a runner?

Ok...so, it's almost been an entire year since I started running. I told myself that I wasn't going to classify myself as a "runner" until a full year of consistent running had been completed. I made this decision after practically hating running my entire life...I didn't want to be overzealous about my new hobby at first and jump totally in with both feet...but that seems to be what has happened. It's so weird...for so long, the mere thought of running more than 5 minutes made me crabby and tired. But now, my mind loves (well, usually) the process of tying up the laces of my NB's...exploring someplace new (or old)...chatting with my bud or listening to my music selection for the day...and wondering where my mind is going to take me that day. Yes, it's true...some days my mind and my body's just not there and wants nothing to do with any sort of jarring motion, sweat, heaving breathing or extra blood pumping. But those days are seldom and usually come with simply a lack of sleep.

I remember back in March of last year when I started training my good friend Staci. She was a runner (done a handful of 1/2marathons at the time) and I remember one day her suggesting that I do a race with her. My response was "yeah, I might do a short one with you...like a 5k or something." It wasn't 5 months later when we were signing up for the Canyonlands Moab 1/2 Marathon to take place in March '08. How did I get here? Training for the first race was...challenging, interesting, fun, horrible, fulfilling...all at the same time. I decided that my goal for my first 1/2 (13.1 miles) was to get under 2 hours. I would have to be under a 9 min mile the entire race. Including a pee pit-stop in the first 1/2 mile of the start...I ended up finishing 1:57:23. I was really thrilled to have made it just under the 2 hr mark. Moab was an absolutely amazing first race experience...I was with a great group of friends who were so supportive of me.

Since Moab I've been back at the training in preparation for the Steamboat 1/2 marathon. This race will be June 1st and will be a little bit tougher thanks to a higher altitude and a select group of hills to conquer. I'm excited to see if I improve my time and to be running some place new! :) Training for this race has been tough...usually 5 days/wk we run. Speed work, incline, hills, recovery runs (if there is such a thing), long runs (ugh). Staci has been such a huge inspiration...motivator and great running partner for me. She has been such a great teacher and so patient with me in my attempts to truly become a runner... and for that I am so thankful.

Tomorrow we have a long run. It will be 90 min which is a shorter run of the long run category for us...however monday will be the start of a tough and long 2 weeks of training before we back off a bit before the race june 1. For our long runs, Staci and I have been going up to Monument to train at a little bit higher altitude. We love it up there and just think it's gorgeous! We've been running around Palmer Lake as well as the Greenland trail...both just make you feel as though you are in this remote part of Colorado Springs...pretty neato!

I decided to tally up the number of miles i've run since the start of 2008...and a rough estimate ends up to be 425miles. So that means I'm averaging about 26-27miles/week. If you would have asked me a year ago if I would be running more than 20 minutes at a time...I would have said...not with a smile on my face that's forsure! But, I do have a smile of my face...I really do enjoy so many aspects of it. Of course the competitive athlete rears it's head sometimes and thinks of strict goals I can set for myself. But, I don't want to lose sight of the joy I find in the simplicity of heading out for a run...not focusing on time, speed, heart rate...but focusing on enjoying the time for set aside for me.

Place: C.C. Trail/Greenway Trail
Time: 45min
Distance: about 4.3 miles
Run: recovery run