From Zero to 13.1...Again

It's about time I linked up with my favorite blogger girls (and favorite in real life girls !) for their Training for Tuesday linkup.  I've been hesitant because I've been lazy.  Not lazy about posting, but running.  However, this blog is an outlet for me, a way to throw things out into technology land and see what happens.  So here we go.

I ran my first half marathon on November 2nd, 2014.  I never had a goal pace set, although I had hoped I would finish in under 2:30.  It was the most exhilarating, stressful, fun, and physical thing I've ever done (and I danced for 20 years).  As race day approached, I looked at how far I'd come, freaked the eff out, very seriously considered dropping down the the 10K, stubbornly decided to go for the half and finished in 2:14:14.

And now I want to do it again.

After City of Oaks, I ran a 5K and an 8K, with respectable times even though I felt like I wasn't doing my best.  It was the 8K that awoke the long sleeping dragon, aka my insane asthma.  The good thing about that was I knew my lungs were getting the 9-year accumulation of gunk out of my lungs.  The bad news: I could barely walk a few miles without being out of breath.

I sulked, I made excuses, I sat on my butt and watched all my hard work fall apart.  With my aggressive asthma, I would never be able to do anything but run/walk; how could I crush PR's if I couldn't ever really get any faster/better ?  And then I got mad.  PLENTY of people run with asthma.  PLENTY of people never leave the run/walk format and have run marathons like that. I refused to throw myself a pity party anymore.  After not running for 7 months, I laced up my favorite Ravenna's and ran 1.8 miles on National Running day.

I've only run 2 other times since then, and the last time was 6 weeks ago. 

The weather become unbearable for me to breathe in.  More excuses were made, the pity party returned, and I backslid into the doing nothing again.  I'm now out of excuses.

Hopefully by this time next month, I'll have saved enough to enroll in the Richmond Half Marathon.  By the next training linkup, I hope I'll have started training with the Fleet Feet Half Marathon Training program so that multiple someones can help hold me accountable for getting my butt off the couch, away from the donuts, and out working towards my goal.

My goal has 3 parts:

1. Have Fun !
2. Finish 13.1 Miles without dying.
3. Finish around the same time I finished City of Oaks.

The first goal is a must.  The second is ideal.  The third is optional.  But I WILL run 13.1 miles again.  I start tomorrow morning at 6AM.