Off and Running... Finally!

So I finally put on my running shoes on Monday morning and went for a run. I haven't run since the marathon (really) so I was a bit concerned about my performance. I haven't gone this long without running in a really long time! Monday was a nice day so I dragged D out with me and we set out for 6 miles. Our usual neighborhood route in the East Bay. The thing is, the first 3 miles is virtually downhill. Which is great. The problem is the return route. The 3 miles back home is an uphill battle. Even when I was in decent shape it was a tough climb. But out of shape... it was no joke. Like I said, the first 3 miles was downhill so it was easy breezy! Even thought, my lungs did feel like it was going to burst around mile 2! It was the uphill 3 miles that kicked my butt. I was already tired by the time we turned around and around mile 4, I had to walk... And we pretty walked the rest of the way home. In retrospect, maybe I should have set out with an shorter goal but I was told once that muscle memory goes a long way. Maybe my muscle memory isn't as good! Even after the regrettable run on Monday, I tried the same route again. It wasn't as bad. It was still tough. But I went much slower this time and walked every mile or so just to catch my breath. I ran about 5 miles yesterday. I was really sore last night from tackling those hills but I am feeling much better today. I am planning on an 8 miler tonight. Yeah, probably crazy but I have a lot of ground to cover! My Hal Higdon marathon plan for the Nike Women's Marathon on October 19 is not pretty. (No, I am not registered, yet but I am keeping positive!) As you can see, I am supposed to be running 13 miles this weekend which I don't know if I'm even physically able!

From Pitter Patter to Hitting the Pavement

A few years back, I started running. For a long time, I just ran about a mile at a time on the treadmill. Then, I decided to venture out to 2 to 3 miles on the mill. After a little while, I got tired of running at the gym. So I tried running outside for a scenery change. I must have really liked it because soon, I started to running longer and longer distances. I had always wanted to run a marathon... it was just one of those things on my "bucket list" of things to do. So I did. 4 years ago, I ran my first marathon. The San Francisco Marathon, the hilliest marathon of them all! I used the Hal Higdon training program online and followed it to the T. I ran my first marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes!! That's still my fastest time. I've run 2 more SFMs since but haven't been able to. I signed up for my 4th one last week. I'd been running all year and kinda sorta training (but half heartedly) because I wasn't sure if I would do it again. You see, I'm getting married on August 8th and the race is on August 3rd! A lot of people are telling me not to do it for various reasons but I just must. I have to! I have a goal of running one marathon a year.

I don't look like your typical lean runner. I'm on the other category... the other typical not-so-lean runner. But I love running. It clears my head, keeps me healthy and releases those much needed endorphins. These days, I'm pretty obsessed with running and love to talk about my training programs and just running in general. Welcome to my running blog.

Julianne :-)