. I used to really enjoy lifting weights at the gym, but I didn't have enough time to keep up with it and run too. So I gave it up a few years ago in lieu of running. So, my plan is to get back into that as soon as I make a firm decision on which gym I want to join.

It has been great spending an hour every weekday morning walking and talking with my mom. Which is another thing that I had given up doing in order to train for long distance races.

One of the best things to come of my journey is that I have gained a great love and appreciation for blogging, and I have every intention of continuing with it. I just feel like I need a fresh start in a new blog, where I don't feel the pressure of writing about running because that is what my reader base is expecting. I want a new forum, where I can babble about my life and the people in it without feeling like I am boring people to tears because they are expecting something running related.

So, from now on I'll be hanging out here. Stop on by and say hello!! **link removed**

Happy Running to everyone! And I'll still be lurking here and there on your blogs.

~ Runnergirl Out!