Last week my high school friend, Karen, called me and asked if I was still running. My answer is I run a mile here and a mile there but nothing consistent. I start to train and then the wind blows in a different direction and I don't finish. I have a tendency to start something and not finish my goal...with the exception of I always wanted to run a 5K and when I set my mind to it I did accomplish that. No record breaking time but I finished...two 5K's as a matter of fact. Then the wind blew in a different direction and I stopped, after all my goal was complete.
Back to my phone call with Karen...she too, is recently retired and wants to accomplish something and asked if I wanted to join her. She prefaced it by saying she wants to do this with someone fun! I am glad I am one of her fun friends...I think. What is her goal that she wants me to help her with?..run the Princess 1/2 Marathon in Disney World in February. Now I am not so sure I like being her "fun friend".
This is not something I take lightly...if I commit I have to stick with it since someone else is depending on me. My husband, Joe, saw the e-mails and asked if I was going to do this? He knows my downfall of not finishing things. However, he was not discouraging the fact that I should do this, he even mentioned this to one of our boys. Maybe this is just what I need to get going and start running and lose some weight.
I read up on 1/2 marathons and Karen sent me some links to look over and read. My problem is I needed to see what my starting time for a mile is right now to see if this goal is realistic for me. I know I could run-walk 13.1 miles, but with this 1/2 marathon you need to stay at a 16 minute mile pace. What is my starting pace now?!?!?! All this was being transpired while I was out of town and couldn't comfortably check out my mile pace until I got home.
Tuesday afternoon we got home and so I hit the street with Map My Walk and Slacker Radio on my phone. I decided to alternate walk to a song and run to a song...much to my surprise I finished my first mile in 13:29. Encouraging...maybe this goal is attainable.
Now...how do I stay on track to complete this goal? Sign up for another 5K...I am looking into some area 5K's and plan to sign up for one this month. YIKES...I am actually thinking of how this can be done.
Though I haven't officially accepted the challenge yet it is looking more appealing.
Today, Thursday, I went for my second "run". I went on the same route I took the other day. I pushed myself a little more to see if I could improve on my time. I would walk to one song and run to two. This wasn't too bad...with the exception of the phlegm I had and couldn't gracefully get rid of. Lesson #1 figure out a way to carry water with me.
Much to my surprise, my time improved on my first mile to 13:00! My next mile or .87 was more difficult...I must have sounded like a crazy woman since I was talking to myself saying I could do this and I was talking over the music. Oh well...it worked! I ended the run with Distance: 1.87mi, time: 24:39, pace: 13:10min/mi, speed: 4.56mi/h.
Let's see what the next time will bring. But I think it is looking more promising to commit to Karen.
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