I'm shooting for the highest number of "yes, i'm really deciding to run again" posts that the blog-o-sphere has ever seen.
BUT. I think I really mean it this time. My friend Kiersten laid down the gauntlet last Saturday. And by "laid down the gauntlet," I mean she said: "You should run the City of Oaks 1/2." She's so mean and task-mastery.
So, I checked out dear old Hal Higdon and I'm about 2 weeks late in starting my training for this November 3rd Half Marathon. I'm not going to let that stop me - I've been running a little here and there, just not quite the "long distances" that I need to have done to be on track.
I've realized that, unlike my "real" runner friends, I have to have a training goal in order to actually train. I can't say that I do it "for the love of the game." Which is not to say that I don't ENJOY running - I do! But, I don't enjoy getting ready to go run, if you know what I mean. When I'm out there, I love it - I feel great! But, it's hard to make myself really "look forward to it." I do, however, look forward to buying cute outfits for running. Which I did today, thanks to a bday gift card from Arjay. Whoo hoo!
So, stats: Today, I had a nice, slow 3-miler with Matilda. We both felt good through the whole thing. So, that's something! I'm looking for a good hydration pack for her to carry when we get to those longer runs - so she can carry her own water. Does anyone who has a doggie training partner have any suggestions?
This weekend will be the real test: 6-miles on Saturday. I'm probably being over-zealous, but I'll give it a shot. Alternately, I could change out the "taper weeks" where you step down in mileage, and opt for a steady "uphill" to the half - allowing myself to do only 4 miles on Saturday. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to them!
Oh - in other news, I'm staring a new job on the 9th, so I figure it's a good time to get some new scheduling going - i.e. running in the morning. Then, that will just be "how it is."
More to come!
