I DID IT!

I completed my first half-marathon and I survived! I could have never imagined just how much fun I would have running 13. 1 miles. I set a goal for myself of 2 hours 35 minutes (which to me was going to be a challenge, because I'm not a fast runner) and I made it!! My official finishing time was 2 hours 32 minutes!! I probably walked the last 1/4 mile because the hill was brutal!! (I'm so glad it was towards the end).Throughout the run there were people lined up on the street cheering for everyone and that was so motivating and really kept me going until the end! 

 On Saturday at the Health Expo I met a lady that has been a runner for quite some time and gave me her advice for running "Eat a bite size snicker every 20 minutes as you are running" sounded pretty CrAzY to me, but I did it and I think it worked great! : ) I am so glad that I was talked into running a half-marathon! This will most definitely NOT be my last!

Some of  us that trained together for the half

A picture of the people that were ahead of me to start the run

Around mile 8!

On my way to 13.1

I have been training for a half-marathon on and off for almost a year now. I am so excited that in just a few days I will be running my very first half!! I am setting a really big goal for myself (well a big goal for me, considering I don't run fast) of 2 hours and 35 minutes!! I have never actually ran an entire 13.1 miles, but I have come pretty close. So we will see : )
Until this past weekend (October 15 to be exact) I had NEVER even ran a 5k or any race at all for that matter! I had friends that kept telling me I should probably run a least 1 race before I do the half-marathon so that I could get the feel of what it's like to run in that environment. I ran in the Scarecrow run in Watkinsville with my friend Carla and I finished the 3.1 miles in 31.50 minutes. I unfortunately didn't get any pictures, but I am hoping that I remember to get a few this Sunday before and after the half-marathon. I am nervous, but so excited and hope that I can just make it through! : )

A New Personal Record

I'm training for a Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and have now been running for a little over year. When I first started to run my intentions were never to run further than a 5k (3.1), but here I am training to run a little over 13 miles!!! Crazy!!! The weather has been really good this last week for running (considering the terribly hot Summer that we have had) so I made plans to run with the Athens WoW group on Saturday. It really seems to motivate me if I'm running with other people, when I run in my neighborhood I usually get tired and just run home after a few miles. So this Saturday I got up really early and went to meet the other runners to run through downtown Athens. I successfully ran 9.10 (not very fast) and I'm still alive : ) I never thought I would be a "runner" and now I'm able to run 9 miles with only a few minutes of walking! In a few weeks I will be running the half-marathon in Athens and I can't wait!

It's Official

I have officially signed up for my first ever half-marathon! I had originally planned to run the Rock and Roll half marathon in Savannah, but decided to do the one here in Athens. I think sleeping in my own bed and being around familiar people will work best for me! I have been running now for about a year, but still have A LOT of training to do to get through 13.1 miles. I am nervous and very excited, looking forward to October 23, 2011 : ) 

81:21:36:49

Joggermom Marathon

So, as I said in my last post I recently signed up for the Joggermom Marathon. It's not your "average" marathon. The purpose of the marathon was to complete 26.2 miles in the month of May. I signed up because I just started to run and thought it would be fun to set a goal for myself. So I ran my 26.2 miles (and a little more) throughout the month of May, turned in my spreadsheet, and the next thing I know I got an email saying that I had been chosen as a winner (only 5 winners out of 1,000 entries) How Exciting!!! Here is the link to the post that was written to announce the winners.
http://joggermommarathon.com/?p=380

Striving to be a RUNNER

So, for the last couple of months I have taken up running. I want so badly to be a "runner" My goal is to eventually complete a half marathon which is 13.1 consecutive miles. I am hoping to reach my goal by November so that I can compete in the Rock-N-Roll half marathon in Savannah.
A couple of weeks ago I signed up for the Joggermom Virtual Marathon and it really helped me to be more accountable for my progress. The purpose of the marathon was to complete 26.2 miles during the month of May (less than 7 miles a week) so this goal was pretty attainable. I can run 2-3 miles at a time and have ran up to 4 for a long run. So I am going to be updating my blog with my progress in hopes that it may help me reach my gaol of running 13.1 miles (which to me right now seems CrAzy) : )