Half Marathon?! What?! Can I do it!?

Back on December 31, 2010 I wrote on this blog about how I wanted to run a half marathon. Over 2 years have went by where I didn’t take any action.

 

Until now.

On January 1^st, 2013 my friend Molly and I ran the Commitment Day 5k run. The run is about starting a healthy way of life. Forget making a resolution. Make a commitment. It’s all about feeling good, and inspiring someone else to make a positive change.

To find more info visit this site

On this day, I wrote on their commitment poster the following….

 

I commit to doing what it takes to be a better person.

Pretty specific huh?

 

I am normally one of those people who set a New Years resolution and end up breaking it by the end of January. This year, it was different. Something in me was driving me to have this year to be different. Maybe it was the Commitment Day run.

 

And by run I mean walk. Yes, we walked the entire 5k in 58 minutes.

 

Hey, you have to start somewhere!

This also inspired me to set the rest of these resolutions.

 

Wait.

Not resolutions.

 I meant, COMMITMENTS!

 

For #1, my progress was going great! I was getting up at 4am to work out before work. I’m lucky that I have a fitness center right in my office building! I truly had no excuses!

Let me tell ya, I am NOT a morning person! Matter of fact, I trust no one who smiles before 9am. But I still got up and got my grumpy non-morning butt into the gym.

 

Then there came a time when Molly and I talked about doing a RunDisney race in the fall. We were so motivated to do this!

Then I thought to myself, I know I won’t be able to stay motivation that long without a race before then. I looked at the calendar and the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon was scheduled for the first Sunday in May. Also looking at the calendar I realized the Flying Pig was 2 days before the anniversary of the death of my best friend Lynnette. I see people all the time running for causes and I thought I could push myself and run the half marathon for her.

 

I started training on the treadmill shortly after that. We had a very snowy winter so I didn’t get a chance to start running outside until the end of March.

Yes, you read that right.

 

The end of March.

Wow! What a difference there is running on pavement! I should've started sooner! After just 2 short weeks, I developed an excruciating pain in the bottom of my foot. This prevented me to train like I wanted.

Fast forward to 5 days before the Flying Pig race. I finally went to a foot doctor where he told me I had plantar fasciitis. He injected the area with something. I don’t know what it was. Nor do I care because it worked. (I do remember him saying it wasn’t cortisone.)  The doc also gave me a few exercises to do and this pretty thing:

 

It wasn’t comfortable to sleep in but I didn’t care! This girl was following doctor’s orders! Why? Because he said I would be race ready IF I do what he says.

 

Stay tuned in the next blog to see if he was right.

 

On Friday, 2 days before the Half Marathon, I went to the Expo. Also stay tuned in the next blog to read all about the expo!

 

Sunday was the race! Did I do it? Was I able to finish? Stay tuned!