13.1 Thoughts During My First 13.1 Mile Run

1. I am so nervous! I've never run this far before. Can I do it? How long has it been now?...gotta be going on 3 miles. {looks at phone} .5 mile?!? 

2. Ooh-I love this song! It reminds me of my 9-year-old son. Everything IS Awesome!

3. What a beautiful Spring day! Sunshine...blossoms...is that a hailstorm ahead?!? Should I turn back? No. This will make me hardcore. Oh, but I HATE wind.

4. Here comes another runner.  Should I wave?  Will she wave? Here it comes, I'm going to wave.  Why didn't she wave?  She doesn't know how many miles I'm doing today- I should have flashed her a gang sign of the number 13.

5. Literally everyone is passing me.  That little boy taking his first steps toward his mother JUST passed me.

6. Imagine Dragons really get me.

7. I hit the halfway mark! I'm going to run a little further before I turn around so the way back seems shorter. 

8. This is so hard! If it weren't for texts from my hubby and BFF, I would have given up long ago!

9. Here comes another runner.  He looks sketchy with his dark sweats and hoody.  I'm going to check him out from head to toe in case I need to identify him in a line-up.  I'm ready.... Great-my neighbor just caught me checking him out.  Now he's going to think I'm in love with him.

10. I am going to eat all the things today.

11. Ooh-I love this song!  It reminds me of my 4-year-old son.  But how exactly does one feel like "a room without a roof?"

12. If my feet weren't literally about to fall off, I could run forever. I LOVE running!

13. .1 mile left..I've got this!....This is the longest .1 mile I have ever run.  When will it end?? I HATE running. 

.1. Ouch!! Oh yeah- FOOD!

How and Why I Started Running in 250 Words or Less

Today I am joining a link-up with other running bloggers, and sharing how and why I started running in 250 words or less.  So don't worry, this will be short and sweet.  To read others' stories, click the picture below:

How and why did I start running?  Where do I begin?  Let's start with why.

Why:

I always feel like a hypocrite when I think about this subject. I never had a strong desire to be a runner.  I couldn't even run to the end of my block without getting winded.  And I was just fine with that.  But one year ago, I just strongly felt that I needed to run.  It has been such a therapeutic, and often spiritual experience for me, that I never even question why anymore.

How:

As I mentioned before, I could not run long without crumbling to the ground, gasping for my last breath getting winded, so I literally started running 1 minute on, 2 minutes off.  Gradually, over a 7-week-period, I ran a 5K without walking.  

It has been a slow ride over the last year, but I am happy with my progress.  Just this last Saturday, I ran 10 miles-the most I have done so far.  I am training for my first half, and I love seeing the miles rack up!  I wonder how far I can go?

Pretty Much Forest Gump

Half-marathon training is going great!  This morning I did 9 miles at a steady pace.  I was so nervous for many reasons: weather, trail condition, um...9 miles!  But it was a great run!  No accumulation until about mile 8 (which has never bothered me before), and only a couple icy spots the whole way.  I kept it on the slow side, and about half-way through my knees really started to ache, but I pushed on.  Somewhere after mile 7, I got my second wind and booked it until about mile 8.6 where I hit a wall.  Thank goodness I only had .4 miles left.

I am starting to think I can really do this half!! Today the endorphins were abundant and I felt pretty much like Forest Gump...minus the shrimp boat.  

My Half-Marathon Training Has Commenced

I will be running my first half-marathon in May, and this week I officially started training.  I have been running at the gym all winter, because I am a serious wimp, and can't stand the cold.  Also, I don't like to run in the dark, and that's basically the only time I can run.  I have just been doing about 6-10 miles a week, which I know isn't much-especially compared to the mileage I will be racking up soon.  But have you ever tried running 3+ miles on a treadmill??  It's mind-numbing.  Each second takes an eternity.  You're positive you've been running for 20 minutes, then you look down to see you've only been running for 5.

I had my first "long run" this last Friday, which was only 6 miles.  (I say "only" because it's not much compared to 13+ miles.)  It was a pretty nice day, so I hit the trail.  There were a few icy spots, but it was SO NICE to be outside.  And those 6 miles were way shorter than 3 on a treadmill.  I guess there's the perk: treadmill running makes you mentally stronger.  At least, it does for me.  

Anyway, I've been a little sick this week, so didn't get as many miles as I should have.  But, I'm determined to do my 7 long miles this weekend.  Wish me luck!

