Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

Since it's New Year's Eve, I feel obligated to write about what I've done and what I am looking forward to. First of all, I have to thank my husband for his persistence. If it weren't for the random day in August when he came home from working out of town and asked me why I wasn't working out, I might not be writing this right now. I didn't really have a good reason, as I had already done couch to 5K. I just didn't get any further than that, and kind of gave up all together. So, the next morning while he was getting ready for a run, I asked him to wait for me. And I went out and ran 3 miles. I haven't stopped since then. In the past 3 1/2 months, I've managed to run 157 miles. That's not really a lot, but for a non-runner-turned-runner, I feel pretty good about that. I've done six 5Ks and two 8Ks. I have consistently gotten faster with each 5K race. 3 miles is no longer a chore for me- it's actually pretty easy now. And this is only since August.I have been adding mileage so that I am running longer distances. Today I ran 5 1/2 miles without stopping- I never did that before. I've lost 16 lbs, and gained muscle and strength. I love shopping again and love the way my clothes look. Running is of course only partially responsible for this- a good diet is a big part as well.

So where am I going? I have a few more races on tap for the coming winter months. Just trying to beat myself each time. I don't care about the other people around me, other than that there needs to be someone slower than me. I want to run a sub 30 minute 5K. Not going to be easy, as I would need to run under a ten minute mile, and I have only done that once, for one mile. I am also getting ready to start seriously training for a half marathon. All of these training run have been getting me closer to that point. My plan is to run my first one in Rochester on May 1st. My goal: just finish, however long that may take me. If it goes decently well, I will plan to run the Buffalo half later that month, and eventually I want to finish under 2:30. Not speedy by any means, but again, for a non-runner turned runner, not an easy task. I want to stick with it. I've invested a lot of time and money into running, and I have no plans to stop any time soon. I'm happy with how far I have come and intend to take this as far as I can.