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My Sea Wheeze Race Day outfit |
My training for the Sea Wheeze is at an end. If someone told me last December that I'd run a half marathon in 2012 I would have told them they're crazy. I
hated running in gym class as a kid. Hated it. Now I'm less than a week away from my first half and am really excited for it. Taking up running has to be one of the more interesting self-discovery journeys I have been on in my adult life. I learned several things:
- Achieving a large, very intimidating physical goal is possible if you break it into tiny, easily achievable steps - it all started with just 60 seconds of running. The Couch to 5K training plan is a miracle worker as far as I'm concerned. It took an overweight woman - I believe the the race term is an 'Athena' ('plodder' is probably more accurate in my case) - in her late 40s and transformed her from a person who hated running into one who really likes it now and is signed up for two half marathons (the Disney World Half is next).
- Starting out slowly is the key - follow the plans and build the distance accordingly. It's probably worse since I'm overweight/older but it took a long while to get my joints/bones used to the stresses of running. It wasn't until about five months in that my various joints/muscles didn't feel sore after I was done. Also, as an engineer, I totally loved methodically checking off the boxes after each workout.
- Running through pain is not a good idea. It only prolongs the recovery.
- To make yourself stick with running, because you will need that in the in the beginning (at least I did), sign up for a race
several months in advance. Post it on Facebook and if you have a blog,
post it there. ;-) The thought of having to publicly admit you gave up
will keep you going. For further motivation, make it a destination race so you really have to commit to going. (This is a bit tongue-in-cheek but it worked for me.)
I also want to thank several people who encouraged me to take this journey. The first is my husband since he blazed the way. He was diagnosed with Type II diabetes a couple of years ago and he subsequently dropped 85 lbs and took up running. He was never a runner, either. He is the one who told me to sign up for the Sea Wheeze and said I could do it when I told him he was nuts. My sister took up running a few years ago and is a veteran runner of two marathons and nearly a dozen half marathons. She is running the Sea Wheeze, too, in the two-hour corral. My brother recently finished his first Half Ironman so keeping up with my siblings was a further motivation. I also had a lot of encouragement from people I've met on-line through a mutual interest lululemon, two of whom also convinced me to sign up for the Sea Wheeze. One I've met in person, Rose, and the other I haven't met yet - Nicole. I've also gotten some good advice from a couple of veteran distance runners, Susan and Ayesha. I also wanted to thank the people who've suggested various things on this blog when I've had issues.
Some stats:
- Miles run in training: ~ 300 (I ran for time in the beginning so had to estimate it but I've run 266.51 since I started tracking them in Map My Run)
- Pound Lost: 13
- Inches on the hips lost: ~2"
- $ spent on new equipment for running: ~$500 (includes sneakers, sunglasses, race belt, etc.)
- Favorite lulu tops for running: Swiftly tanks, SS, and LS
I put a photo of my race outfit so if you spot me at the Sea Wheeze, come up and say hi. I'll be in the back. ;-)