Yes, I admit it: I’ve gone mad! This running thing has taken over and I’m actually setting a goal of running a Half Marathon this year.
My journey started in January. My goal was to “do” (whatever that meant…maybe run/walk/cry at some point) the Cooper River Bridge Run, a 10K. The commitment was easy because I simply had to drive across town. Honestly, I don’t think I really knew what I was committing to. However, I’m competitive and all about setting goals, so that was it.
In January, I quickly worked up to consistently running four miles, four days a week for the months of January, February and March.
The Bridge Run was March 31st. The most difficult part was the incline leading onto the bridge. I slowed up, walked a bit, then started running again. I finished the race in 1:06:41. A little disappointed that I didn’t finish in under and hour (my goal), but I quickly reminded myself that I only started running in early January! I’m proud of my accomplishment.
Next on the race schedule was a 5K Mother’s Day weekend: The Moms Run. Then I discovered the iFiveK on April 19th in the evening in downtown Charleston. Without giving it any thought, I signed up, showed up, and finished in 28:55, meeting my goal of finishing in under 30 minutes. (I’ll keep you posted on the Mother’s Day weekend run).
Truly getting that, for me, running is more than logging miles, I began thinking about how I could further challenge myself. If I could “train” for just three months and run a 10K, then if I gave myself six months, surely I could run a Half Marathon. And there it was: A reason to set this new goal.
More to come…
I’m tracking my workouts on The Daily Mile.
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Your post about running caught my eye. I entered myself in a 10km run and have 8 weeks to train. Really struggling with finding the time to fit these runs in. I have a nasty feeling it’s going to have to be bright and early in the morning and it’s a little chilly over here at the moment. Would love any tips you have for how to fit all of the training sessions in. I’m thinking of getting a giant hamster wheel at home.
Hi Jenna (that happens to be my daughter’s name too!), Thanks so much for your comment. Honestly I believe it comes down to making the time. You can never find the time, really. It’s got to be a priority, like eating breakfast or taking a shower. For me, I started training about 10 weeks prior to my first 10K. Let me rephrase that: I started running 10 weeks prior to my first 10K. I was on a mission. It was a goal and one that, for the first time in my life, I was taking seriously. Try and do at least 3-4 3-mile runs a week with a longer run on the weekend. If you can run a mile in 10 minutes, that’s just 30-40 minutes 3 times a week. That’s less time in a day that one might spend watching a one-hour drama program on television. Give something up and replace it with your training. Also, get your nutrition in check too so you have the proper energy at race time. It’s amazing how if we set our mind to it, stop making excuses (don’t mean to be harsh, but it’s true), and get moving–YOU CAN DO THIS!!! Would love to hear how you do!