A few months ago, the leader of our run club asked if anyone
had a blog because he wants to publicize them on the club website.
I started this blog to keep me accountable on my goal—six
major marathons in ten years—but life has a funny way about happening while you
try to make plans. When I started this
blog, my personal paradigm was that life in my forties was going to be about work
and running and my cat. The guy I had a
crush on probably didn’t know I was alive, anyway….
Well, he found me.
The day before my birthday he asked me to lunch, and about a month
later, I accepted. At that lunch, he
asked me to a concert, and to my surprise, actually followed through. It was probably the most nerve-wracking first
date of my life, but by summer, we had dedicated Sunday—the day I was supposed
to write my blog post—as our day to be together. Of course, when you have an amazing man, why
on earth would you say, “um, no, I have to write a blog post” when he wants to
spend the day with you?
So my day dedicated for blogging was filled with
adventures. Concerts and ice skating,
botanic gardens and even running, days filled with fun and love. One of the things that we have in common is
college cross country, so he started running with my run club, as well as with
me.
Summer changed into fall, and he decided that he would join
me in Las Vegas, running his first half marathon. More of my time was being spent training for
Chicago, but he was racking up the miles, too, preparing for Vegas. He was my biggest cheerleader in Chicago, and
after finishing a tough race, patiently waited for me to finish Vegas.
As I entered Year 2 of this journey, it was clear that I
just purely didn’t have time to keep up with a weekly blog. However, I have been running. A lot.
With an unpredictable work schedule, I decided to save my race money for
my three international marathons and train like crazy to get closer to BQ
pace. Meaning, my goal is in
mileage—2016, to be exact—rather than in races.
Trying to stay on pace of this goal in winter was tough. The cold, the dark, my work schedule, time
with the boyfriend, even keeping running clothes clean were all challenges. Even with having running friends and a great
club, I have fallen behind pace quite a bit.
The blog, behind even more.
I had to step back and consider why I am writing the blog in
the first place. The goal is to hold me
accountable towards my quest. Well, I
signed up for the London lottery last week.
I also started to put together the framework for being a charity runner at
the NYC marathon next year. I’m slowly
knocking seconds off my runs, inching closer to Boston qualification, and
really utilizing the power of positive thinking (from myself and my running
club) to believe it is possible. I even
shocked myself and did a 7:55 mile last week, only 49 seconds slower than my high school PR, set when I was
15.
However, I’m still lagging a bit behind pace to do 2016
miles in 2016. Quite a bit. (Did you see the last post? I’m stuck in April!) The cold temperatures and the short days made
it difficult to get out the door and run.
The days have gotten longer and the weather warmer, so I’m thinking it’s
time to get streaky…
Um, not this streak...
Until I catch up a bit on the mileage, I’m going to try to
grab some miles every day. It’s a
challenge because I’m 41, and rest is very important to prevent injury, so
walks are included in this mileage grab, even walks that are a normal part of
my life. I also have to remember
(again!) that I’m on a quest, and that the journey is significantly more
important than any destination—or any goal.
It’s time to get faster, crush some serious mileage, and
streak!!! Ethel, cover your eyes!
