Give It A Try

I ran today.

Source

I feel a sense of pride when I hear myself say that. Does anyone else?

I may not have gone fast- I definitely wouldn't stand a chance against Kara Goucher- but I still ran.
I woke up this morning and was starting to debate with myself if I was in the mood to run. Before that tiny, little, nay-saying voice could really start convincing me not to run, I threw on my clothes and sneakers and headed outside. I PUT myself in the mood to run- and it feels good.

That's the one thing that has me addicted to running- I battle and struggle and have to keep myself constantly motivated while running, but when I'm done, there's this huge sense of accomplishment that washes over me. I love that feeling.

Anyway, today was Day 2 of Week 1 of Half Marathon Training 2012. According to my plan (which you can find HERE), it was supposed to be a 30 minute run, but I finished it in 29:16. I ran the first 3 minutes, then started my run/walk alternation (I am keeping with my 2:1 run/walk ratio for the first 3 weeks of my training, then, depending upon how I am progressing, I may bump it to 3:1). It felt good. I really pushed myself for the first mile, finished it in 12:34, but I know I should slow my first mile down and start pushing myself more during mile 2 so I can get my body used to doing negative splits.

I am a little worried that, since I haven't done that much running in the past few months, I'm basically starting from scratch again. Last year, I was hoping that by the time I got to this point I would be able to run about 3 miles non-stop. Oh well. Life happens, right? I've just got to buckle down and really stay disciplined this year. I'm hoping that after a few weeks my currently non-existent muscle memory will kick in and my runs will improve. Here's to wishful thinking, right?!