13 months later

Last year, I made something of a big deal about starting a running program and being serious about it.  I posted about my first 5k that I actually ran and subsequent events.  Exercise programs are always very exciting at the start.  The trick is figuring out how to stick with it.  

13 months later, here I am.  I would like to say that I so totally love running and it's a vital part of my every day and I'm in the best shape of my life and am ready for my next 10k.  But that would be a big ol' fib.  

After the excitement of the few races I did in the Spring, I struggled with keeping my regular, every other day schedule of running 3+ miles.  I live in Alabama.  It's freakishly hot and humid.  You cannot get up earlier than humidity.  That said, I still managed to run 2-3 times a week, most weeks--sometimes more walk than run but I got out there.  Sometimes I got out there with my daughters (who pretty much complained of the heat the whole time--even the kid in the stroller).  At the end of summer, the girls and I did a Color Run 5K together.  Pretty cool (literally--it rained the whole race).

Since then, my training has ebbed and flowed--some weeks I've managed to get in 3 or 4 runs and some only 1 or 2, some, even zero (let's don't talk about the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas).  But in the end, thirteen months later, I am still running.  Last weekend I made a fun return to racing with the Hot Chocolate 5K.  Not my best run time ever but race was gorgeous and fun (separate post to come about that) and even though my pace wasn't impressive, it was in the top 3 of my division and gender and in the top half over all.  So I am calling it a win.  

In the end, the truth is, I don't run because I love running.  I run for these primary reasons:

1-It's really good for me physically and mentally.

2-I love the way I feel about myself when I finish running, especially when my pace is good and the hills are plentiful.

3-I would rather my daughters see me running and hear me talk about running than for them to see me dieting or hear me talking about dieting.  

I'm register for more races already, including another run I'll run with E.  I'm excited.