The 26.2-Mile Project {Week 2}

Well, in accordance with my post a couple weeks ago, here is an update of my 26.2-mile project.

Monday 4/16:  2-3 miles {We ran 6 because my running buddy wanted to}
Tuesday 4/17: 3-4 miles {We ran 0...oops again!}
Wednesday 4/18: 2-3 miles {We ran 4}
Thursday 4/19: 3-4 miles {We ran 3}
Friday: 6-7 miles {I ran 7}

Total mileage: 20 miles. Not too shabby, though my goal was 21. This week's goal: 25 miles

Let me tell you a couple things about running:

I'm at the point where I don't enjoy it yet

Running in the morning is much better idea 

than running in the evening 

{I ran my 7 miles at 6pm on Friday night and it was still 88 degrees outside
...bad idea}

Be prepared to take cold showers

{you will actually want to}

Sometimes, it is so hard to keep going...

...but you just have to

Run with someone {if you can}

it makes running a million times more enjoyable

You will never regret doing it when you've finished

Right when you want to give up, is right at the point where you shouldn't

It doesn't matter how slow you go, as long as you keep going.

The 26.2 Mile Project

Some of you may have heard this story, but for those of you who haven't, I will share it once more.

When I was in high school, my senior year, we had to run the mile. You know, the Presidential Fitness Challenge thing? And I was many things in high school, but a runner I was not.

But I still ran. I pushed myself. Hard. I pushed myself so hard that I literally got sick after from running. Oh, and my time? Yeah, close to 11 minutes. What?! I wasn't overweight, I didn't consider myself that slow of a runner, but I was out of shape.

I had never felt like I needed a goal to be healthy because I didn't really have to worry about my weight.

Anyway, a few years later, I started to get fit. I ran. I biked. I swam. And I felt great. But then I stopped.

Now fast forward a couple more years. After I got married, I decided that I, again, wanted to get back into shape. I started running again last September (2011), 8 months ago. Since then, I have run a couple 5Ks and 3 half marathons. My goal this year is to run full marathon. For those of you who don't know, that is 26.2 miles.

So here is my journey, taken one step {literally} at a time.

This past week has been difficult. I've run a little bit in the past few months, but I suffered an injury at my last half marathon in January and was put out of running for about a month and a half. I lost motivation to run. It was even harder when a good running partner of mine moved away.

Monday: 2-3 miles {I ran 3}
Tuesday: 3-4 miles {I ran 0...oops}
Wednesday: 2-3 miles {I ran 4...trying to make up}
Thursday: 3-4 miles {I ran 4}
Friday: 5-6 miles {I ran 6.4}

Today I ran 6.4 miles all by my lonesome in the hot, humid, 75 degree Texas weather.


This week's mileage: 17 miles {approx}

Next week's goal: 21 miles

I am not a runner

This is what I would have told you in high school: I am not a runner. I hate running and it is not for me.

This is what I will tell you now. I think I might be a runner.

I don't know what happened, but it all started with being bored. I literally had nothing to do, so I joined the running club at Laughlin AFB (Air Force Base). The first week, I had a hard time running 2 miles.

Yup. Two miles. AND we were training for a half marathon.

Anyway, a couple months later, I was at the starting line of my first half marathon.




















And 13.1 grueling, awful miles later, I was at the finish line. SO happy to be done. It was pretty rough (although I did manage to smile for a minute)
















So, you think I would have learned my lesson, but noo, I had to go do another half marathon, but at least that one wasn't quite as terrible as the first one. (But it was freezing...and snowing!)














And then I had to go and volunteer to do TWO more half marathons in the next two months. But you know what? I think I'm starting to like running.

Hopefully I'll get around to full marathon by the end of the year :)