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

Let me begin by saying that I feel so blessed to actually be doing what my #1 dream has always been: being a mom!  That was at the top of my list for as long as I can remember, and I truly love every minute of it. (Or at least most minutes of it.)

But I also dreamed of doing other things.  Some of which included being a famous author, starring on Broadway, teaching 2nd grade, and being a motivational speaker. 

But I grew up.  That's a lie.  I got older.  I have checked that #1 off my list--4 times.  Or rather, I am in the midst of checking it off.  But I am a dreamer, and sometimes I still get lost in what else I want to become.

My list has changed a little since I was younger.  I still want to be a writer, but not in the way I thought.  I have written over 20 starts to fiction novels, but the thought of finishing them sounds like a nightmare.  I'll have to keep my writing short.  I want to write things that inspire people.  I want to write things that make people happy; that helps them forget their life worries.

I also dream of sitting on a dark stage with a warm spotlight on me and my grand piano as I play all of my favorite classics.  For me, playing piano creates so much emotion.  And I thrive on emotion!  Oh- I could play piano all day long!

I never thought a dream of mine would be wanting to run a race in every US state.  I'm still not sure wear this dream stems from.  Running has only been a part of my life for less than a year.  And I have never been a big traveler.  But I have deeply fallen in love with running, especially when I get to enjoy Mother Nature.  It helps bring my emotions (there's that word again) to the surface and analyze myself at that stage in life.

Sometimes these dreams seem too far-fetched.  Sometimes they seem just barely out of my reach.  Maybe, like my child-hood dreams, these ones will change one day too.  If so, should I try harder to accomplish them?  Or should I be content with throwing them out into the universe not knowing where they might end up?  I guess only time will tell.  The important thing is that I find happiness through it all.

5 Random Thoughts During Tonight's Run

1. Normally, I go running in the early morning, but once in a while I will go at night.  These times are usually the cause of a particularly poor day.  Luckily, that was not the case this time. I simply had the desire to run, so 5 minutes later I was on the road.

2. I was sure that it would be a slow run because of the 2 pounds of Buffalo Cheese Fries I ate at 2:30, but apparently they done me good because I ran a faster 5k than I have in a long time.

3. Tonight was SO beautiful! The sunset was gorgeous, that even while I was running east, I had to keep turning around. And the huge puffy clouds (I sluffed school on the day we learned cloud names), were so pretty as they tried to reach the mountain peaks. I could have taken a million pictures of my views! 

4. I couldn't ignore the burning in my chest. No, it wasn't from my heart over-beating. It was the feeling of love from my Heavenly Father. As I was enjoying nature and His many creations, I felt that even through my many mistakes and struggles, He still loves me.  I felt peace to know that there is always hope in a new day!

5. And last, I was very excited to get home and enjoy this:

Maybe that's why my last mile was uber-fast!! Oh well, it doesn't matter. Mmmm, cake.

A Loathe to Love Story

I used to hate running. Loathed it!  I got a kick out of the 0.0 stickers and the meme's saying "How do you know someone's run a marathon? Don't worry, they'll tell you."  I could barely run to my mailbox and back.  And I didn't care one bit.  I had given running a shot, though not much of one. I married a runner, and couldn't believe how anyone could run more than 3 miles! (I had never run more than 2!)  I was perfectly happy in my non-running bubble.

What changed?

Honestly, I can't pin-point anything that got me up and onto the road.  But I just knew I was supposed to run.  In February 2013, I downloaded a "couch to 5k" app, and decided that I would start slow: one minute on, one minute off. Seven weeks later, I ran 3.1 miles without walking.  And guess what? I told everyone I knew!!  This summer, I will have run four races- two 5k's, and two 10k's. 

I am addicted. 

I'm really not a competitive person.  But achieving personal records is an amazing feeling.  Still, that's not why I run.

I run for myself.  When I run, I don't have four little people climbing on me, competing for my attention.  I don't have to think about the pile of dishes in my sink.  When I run, I dream.  I dream about how to become better.  A better mother, wife, and woman!

I have found that it doesn't matter if my neighbor ran 26.2 miles at a 6/min/mile pace.  It doesn't matter if I have to take a week off because my old muscles aren't used to the whole "exercise thang." What matters is how I feel.  I feel inspiration, I feel happiness, and I feel courage. And I know when I get back from my run, it's going to be a better day!