I've decided to start a blog about getting ready for the Marquette Trail 50, mostly, to keep me accountable. There's so much that I need to accomplish before I'll be comfortable attempting this race. The biggest hurdle is going to be actually running a full street marathon. I'm going to register for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon in April. I also have a couple winter trail races lined up too (the Rocks and Roots series). I'm hoping to be able to do the 30k and 40k for those. I'm hoping to post a blog once a week throughout this whole process to state my progress.
Here's a little about how I started running and why I keep doing it. I've always been an athlete. I played high school and college tennis. I ran a couple miles here and there but nothing like what I do today. I gained a ton of weight when I was pregnant with my daughter, who is now almost 6. After she was born, via c-section, my body was broken. When she was 6 months old, I weighed 230. I was so out of shape that my back hurt constantly (probably the extra weight plus my ab muscles being mush after the surgery) and I couldn't run to the end of the street without feeling like I wanted to pass out. I saw pictures of myself and I didn't like them. I started going on daily walks with my daughter in the stroller. I promised her that every day that it wasn't raining, we'd go for a walk since the world was so new to her and she LOVED looking at everything that was brand new to her. Eventually, I started walking to the grocery store with her. Then, I slowly started running on the treadmill a few times a week. Over my daughter's first three years of life, I lost about 100 pounds! The day she was born, I was 251. I got down to about 148 at my lowest. Today, I'm about 163.
Fast forward a year or two, I registered for my first 5k and fell in love with the whole running community. 8 months later, I did my first Warrior Dash and then an 8 mile race. A year later, I did my first half-marathon. Now I'm hooked. I have several half-marathons and a couple longer trail races under my belt and I want more!
I like road races but I adore running on trails. The beauty, the peace, and the fact that in nature, you realize how very small you are within the grand scheme of things gives you a sense of freedom.
Ok, now onto the plan. I ran 7.25 miles yesterday for my long run. This morning, I went to the YMCA and did an easy half-hour on the elliptical and weight trained. I know I need to trim down a little over these next several months. I'd like to be about 150 by the summer (I'm 5'10"). Less fat to carry seems like it will make me more efficient. My semi-short-term goal is to do a 20 mile long run the Sunday before Christmas on the road and the week after. So, Mondays will be Y days, Tuesdays will be interval training on the track, Wednesdays will be Y days to weight train or rest days, Thursdays will be running days, Fridays will be trail running days, Saturdays will be rest days, and Sundays will be long run days.
So, I've rambled enough. Time to get to work. Oh, and did I mention that I'll be working and working on a second master's degree during all of this?! Here we go...
