Have you ever thought about running a half-marathon?
The first time I decided to run one I had to Google exactly how many miles a half-marathon involved. My initial reaction was to chuckle when I realized that it was two miles further than my eleven mile drive to work — just 13.1 miles. Then I became doubtful. Yikes- 13.1 miles?!! Seemed impossible. I was excited and nervous.
Could I do it? Why do it? How would I do it? I’d never run more than three or four miles at one time, ever, and that was back in 1999 when I was in college. Yet last April, at 34 years old, I managed to run 13.1 miles. I ran the More Half-Marathon and blogged about my journey as a More.com contributer and for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign.
So how did I answer those three questions and get it done?
Could I? I already had a regular fitness routine in place but it didn’t involve any running. But could I run 13 miles? Who knew. All I knew was that it was worth trying. Why? Well, it was one of those things that was on my bucket list of things to accomplish. No time better than the present to get it done. (Does anyone really finish that list anyway?) How? Honestly, the how was fist answered because it was an opportunity I received through blogging. I was placed with a local trainer and met with him for an initial session. Then we kept in virtual contact each week. Even without the trainer, I had to have determination to get it done. I also used social media to make myself accountable for my training, the race, and find other runners to help me get motivated and learn from them. There were newbies like me and other women that could run 13 miles in their sleep. It was great to see how other moms managed to juggle running miles, running after the kids, and work/life.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t an extremely hard journey and I am so glad that I did it. I finished the race with numb legs and a new belief that I was capable of much more than I had imagined. Before I had a chance to get back to my hotel room, I knew I was going to run another race. So when I read recently that one of my favorite running “muses,” Run Wifey Run, was hosting her second annual Race & Relax Weekend in Savannah, Georgia at the Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon I knew this would be my next race. No time better than the present to check Race #2 off of my list. Plus, Savannah is only two hours from where I live and I would have a chance to run with some of those bloggers I’ve met along the way. Sounds like a perfect fit to me!
Hence, the inspiration for my new series. Join me on Sundays as I blog about my next race. I still need that accountability and motivation! Whether you are running a 5k, 10k, 15k, or a half we can motivate each other and get it done. Along the way, I’ll introduce you to some of my favorite social media runners, blogs and sites I use as a resource.
If you already have a race in mind, that’s great, tell me what it is! If you want to know what races are being offered around you, check out this site that offers a half-marathon list by city and state. If you are new to running, you’ll want about 12 weeks to train.
See you soon!
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