Well, That Escalated Quickly

A few months back, I pondered the idea of being “just a 5k runner.”  Last week, I shared that I signed up for a 10k, allowing over ten months to prepare.  Well, that 10k is going to be my cooldown.  We signed up for a half marathon!  That was my one Black Friday sale purchase; we decided to sign up because they offered a code.

The race isn’t until May, allowing six months to prepare.  While researching half-marathon training plans, it’s becoming clear that a runner can prepare for one in twelve to sixteen weeks.  I can continue to do my short (for others) runs during the weeks and aim to increase my distance by 1-1.5 miles weekly during a long run on the weekend.  Even if I miss a little bit of training due to New England winters and have to backtrack when the weather gets warmer, I will have plenty of time to be ready.  My running friends and I have committed to running together on the weekends.

Why am I doing this?

1. To prove to myself that I can set a goal and reach it
2. To finally conquer my self-doubt when it comes to running
3. Hopefully, to lose some of the ten pounds that have crept up in the last two years
4. To be vulnerable and supportive and work towards a goal with some amazing people
5. So I can put a cool 13.1 sticker on my Subaru (only kinda kidding)

Now comes the hard part, besides the training itself.  I need to tell people I’m doing it.  It took a long time to tell people I was running.  I still preface any running talk by saying, “I’m not fast, but I’m doing it.” Just as I was initially nervous to reveal to people that I was running, I am nervous to tell people I am training for a half-marathon.  I’ve never run for than four and a half miles in a row.  I’m not fast.  But I am running.  And I am running towards a goal.