It's Gonna Be A Challenge...

I'm not a runner. I'm a team sport player. I run to score goals or points for the pure enjoyment of beating the snot out of another team. I run (occasionally) to better condition myself for these team sport things that I do. I haven't done team sports since my daughter was born in May of 2008. But here today, I tell you that I'm running a half marathon this May 2, 2010. Crazy? Definately. Hard work? Yes! The hardest thing that I've ever done in my life? Most likely. I will finish the half marathon. I'm not promising that I'll run during the entire thing, but with the support of my family and friends, I'm entered into my first competitive running event. I'm going to show you here on this blog exactly how it's getting done. Let's say it's a little therapy for the aches, pains, trials and tribulations that I will be going through while on this new little adventure.

So first, some background. My husband runs, his sister runs, and her husband runs. My aunt, who is now in her 60's, has run three half marathons in the past couple of years. For all intensive purposes, I guess I am in a "running family." I (made the mistake of) asked my aunt for running shoes for Christmas. I joked with her that I would THINK about running the Long Branch half marathon with her this year if she got them for me. Her reply back was not one that I was expecting. It went something like this: "If you sign up for the Long Branch Half Marathon, I will take you to a store in NYC that recommends and fits running shoes using video of the person running on a treadmill in the store. If we can find time to do it, it is my treat!" So I thought, "Hmmm...this is really appealing to the physical therapist in me, maybe it's worth it to do a half marathon to go into this store in NYC." But then I thought, "Really, is 13.1 miles worth a new pair of shoes?" As if pressure wasn't worse, I posted my thoughts on Facebook and many of my friends posted inspiring replies back. My brother went as far to say, "If you run this thing, I'll fly home and run it with you." This blew my mind. He lives in Oregon, and he's going to fly to the East Coast, run a half marathon with me, and fly back home again? That's worth more than a pair of shoes in NYC. So, although I'm not a runner, I'm going to turn into one for the next 5 months. Who knows? My husband says I might actually like it. I might lose the last 20 pounds of baby weight that my darling daughter left behind after she was born. I think that overall, it's only a win-win situation. Maybe I can even inspire you to run a half marathon...or maybe it'll turn you off completely! Enjoy or be bored, I'm looking forward to sharing with you!