Pilot: 2nd Airdate

OKAY. ROUND 2.

I deleted my older posts from today and have officially decided to chronicle only my training days to prepare for a marathong. I figure, this content is actually worth looking back on. The other crap....well, it was just that. Crap. I decided to keep the title of the blog because what I've managed to learn over the past 10 months since I started running, is that all of my problems have been totally alleviated by one thing: running. Through running, I've managed to put structure into my life, I've managed to eat healthy foods, feel better about myself, reduce my stress level from work, etc. So even though I absolutely HATE the act of running, it's still brought so much to my life. 

SO, onward with the show!

My best friend and I have decided to run a marathong. Well, that's not the whole story. My running journey really started all the way back in March of 2010. My boss had just finished running the Shamrock Half Marathong that month and came to work daily with stories of training, weight lifting, runs, etc. Now, let me put one thing out there that everyone should know before I continue on: My boss, a GREAT boss, possibly the best boss I've ever had... well, she was the LAST person I'd ever imagine running...and running a half marathong no less. When she first told me she was going to run a half marathong, I said, "Oh cool!" but thought to myself, "There is no way she's going to stick with that". Nothing against her, I just couldn't picture her committing to this enormous feat...running 13.1 miles.

It was the day after she finished (2:17 was her time, I think), I couldn't believe it. She ran 13.1 miles...all at once. WTF. The most I had ever run up until that point was 5 miles, and I thought 5 miles was like traveling to another country and back.  But she did it, and I was inspired. 

My boss's only athletic background was being on the dance team in high school. Me? Basketball from 7th-10th grade, Lacrosse from 10th-college. Surely if SHE could do a half marathong, I could. She invited me to train with her for the Parkway Half Marathong in May 2010, and off I went. 

My boss ended up getting injured and didn't run that half marathong, but I made a new friend along the way who became my running partner. For 2 months, we ran short runs during the work week and long runs on the weekends. It was tough. We gradually increased our miles from 6-10 during the long runs and my knees were sore after every run. Despite my body going through a whole new type of hell, I never felt in better shape.

The Parkway Half Marathong came and went, and I"ll be sure to talk about that whole experience in a later post, but the result was amazing. I ran 13.1 miles...all at once. And I couldn't be more proud. All throughout college, I played lacrosse and was NEVER a distance runner. I was quick on my footwork and I could beat out most people if the race was kept to under 80yds. Running distance was and is NOT easy. But I did it! 2:07... my goal was to beat my boss's time. I did.

After that race, I was quick to sign up for another halfie....the Disneyland Half Marathong in August. Long story short, the group I was supposed to go with fizzled and I ended up not running. Hopefully next year, because I hear it's totally awesome.

All of that history brings me to where I am today: Training for the Surf City Marathong in Huntington Beach, CA on February 6, 2010. My bestie and I had originally decided on the half marathong, but then saw that the price for the full marathong was only $15 more. Why not get our money's worth, right?

Well, here we are. Moreover, here I AM. My best friend lives half a state away from me, so we can't train together. And even if we did, she'd kick my ASK (that wasn't a typo. It's from a youtube.com clip....search for "kick my ask". You'll get it.). I've got 10 weeks to prepare for a 26.2 mile run. W...T...F...

So far, it's been pretty good. I'm working on my tempo and PR-ing on my 5Ks and 10Ks. What really sucks is that it's getting cold and rainy. What sucks even more is that I reFUSE to run on a treadmill. So I basically running outside in whatever weather Mother Nature decides to throw at me.  It should be interesting though....training for my first marathong during the winter (GREAT DECISION).  Whatever the result is, though, I'm excited for the journey....should be a good one.