Friday Five~

1.        I’m running two virtual 5ks this weekend.  1 of them I apparently need to run tonight (I didn’t realize the deadline is for end of day today – yikes!  So much for a rest day).  The first one is to celebrate Toni’s Blogiversary and 34^th birthday over at RunningLovingLiving.  The other one – which I will run tomorrow, is the Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K – hosted by the Boring Runner .  These virtual runs really motivate me to keep moving.  (the fact that I’m running tonight is a perfect example!)

2.       I signed up for a Twitter account this week.  That’s been exciting and has been keeping me busy.

3.       I got very excited this week when I realized that the 2012 race calendars are starting to come out.  I sign up for as many local races as I can (very low budget which is great!) so I like to get these on my calendar and get signed up as soon as possible.  Benefits of early sign up are twofold – first and foremost – early birds usually get a shirt (yup – I’m shallow) and second, once I’m committed there’s always something to train for.

4.       I signed up for a 10 mile race on March 11^th.  This will be my longest distance race (to date) and will be great preparation for my half marathon in April.  Of course, the weather on March 11^th ought to be interesting!  It also happens to be my baby girl’s 6^th birthday so I’ll need to run fast so I can get home and celebrate.

5.       11 weeks till my half marathon.  I’m getting excited.   8 months ago I couldn’t run a mile and now look at me!! WOOT

PROUD!

I finished my 5 mile Holiday run in 49:13. That's 2 1/2 minutes less than my Turkey Trot! I will admit that the terrain didn't seem as tough. I also managed to make it through the whole thing without needing to stop and rest my lungs or my legs. Yay me :-). My 5k time (logging it for my Hope Endures Virtual 5K which I will write about seperately) was 29:30. Both of these times are PBs for me!

My youngest is still sporting a fever, so we've been spending a lot of quality time lounging around. She needs to be the priority so...with luck, she'll be better by tomorrow and I'll be back to eating right and being vertical. My legs are little sore today but not too bad. Hopefully I'll be able to get out and stretch them this afternoon for a mile or two.

I've been thinking a lot about joining the local running club. The thing is - I'm not sure when I get to define myself as a runner. I'm afraid I'm going to be joining a club of people that are running 6 minute miles - and that will NEVER be me (nor will a 7 or 8 minute mile!). When is the right time to do this? Are you a member or a running club?

Bear with me as I figure out exactly how this blogging thing works.....

I've decided to start blogging as a tool to hold myself more accountable for my goals. I figure if I put things in writing, out there for "the whole world to see" (as my father says) then maybe I'll take more responsibility for myself.

As I go along - hopefully you'll see improvements and changes to the format of this page. It may take me awhile as I'm not too saavy about these things!

I started running back in June. And when I say started - I mean I have never been a runner. I'm not the kind of gal that one would consider "athletic". I certainly didn't think I would find myself at the age of 42 starting something new and lacing up my running shoes on a regular basis. When I signed up for the Warrior Dash my husband kept asking me - 'are you sure you know what you are getting yourself into'?

It's been slow, literally. I have a running shirt that says "Why run faster when you can follow this a$$?" on the back of it and it's no joke.

When my friends comment on how much I must really like running - I actually have to stop and think about it. Do I love it? I'm not gonna lie - when my feet first hit the pavement - what's running (pun intended) through my mind isn't how much I'm enjoying myself. Usually I'm thinking "how come this doesn't seem to be getting any easier"?

What I do love is race day. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the energy that you feel when you are standing there with all those other runners waiting to start. Right now - that's what keeps me going. I imagine years from now (at least I hope) as I am still running - I will realize it is something I can't live without. For now - what keeps me moving is my next race.

That said - since June I've run:
(2) 5k trail races
(2) 5k road races
The Warrior Dash
(1) 10k (my greatest accomplishment to date)

My goal now is to be able to run a half-marathon in the spring. Increasing my mileage over the winter won't be easy - but having the goal will help. If anyone has any suggestions for half-marathons in the North East let me know. (preferably FLAT terrain! HA)

More to follow.....

BTW- I did just sign my self up for the HBBC Challenge (Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge) - this should motivate me to rack up those miles!