Week 1 – What am I thinking?

Half marathon or marathon? What am I capable of? Why am I even trying this? Have a lost my mind? Well…maybe!

I just completed Week 1 of a 16 week marathon training. To be perfectly honestly with you all, I have never ran more than 8.5 miles in my life. NEVER! I have been so inspired by some friends at Burn Boot Camp Five Forks that I decided to give it a go. There is a race here locally on October 30, which includes a half marathon and full marathon option that several of my friends doing. In order to do this, I have 16 weeks to train. I told myself that I will know my comfort level around weeks 5-8. The long Saturday training days at that point will be around 10-14 mile days and they will continue to go up.

I started week one after taking a couple of weeks off running and suffering from a three day killer migraine. I rarely get those, so it shook me a little. But I also didn’t want to get behind on my training. First week required 4 running days at 5 miles on Sat being the longest run. My goodness I am slow, but I did all of them without stopping with energy still to burn. I once read “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop.” While I still want to work on reducing my time, I am proud of myself for slaying week 1! I also attended 4 boot camps this week. To be honest, my daily boot camp workout with my friends is one of my favorite parts of my day! I will keep those up as long as I can.

I will spend the next 16 weeks documenting my runs, my progress, and what works for me and doesn’t. I will write about my running gear, running with plantar fasciitis, my nutrition (needs improvement), what I listen to (music, podcasts, and audio books), running routes, and more. I may also reach out to some of you all for some tips! Remember, this type of running is new to me!

To say that I am a little scared is an understatement. But I am always up for a challenge!

One of my favorite running quotes:

“There is something magical about running; after a certain distance, it transcends the body. Then a bit further, it transcends the mind. A bit further yet, and what you have before you, laid bare, is the soul.”

I do love running. The runners “high” is real. Even when I am exhausted after each run, I can’t help but smile after because I simply got out there, moved, and accomplished something to be proud of.

So here is to the next 16 weeks! Half or full? That is the question.

Fuel The Soul Today

Anna