The real fun begins! 10 weeks from Race.

Pre-training is over and now the real fun begins. I have gone on marathonrookie.com to get my training schedule. I also got one from trainingpeaks.com for beginners, but it has me running 9 miles today on the schedule so... yea.. I don't think I'll be doing that. I am now on a 10 week schedule to get me ready for this half marathon. Today, I took full advantage of the new training meetings downtown at the water tower. They meet at 7 a.m. to run the course of the race with mile markers set up. I made it to about a mile and a half and turned around to put in 3 miles today with a 5 min cool down. It wasn't a full 3 mile run.. more like a run/walk because let me tell you... it was a lot harder than I thought. Up until now, I have been running on a treadmill inside, no inclines with TVs to keep me occupied. Obviously, a very staunch difference from the nitty gritty, hot outdoors with scenery and cars passing by me to keep me occupied. My hope is that with each week I will only get better and I know that I will. Yes, at this point is where I think, "really, Jenna? Do you have any idea what you signed up for?" but I'll never know what I am capable of if I don't at least try. My biggest hurdle I think is sticking with it because I am so competitive and set such high standards for myself that if I don't do it right the first time or have the chance of looking bad then I give up which oddly enough, makes me look bad anyway. I will need all the motivation and encouragement I can get to stick with it because I know there will come a time when I want to throw in the sweaty towel around my neck. My little treat though at the end of a run... YOGA!! I am a big yoga fanatic right now and it is so cleansing and soothing. I did a 30 minute yoga body burn when I got home from my run and it felt great! Namaste :)

I may not be a runner but I'd like to be!

So anyone who knows me knows I'm not a runner. I don't run for fun. I don't run for fitness. I don't even run to hot shoe sales or for chick-fil-a biscuits, which are all things I love. So why have I decided it would be a good idea to run in the Hyundai Half Marathon on October 2nd? Did I fall and bump my little precious head? Is it peer pressure from my fit, skinny friends? Maybe.. but I've accomplished some great goals in life and it's time to set another. My mom has always referred to life as a marathon, to run with a purpose. She's told me to run with those that are speeding ahead of me, not the ones that are trailing behind. The ones ahead are going to get you to where you want to be and probably teach you a lot along the way. So yes, now I am taking what she has always told me in the literal sense. I am so excited to see what this process will teach me and where it will take me. Today, I ran 3 miles before work which took about 34 minutes. Then I cooled down for 5 minutes at a 3.5 speed on the treadmill. I am slow I'll admit, but this isn't about being number 1. It's more about pushing my self outside of my comfort zone and catching to those that are ahead of me. Runners not only have incredible bodies (which I am still working on if you followed my other blog), but they also have incredible discipline, self control, and drive. So while I may not be a runner right now, I hope to be.. not just for the incredible body but for the traits and characteristics that come along with it.