Proudly Running Like A Girl

Hellooooo!

I am beginning this blog for purely personal reasons...to track my progress, record my goals, outline my training and, basically, make myself accountable for it. Though I don't think I need any additional external motivation (I am pretty self motivated), I think having a place to document my thoughts, progress, etc is just plain fun.

To Start....

I am training for the SunTrust Richmond Half Marathon on November 15. I will be running (like a girl) with my best friend, Kerri. :) Neither of us has ever run this far. At times (during training and race day) I'm sure we will wonder why the hell we decided to join this....those questions are best left unasked until later. Besides, I haven't (technically) even started my official training yet. No need to get psyched out just yet.

Why I run:

1. I actually like it (it's a love/hate relationship, really, but this "I like to run" is a new thing for me - I was previously part of the "I don't run unless someone is chasing after me with a weapon" fan club)
2. I like the feeling of the wind on my face (especially when I pass a really full dumpster on a sunny day - it's awesome)
3. I like the "me" time to just do my thing and listen to music on my Zune (it's like an I-Pod, but better)
4. I like the way I feel when I'm done
5. I like the people I meet along the way (the ones who smile...the ones that just stare at me with the "running-is-bad-for-you" look or "why-are-you-smiling-while-you-run" look I don't care for much and are excluded from that statement)
6. I like spending between $20-$70 for race day t-shirts

Previous Running Experience:

Not a whole lot...

I did the Friehoffer's 5K back in 2000 then took an 8 year break. Started running again in Jan 08 to train for the Big Sur International Marathon as part of a fundraising team. I signed up for the 10.6 Miler portion.

I started as a walker (when I began training I was still part of the "I don't run unless someone is chasing me...." club) and then realized that if I ran, I could get done faster! Yes! It was almost like cheating...
So, I started to run. And then, the weirdest, most unexpected thing happened....I started to LIKE it. Huh. Go figure.

In any event, I ran the 10.6 Miler in April (as I mentioned, I was part of a large group that fundraised over $216,000 for The Wellness Center of Central New Jersey - a cancer support group. We are very proud of our accomplishment!) finishing in a respectable 2 hours.

But when it was all over I was like...OK...what do I do now? I had somewhat the same feeling as after my wedding day...I'd planned, prepared, and now that it was all over....what do I do with myself?

Train for a Half Marathon!

Which brings me to the present. So here I am...and here is my blog....and here I go!