Lacing up.

Today is September 15.
On December 4th I will run the St. Jude Half-Marathon in Memphis for the second time. 

Why am I not motivated to train!?!?!  Ugh.

Taking the first step is always the hardest for me.  I know that if I just get out there and run, then I will remember how much I enjoy it.
I want to run.
I want to run.
I want to run.

Goals for this year's race:
#1-Beat last year's time (2 hours, 38 minutes...I think)
#2-RUN the entire race....no walking, none, nada
#3-Keep up with Lauren the whole time....Last year she left me at mile 9 when I almost died.  Thank goodness for that Gu I found at the water station!  Luckily I was able to catch her.


I can do this.

And miles to go.

First run yesterday. It went well.
I ran for 30 minutes. I forgot how warm it was on Mississippi afternoons.

My legs are sore today.

I'm on my way.

Tomorrow I start running again.  Officially.

Lauren and I have made plans to run a half in June and the St. Jude Marathon in December.  I am considering being a St. Jude "Hero" in honor of the sister of one of my students and a dear friend's nephew, Jack. I'm not really sure what all being a Hero entails, but I'm going to check into it.
Steve and I shopped for new running shoes this week, which brings a little extra motivation to the table.

I'm confident I have the physical ability to accomplish these two tasks.  My mental focus is a whole other story.
My goal is to stay focused and stick with the training schedule Lauren gave me.

1st training run: Tuesday, May 4........3 miles
Goal time: 36-40 minutes

The end of my Labor Day.

I'm sitting on the couch basking in the aroma of Ben-Gay, drinking chocolate milk.

Ah, the smell of defeat...and the taste of comfort.

7.5...starting over

I ran 7.5 miles this morning...well, I ran most of it anyway. I am training to run a half-marathon, the St. Jude in December. Yet I rarely find the time to run. My days are long, starting before 5:45. I'm on my feet all day; I'm the teacher who never sits down. My after-school activities with cheerleading, meetings, and church keep me away from the house until 6:00 or later. I'm mentally and physically exhausted by the time I get home. Forget laundry or washing dishes, I have papers to grade, and a pageant to plan. Time runs away from me.

But those are just excuses. That's all.

Today I started over. 7.5 was a huge feat to begin this new dedication (especially after a two week hiatus), but I set a goal. And in order for me to achieve that goal, I must make time to train.

I owe it to myself.

Running sounds.

I'm training to run a marathon. Usually I run with a friend, Suzanne. However, this week I will have to run some by myself, including a seven mile trek on Saturday. I'm thinking that the key to my future success is going to be Omar---my trusty iPod Nano.

Compiling a list of songs that will encourage me, keep me going, convince me to keep putting one foot in front of the other has become a difficult task. I need upbeat music....

What are you running to?


[I hate ending sentences with the word "to," but how stupid would "To what are you running?" Ugh, lame]

Movie Monday

Last week Steve and I attempted to watch The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly....it was terrible. After a draining hour and a half we ended up turning it off and watching an episode of Firefly this weird sci-fi western.

This week: Braveheart
It was my first time to see it....wow.


As a side note: Suzanne and I ran 4.2 miles in 41 minutes just prior to the viewing of the movie.