It's been a while!

 It's been almost a year since I've written on this blog.  I've not stopped running, but I haven't run as well as I've wanted either.  I've not stopped trying to lose weight but I've not reached my goal either.  I ran my third 1/2 marathon on Sunday, it wasn't pretty.  So I'm giving myself a few days to recuperate from that horrible run and then I need to get serious about my first full marathon.  I've decided that I'm not good about following through with plans, but I have also seen how ugly a run can be if you are not ready.  I need figure out how to stay on track for the next five months.  If I can't 26.2 miles in October is going to hurt.  This summer my cousins and I will celebrate a large mile stone.  The three of us will turn 50 during the summer.  Last summer as I was training I thought about what I wanted to accomplish the following year.  The fall was full of disappointments and the goals faded.  Our house was filled with changes as the new year began, but in February my goal of completing a full marathon peeked out on Valentine's day.  My husband asked what I wanted for the holiday.  I was searching the web at the time and was looking at the Prairie Fire's web page where they had announced a Back2Back challenge and so I replied to him, "I want to run a 1/2 marathon in May and a Full marathon in October.  I want to complete this challenge.  He then paid for my registration fee for the challenge and took me out to get me new shoes and equipment to get me started for my challenge.  I had a goal of being under 200 pounds for the spring race, my weight the day I left for the race was 202.  

Missed it by 3-4 pounds. I wanted to do well during the race, I ended up just being thankful to complete it.  While he could clear the road for me to take on the challenge, as much as he loves me he can not do the challenge for me.  I did have goals for the 1/2 marathon and I was close to meeting them, but still did not quite make them.  I'm frustrated by the fact that I can't reach my goals.  So I've spent the few days thinking about the fall race and what I wanted to accomplish for that race. (Believe me when you have to drive for 13 hours alone both ways you have plenty of time to think.)  First let me say sorry for being all over the place with this blog.  That's kind of the way that my mind has been going over the past weekend.  So having said that this is what I have decided.  In the fall I'd like to be a little lighter in the weight department and I will try to lose some of this weight.  The main reason is because 26 miles is a long way to go carrying around over 200 pounds, but I'm not going to give a specific amount.  I instead will pledge to eat better while training and allow myself one day a month to splurge.  So if I weight less than 202 pounds on October 14,2014, it will be a goal reached.  I also will not give myself a time goal for the race.  Well, I want to finish before the 7 hour deadline set by the Prairie Fire race, after 7 hours they will no longer keep the roads closed for you.

So any time before 7 hours will be a win for me.  I'm not going to back down from the full marathon challenge, I will complete it.  Yes, I know that 26.2 miles is NOT a walk in the park.  Yes, I understand that by the end of the race I will be a total mess.  I've had several tell me that it's okay to lower my goal, that I should do another 1/2, but I'm not backing down from the 26.  I can and I will stand up and face the beast.  I may not conquer the beast with style and grace, but I will conquer the beast.  The 26.2 is my choice, I know the risks, I also know I'm tired of backing down. I will officially begin my training on Sunday 11 May 2014.  I will do my best to blog about the training, the race that I just completed and a lot of other mindless stuff.  Help keep me on track and push me while I reach deep down and push myself this summer.  What is your dream?   Grab a dream and come chase it with me!