I haven't blogged about my journey as diligently as I had hoped to. Not here, anyway. Not that anyone's reading. This is sort of my symbolic blog; I can't shut it down, but it's definitely not a huge priority right now. So, if you drop in and read, welcome! (Thanks, too!)
Anyway, 2 weeks ago I completed my first 11 mile run/walk EVER. It was rather surreal. Our family was on vacation at a beach, FAR from our home in Wisconsin. I have a confession: I really don't care for running on the beach. My feet prefer pavement to sand or gravel. BUT I love the ocean and was not about to NOT run on the beach at all. So, I did my warm up miles and then switched to the trails on the island. Not having a training buddy has weakened my resolve in some ways. Back home in Tennessee, before the move, my partner and I trained at 3:1 run:walk ratios. Usually. That was flexible. I've really struggled to work back up to that here, and have been aiming for 2:1 ratios. My goal is to finish, period. Preferrably on two feet and not on a stretcher. If I finish in 3 hours I;ll be thrilled. I'll probably be ok if I finish in 3.5 hours. Or even 4. Really, just to finish will be awesome. 3 years ago, I did not anticipate running more than a 10k. Or run/walking. Even 2 years ago, I was not ready to try. And last year, well, moving 600 miles across the country consumed my life. At this time last year, we were getting our house on the market, doing things we should have done 3 years earlier for ourselves instead of waiting to do them for other people to like the house better. Que sera, sera. It sold, praise the Lord.
I digress.
I KNEW I needed to do my long run, but I felt guilty for leaving the kids with the family and taking the time to do it. Around mile 5, I had passed that awkward first 3 miles and was actually having fun. (Does that happen to anyone else, I wonder?) I texted the fam and let them know I Was going for 10. For some reason, the idea of running 10 miles out by my house in the country was more intimidating to me than running 10 miles on a trail on an island that I;d never visited before. The difference: trails. No jumping off the road or wondering if some idiot would lose control while driving down the hill along the state highway that is part of my route. Normally I go into town for my long runs, that's how much the country-road experience unsettles me.
So I ran. I saw an alligator on the bank across the pond from a trail. There were other runners and bikers, and it was early enough that the Southern heat wasn't too stifling. I enjoyed the scenery, and relished the experience of having actual paths designated for recreation for the entire route. I would love to say I pondered deep things, but I really just enjoyed the solitude and the breeze in the salty air, along with the scenery. I especially enjoyed the shady portions.
When I got to my last stretch, I saw my sister-in-law coming down the trail. She does her own fitness thing and has been a huge encourager in my journey also. She turned around and finished my last 2 miles with me. At some point I had decided that instead of repeating my 10 mile distance, I would push on toward 11. It's a good thing I don't run the whole thing. Anyway, she joined me and it turned out that ending the workout on the beach was just over the 11 mile marker. PR on vacation! Yes!
(I'm the one wearing glasses.)
So there we were, and our family was there to witness my success. :)
I would love to say I went on to train perfectly these last 2 weeks. I'd be lying. I've done the best I can, and I'm pretty confident that I will be walking a bunch. BUT I am also confident that after finishing 11 miles once, 13 will be achievable. And I'm also really, really, really excited about the race I've chosen:
HerMadison Half Marathon
I don't know my way around the city, but I love what I have seen of it. Madison has a unique vibe to it.
I've looked at other half-marathons in the past and they were NOT beginner friendly. In fact, they looked snobbishly intimidating, as though they only wanted experience runners to attempt their course. Then, there's the whole mob situation. This race will be my largest yet, by far. The mission is amazing. The organizers are giving medals to both the 5k finishers and the 13.1 finishers. As one who has struggled to believe in myself for pretty much my entire life, this is inspirational. The community support on the Madison MRTT/SRTT Facebook group has been phenomenal. AND I get to run with, or near, a friend of a friend who is coming up from Florida. While my running buddy who ran my first 5k with me is home in TN, one of her full marathon buddies is coming to WI and decided to do this race. Yay! Plus, another friend and her sister are walking the 5k.
Did you read that? WALKING. Because this race is awesome. The women behind it recognize that some people are not runners. It doesn't mean they don't value fitness, they do. But it recognizes our unique goals and abilities and rewards ALL of us!
I have two more short runs left before my big day... tonight and Saturday morning. I'm seriously so nervous I break into tears of anticipation. Just little ones. Because this race is larger than I'm used to, my hatred of large crowds is also trying to pique. I'm hydrating like crazy, and therefor peeing like crazy.
My family is planning to come, too, and I cannot wait to hug them, or collapse on them, as I cross that finish line.
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