Just One Marathon

Five Reasons I Will Keep Running in 2011

First of all, the hiatus (or sabbatical?) is over. I’ve registered for the Around the Bay 30K race in Hamilton on March 27th. And that’s got me running again, inspired by that great, tried-and-true motivator – fear.

Second, I’m not going to summarize the worst moments of 2010. In a year characterized by over-ambitious goals, disappointing race results and long runs walked-in, there’s no point looking back. Or at least there’s no point looking back at what I didn’t achieve. What I did achieve – and experience – was a lot.

So here, in no particular order, are Reluctant Runner’s Moments of Running Pleasure from 2010:

1. Training for the half marathon with my 16-year old son. He will be the first to admit that he’s not the athletic type. On the other hand, he was awesome. Ran a negative split in every single long run we did. Never got injured. The kid is a natural – and I’m not just saying that because I’m his mother. The best part of the whole experience was spending time with him every Sunday on our long runs. I made two rules for myself during those hours we spent together: No advice. No judgment. Best decision I ever made.
2. Logging a 5K PR in the Army Run. This one felt so good because it wasn’t a fluke. I worked hard for it and felt like I earned it (even if I trained with a coach). My Garmin told me I was sub-25, but the race clock told me I was 25:39. Either was, it was a great result for me. Next year, though, I aim to break the 25 minute mark definitively. 
3. Doubling my life-time marathon count. Yes, it makes my blog name obsolete. But who was I kidding? I was never going to run just one. Also, though I didn’t finish in the time I wanted, I did shave 20 minutes off my completion time.
4. Having my friend Barb coach me in preparation for the Wineglass Marathon. She helped me really understand speed training – how to use the track to improve performance and get results. She inspired me to push myself further than I thought possible. And she made running fun again, just when I was starting to feel a little burned out. 
5. Countless blissful moments I could only experience while running. Three deer bounding out of the trees and across my path like lucky omens the night before a big race. The gift of warm mid-winter sun on my face. The perfect song just when I need it. Cool down stretches on a yoga mat at sunset while the summer breeze blows across the back of my neck.

Running Resolution #1 (I have many)

Wineglass Marathon: Let it go.

A very happy and healthy New Years to you and yours!!

Theresa

aka Reluctant Runner

In My Head, I Am Blogging

… and also running.

In real life, I haven’t written a post since recounting my tale of woe from the Wineglass Marathon in October. Since then, I’ve stopped sighing. Mostly. Unfortunately, I’ve also stopped running for the last three weeks.

I was feeling quite guilty about it, but then I gave this latest bout of laziness a name: a hiatus. That makes it sound well planned and strategic. And the guilt? Gone. I’m not slacking. I’m on a running hiatus. See how good that sounds?

Of course, there’s no hiatus from the real world. Houses must be clean, laundry folded, Christmas gifts purchased, meals prepared, university papers written and all the other demands of daily life attended to. Also, at work, they frown on the spontaneous hiatus. So one must also go into the office. Still, not running frees up a lot of time. In my case, it frees up at least 4 hours and 17 minutes over the course of 42 kilometres. Sigh.

Anyways, I can feel the pressure to run building. Any day now, I will sign up for a race (I’ve got lots of ideas). Then, I will start worrying about how on earth I’m going to complete the race. Then I will run. It’s that simple.

But for now: hiatus. I love that word.