Entry tags:

running

Let's try this again...
So last year, after running no more than six "long runs", doing virtually no hill or speed training, and never running longer than 10 miles, I completed the Seafair Half Marathon in just under three hours.  At the time, I was very proud of this result because I had just started running a few months prior--going from zero to half marathon in about six months was a real accomplishment for me, particularly since my training was so haphazard.

Unfortunately, there was a nagging little voice that wondered how well I'd do if I did try to train properly.  The voice got louder earlier this year, when Emily decided to train for the Seafair Half Marathon and joined Team In Training again, and I found that my 5K time had improved ridiculously over last year.

I've been tagging along on most of her training runs this year, and I just registered for the half marathon myself.  Last year, I registered on June 16 and it was more of an impulsive thing, but this year, I'm planning for it and training accordingly.  Our training has included hill work and lots of trail running, and having lost a ton of weight (20 pounds and counting), I feel much more able to run a long distance this year in a reasonable time.  My goals (in roughly descending order of priority) are:

• Finish.
• Finish in under 2:30 (which would be a 20 minute improvement over 2007!).  If I can do it in under 2:20, I'll do cartwheels.
• Finish in the middle of the pack for my age group (last year, I was 62/65 but this year I'm in a different age group).

That last goal is a bit of a stretch but that's what goals are for, no?  For those keeping score at home, my trusty Garmin is recording every step.

Note that the Seafair Marathon occurs on the Sunday prior to my wedding.  Emily and I are nothing if not ambitious/crazy.  If only we could figure out a way to work the marathon into our wedding week activities...