Running

I've always wanted to be a runner.  I ran middle school track, but I really hated it.  My stepmom always used to tell me I looked like I runner with my long legs (I'm 5'3''.  She comes from a family of very short people.) and I think I wanted that to be true.  I chose to be a sprinter so I'd have to run as little as possible.  We had to select 3 events and I always chose a "field" event as well, to keep my distance down.  (Yes, that's right.  I threw both discus and the shot put.  Girls that weigh 100 lbs are notoriously the best shot putters.)  I can remember how much I hated those first few weeks of training, which was really just some college kid that coached us making us run from the middle school to the (current) high school and around the old crappy track across from the stadium.  It was terrible for me, someone who wasn't really a runner. If they had started me slower, allowing me to build up some muscle and some endurance, I think I would have liked it.  So as a teen and an adult I "hated running."  I avoided the treadmill even when I started REALLY working out after Ellie was born and frequented the YMCA.  I always envied Evan, who would occasionally (and I mean OCCASIONALLY) go out for a run that was about 3 miles. It baffled me.  I was winded and my shins hurt after a few meters.  So when we got a treadmill in our basement (for Jack, who has been on it a total of once) I decided to give running a try.  And to my surprise, I like it.
 I like the feeling like I'm REALLY exercising.  I get sweaty and I can feel my heart rate rising.  I feel like I'm really accomplishing something in my never-ending quest to improve my health and fitness (oh and lose weight--always something I'm striving to do.)  My treadmill is in the playroom, facing the wall that lists the "Play Room Rules"  I have read this list a million times (oh how I wish I were exaggerating that number) and I get bored.  I tend to let my mind wander (until I'm called upon to help Olivia with some task that is exceeding difficult to do while in motion).  I always feel really motivated when I'm actually on the treadmill running.  It was during one of these moments I decided I was going to run a half-marathon.  As I thought about what half-marathons I could do, I started to realize that while I may be ok running on a treadmill, running on the street would be a whole different game.  So I decided that I'm going to run a half-marathon on the treadmill. I will be the only runner (guaranteed to place first!  Woo Hoo!)  and the race will occur whenever I'm ready.  I like this plan.  It allows me to work on my goal at my own pace.  I Googled "How To Train for a Half- Marathon" and got a ton of hits.  I think I might actually be able to do this.  The one site said if you're over 35 you should probably see a doctor before you begin training.  I took this to mean that the author believes that 35 year olds are OLD and therefore is an unreliable source.  I looked elsewhere for training advice.  The next site said that in order to follow their schedule you should be able to run 3 miles 3-4 times a week.  I can do that!  I didn't think I could, but Monday I tried and I found that I could run 3 miles relatively easily.  I had to sprint the last part of my third mile to make the 3 mile mark because Olivia was trying to take her dress off by herself and got stuck and was throw a full blown tantrum on the ground in front of me.  My body would allow me to run farther, my daughter would not.  THIS (the little person sitting on my lap right now) will be my biggest obstacle to running.  She can handle about 30 minutes of entertaining herself downstairs while I run and after that, we start to run into problems like the dress issue.  I'll have to work on ideas to help with that.

The schedule I found looks manageable and it can (supposedly) be modified if you have more time than 12 weeks to your race (I do).  I'm going to give it a shot, and if it doesn't work for me now, maybe when school starts and I can get back in my going-to-the-Y routine.  That's why I decided to run it on my own.  I'm excited!