Friday, May 1, 2009

I used to be a runner...

The key word in the post title is used.

Back in the spring of 2006, I found a new addiction. Running. I had been dabbling in running for the past two years, but some switch was flipped in me in the spring of 2006. Err, maybe it was the result of yet another painful break-up (this time with a guy named Matt, whom I've never mentioned in this blog). Jeez, how many of these does a girl need to go through before she can find her prince? I digress.

Anyways, I started training for my first half and was hooked. Um, I am a bit of a planner, so I took well to the 1/2 marathon training regimen. I loved that there was a grid that told me exactly how far I needed to run each night (thank you, Hal Higdon). I loved adding up the number of miles that I had ran each week. When I hit the halfway point of the training, I thought: 'huh. This hasn't been bad at all. Maybe I should do a marathon.'

Let me pause and just tell you that out of all of the people in my family, I would have been identified as "Least Likely to Run a Marathon." Seriously. I've never excelled at any sports. Any. I'm not being modest when I say that. I am being honest. My dad was a great athlete - I think he took first at State in the 400m or 800m when he was in HS? Can't remember which one. So there are some athletic genes in my gene pool, but I wasn't the lucky recipient of those genes.

But for some reason, at the age of 25, I took to running like a house on fire.

I ran my first marathon in October of 2006. It was an amazing experience. I blogged about it here.

Flash forward to the present. I rarely run anymore. Working full-time and going to Grad school part-time in the evenings has kicked my arse. Seriously.

But it's all over on Monday. I'll sit through my final class and when the clock strikes 9:05 - I am free. No more group meetings, paper deadlines, or excel finance models to create. Alleluia. Many people have asked - 'So what are you going to do with all that free time?'

Easy. The 3 R's: Read, Run, and Relax.

A marathon isn't in the cards for 2009, but I would like to do a 1/2 this fall. I'm joining a running group - my first run will be tomorrow morning! I did 100% of my training for my first marathon alone. It worked for me, and I wouldn't change a thing, but for my next half/full marathon, I'd like to have some companions on those long runs. Especially the 14+ mile runs!

And after getting back on track, I plan on finding a marathon to train for.

I'll leave you with a funny little picture that I found here. This sign represents what my family was probably thinking when they were waiting for me at the finish line of the marathon in '06!


7 comments:

aimee said...

that's so awesome that you are getting back into running!! i'm starting to train for my first half. i was going to start training last fall but then i got sick. we can support each other through blogs :)

Jess said...

You're so close to being finished school; that must be a nice feeling!! Enjoy your reading, relaxing and running!! I'm sure you're looking forward to it. (And I'm impressed, by the way. I've always wanted to build up the stamina to run a marathon!)

Amber said...

Yayy! I'm so glad to hear you are going to start running again!!

I want to join a running group this summer too. Training alone/with Eric worked OK, but if I decide to train for a marathon I think I will want company on the longer runs!

Unknown said...

Monday is a big day for both you and me!
You are done with school (Bravo) and I will have my one year check up (cross fingers).

I don't know if I will celebrate by running, but I might go for a bike ride. That will be Tuesday, though.
Monday evening, I might just have to have a margarita!!!

I am very proud of you!!!

Abby said...

I am proud of you! I hope your run went well Saturday morning!! You will get back into it in no time. It seems like once you have that crazy endurance--you can always retain it...it's all in the mind!!

I am so excited that you are almost done with school. What an accomplishment!!!

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

You'll love getting back into running. Just be sure to EEEEASE into it. There's nothing like jumping right back into something so full bore that it gets you off balance, or worse you get injured. Glad to hear you're ready to run again! Wish my knees would let me do some running these days.

Marlys said...

It wasn't your Dad that won the state - but his brother, Joel. Your Dad did run track and did very well at it, but no state titles for him. He was named most valuable FB player when he was a sophomore in HS, though!