I'm baaaack!

 

Did I mention at I am a planner?

I love making lists. There is nothing like the sense of accomplishment you feel when you cross things off a list, especially if that list has been there for a long time.  Take this one, for example, where I wrote down some running goals that I wanted to achieve. I didn't forget about this list despite a crazy change in lifestyle and some health issues I needed to deal with before I could get there.

I'm 36 now, and as 40 is actually on the horizon leering at me from the future, I'm reminded of my goal to complete a marathon. After completing my half marathon in 2017, I actually signed up to complete a marathon in 2018, but had to drop out after being sidelined with injury from Tough Mudder in April 2017.  Since then, I've decided that what better way to ring in 40 than to complete a marathon in celebration. 🎈🎉🥳

I know, right??

So that's a long way away, but really, it's not.  Recommendations online state that I should be running 12-15 miles a week on average before training starts in order to decrease my risk for injury. I am no where close to completing that mileage right now. So I've decided that in order to complete a marathon in 2024, I need to complete a 1/2 marathon each year to keep my mileage up. This is also a great time to start incorporating triathlons, my other dream from another list. :)

I had actually signed up for a 5k and a 4mi race earlier this year, but both got cancelled (read: moved to virtual events) when COVID-19 hit. This was the first time I had been motivated and felt like it was a realistic goal to complete a race since 2017. With so much uncertainty of what the future looks like on a multitude of levels, my inner planner was going crazy and I decided to move forward with my plan and just hope these events happen in 2021.

Soooo....

I signed up for a half marathon in February!!

Not only will be the first half marathon in 4 years, but it will be my very first solo race at this distance.  And, to add insult to injury (hopefully not!), I will be completing this at elevation because I'm apparently a masochist in addition to a little crazy.

I am SO EXCITED and a bit nervous - I have already planned out my training plan and mileage (based on what did and did not work before; hooray lists!), and have given myself about 8 weeks to increase my mileage so that my "official" training begins on 11/8/2020 (with a long run of 5 miles). 

LETS DO THIS! 💪🏃

Here will be my backdrop while I run:

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