Well, I'm doing it again...I said I wouldn't, but I am.
I just signed up for my second half-marathon: The St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon. It's in exactly 100 days...eek! Don't call me crazy; people who are much older than me run much farther and much more often...call all of them crazy.
In 2009, I trained and ran my first half marathon. Before that year, I would have never called myself a runner (still don't). Yes, I had ran/walked a few 5Ks, but never had any desire to do much more. Here is how it all started:
Spring of 2009 I was living in Cabot, going to graduate school, and becoming rather 'relaxed' with my exercise/healthy eating routine. I knew I needed a change. Well, lucky me, the Cabot 'RoadRunners' Running club was joining with clubs all across Arkansas to participate in the Woman Can Run/Walk 5k- a clinic that trained and encouraged woman to get off their lazy bums and finish a race. They offered training 3-days a week for a variety of activity levels: walkers, and novice, experienced, and advanced runners. Knowing that I wasn't a novice but definitely NOT experienced, I flipped back and forth between the two groups (depending on that week's motivation level). Half-way through, I recruited a new friend who I had met through our church, Megan. Little did I know, inviting her to run with me was going to change my feelings toward running...FOOOORRREEEVVVEEER (weak Sandlot reference)
Megan and I took to each other like pb and jelly. Neither of us were very 'good' at running and kept the same slooooow pace, but we LOVED the pre-scheduled runs and female camaraderie (weak Harding reference). Before we knew it we were scheduling extra time to run and pushing each other farther and faster.
This was the first real 'training' I had ever done and I felt elated being able to do it with a friend. All of a sudden, it was May 9th and we were running a 5K. Not only did we run a 5K, but we were laughing and talking the whole way. We finished side-by-side crossing the finish line - couldn't have been any better. We weren't worried about time or correct pacing, we were just dog-gone proud that we did it! We felt like we could conquer the (racing) world.
That accomplishment, that euphoria, is what led to Megan and mine's next aspiration: A Half Marathon.
To Be Continued....
I'm considering the St. Jude's half too! I'm just trying to talk a few more people into it before I commit. I have only been in one half marathon before and I loved it so I'm hoping I can do this one! At the last one I went to, I passed Kara Threm so maybe we will see each other!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe someday in the far future, when I've knocked out Couch to 5K and 10K and then added a few miles to the end, I can attempt to run with you. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteFalse. I just found out how many miles a 10K is. It's six. And a half marathon is double that. I'll just cheer you on.
ReplyDeleteLove the story, brings back such wonderful memories! I'm so proud of u for doing another half marathon! I do miss u though, wish we were training together!
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