a fresh (re)start

When I started this blog a couple of years ago I did so because I had just decided to do something that, for the first time in a LONG time, really scared me. Something that I wasn't honestly sure I was capable of doing.

I signed up for a half marathon. (hence the oh so clever name-ha)

Oh and I was still pregnant with my second child at the time. NBD.

Anyway, I gave birth, got sick, trained, didn't train, tried to train and went to the race 6 months post partum still 20 lbs overweight and significantly under trained but DID IT. I shuffled ran the full 13.1 miles in 2:27 in January of 2011. And I was hooked. I ran sporadically as my family moved back across the country and I settled in as a mom of two, but I never quite forgot that feeling and I just KNEW that I could go faster.

So I ran more, smarter and longer. I overhauled my diet. I started reading running blogs, running articles, you name it. I tried to learn more about it. This is pretty typical of noobies like myself, I'm sure. I ran my second half in November of 2011 and nailed my time goal of 2 hours or bust by running 1:59:59. Seriously.

But along the way I quit writing about it and I sort of regret it, even if it is really only for my own benefit. I think I stopped partly because life is full and wonderfully busy, partly because there are a gazillion other running blogs that people actually read are better than mine, and partly because, honestly, I wasn't scared anymore.

You see, somewhere along the way I started to LOVE running. It is MY time. I can listen to music of my choosing, or better yet NOTHING AT ALL. I can push myself, or sit back and enjoy the sound of my heart thumping in my ears. But, for me, the love just isn't enough. I need to compete even if it's just between me and my Garmin. I need to be just a little nervous and afraid that maybe I can't do it. Nothing motivates me more than that. Of course, I want to improve on my half time, I think I can still squeeze some minutes out, but I've also decided to take my running to the next level, to tackle a goal that makes me unsure of myself again (and to write about the journey along the way).

I'm running a Full Marathon. Ground breaking news, I know. Someone call ESPN, quick.

So that's it. I want to (re)start the journey and keep notes about it along the way. To log the training for sure, but also the stuff of life in between the miles, and let's not forget the crazy talk that happens in my head any time I get much past 7 miles. Join me (perhaps again) as I build back my fitness after losing several months to injury and then run towards my goal this fall.

Then who knows, maybe I'll find the courage to take a crack at a BQ. I'm half-crazy like that.