13.1, Going on 30

There was a time in my life when I ran faithfully, if not quickly, several times a week. I looked forward to it, I loved it, I did it even when it hurt. I did it even though I was slow and felt hulky dragging myself (all 150 lbs of myself at that time, ha) up the hills of my neighborhood. At some point, I quit. I think it was the cold winter when I was living on my own in the midwest, a long dark winter of sadness where I could never seem to get out of my own way long enough to get my running shoes on. In the years since then, I've run a bit here and there, done a Couch to 5k every couple years, but never stuck with it like I used to in my early 20's. Once, when I was really getting into the swing of it again, I went for a run around my neighborhood and got followed by a creepy old man in tall socks, and after that I was afraid to run outside alone. I didn't run a step for a couple years at least.
Then, this summer, while I was working a long night shift, I started thinking about the sad state of my fitness. I hadn't yet begun my weight loss journey in earnest, but I could feel 30 closing in and was trying to think of something big to do to welcome my next decade. I don't know why I picked a half marathon. But the next thing I knew I was signing up for this race and asking my mom to come with me to cheer me on. She did me one better- my 57 year old mother, who had never run a step, signed up for the race too. I think she's doing it for the wine at the end. I think I might be doing it for the wine at the end too.
I'm not planning on running all 13.1 miles. With all the extra weight on me, I've had trouble with all the impact on my joints as I've been training. So I'm using the run-walk plan found here.


I get chills thinking about crossing that finish line.