My poor blog has been horribly neglected due to my obsession with this half marathon I'm running in April. It's amazing how something I thought I would never be able to do two years ago now so fully fills my thoughts. Growing up I was never a runner. I could fulfill all my running requirements through the sports I played or through the school's physical education programs but since I was never in the front of the pack and rather in the middle, running was never something I enjoyed. But now? Now I enjoy running more than I ever could have imagined. It's become an addiction for me and I'm so happy with what it has done for me. Running gives me time alone to clear my thoughts and when I'm not alone and rather in my basement on the treadmill with the kids looking on, I know I'm setting a good example for them. I have to say that this is my proudest achievement - knowing I'm setting a good example about health and fitness.
For many of my years I've been quite overweight and I'm happy to say that I am now 55 pounds less than my highest weight. I still have some poundage to lose but just writing that last sentence makes me so happy. I don't want my children knowing an obese mother. I want them to always remember "mommy running" (as Avery now constantly says) and in turn I hope it inspires them to take up a physical activity to help them stay healthy. I know how important it is for girls to be part of sports because it has beeen shown to increase self esteem, helps them get better grades, and there is even evidence that more girls who are involved in sports are not as easily pressured into teen sex.
As you can see, I've been thinking about this a lot and yes, the running is so important for me but it is also something I view as something that will be good for my daughters as well. I've even helped motivate my husband to start running and he is now down on the treadmill every weekday morning at 5:30am putting in miles. I should say that his amazing willpower has kept me motivated.
So now it's time to talk about my progress. There has been a lot of training going on and I'm happy to say I can now run for an hour and a half non-stop. I drove the actual half marathon course the other day to see what kind of specialty training I should be putting in and I'm happy to say the course looks amazing. I think it will be perfect for a first half marathon due to the fact that there is a lot of down hill and down-sloped portions as well as a lot of flat areas. My only goal is to finish in less than three hours and I think I'll easily be able to do that. I've only allowed myself that much time because I want to allow for anything that might not go right that day. Hopefully, everything will go perfect!
The half-marathon is on April 18th and it's safe to say I've become completely obsessive, as my husband constantly tells me! I figure that is okay because it's a goal I'm so committed to accomplishing. Plan on hearing much more about my long runs and training up to mid-April. But don't worry, this running thing isn't the only thing I obsess over, the girls are always high up on the obsession list and a new post about them will be coming soon. Hadleigh just turned six months the other day!!! Can you believe it? I can't. And Avery? Well, she's as Avery-ish as ever and a constant source of entertainment who has suddenly become very interested in her little sister now that Hadleigh can appreciate Avery's goofiness. The laughter in our house is insane! I only wish everyone was as happy as our little household is.
