The first day

Today is the first day of the 16-week half-marathon training that I have chosen to undertake. I'm not sure where this journey will take me, but I am going to do my best to complete all of it. The mid-week runs are the hardest to complete which, by design, make the weekend runs easier. By skipping a mid-week run, I will pay dearly each Saturday. However, if I complete all of the runs, I will have run 348 miles by the time the half-marathon is done.

348 miles seems like a long way.  It is, in fact, that Google Maps says is the distance from my home in Richmond to New York City. I'm not sure where in NYC, but the point is that it's a long way away. Without traffic, that is a 6+ hour drive. In perfect weather. Certainly, we will not have perfect weather as we make this journey. This morning, for example, the temperature is 24 degrees. By the time we run, it might be up to 28 or 29. Dressing for the cold like this is always a challenge. You start off so cold you don't know if you can get started. But, a couple of miles into the run, I get hot -- since my body is apparently an incredible heat-generating machine. The oatmeal breakfast helps keep me going. Injuries have generally alluded me, after working through the shin splints and sore feet.

Today is about the willingness to push myself, to get up and run without regard to cold weather, or a sore body, or the deep desire to sleep in. Today, I start to figure out if I have the guts to continue a difficult task for more days each week than I take off. Today is the day I look at running not as a task that lasts one day, but as the start of a journey.

Today is the first day of that journey.

When time off is not a good thing

I didn't run much this week. My son created a video for use with a sponsor dinner for his robotics team. When I say he created, I meant that he organized a great deal of the material and did all of the logo creation, etc., but his Mom and I put together the final product. I am going to upload it when I finish installing the latest version of Adobe Premiere Elements software. I do believe that the final product is quite impressive and it certainly got the oohs and aahs of his peers at school (along with all of the adults). We had fun doing it, but didn't get a great deal of sleep this week.

On back to back nights, we were up until at least 1:30 AM working on content, music, etc., and burned the final copy just hours before presentation at the dinner. My son was trying to add one additional piece of animation that he was rendering at the school, but the school lost power in the middle of the day, thereby crashing the rendering process.

Getting back to the title, I didn't get to the gym at all this week, with the last visit on Saturday. Then, it was only a 3-mile treadmill run (some walking), so the mileage this week suffered. Today, I met Lori, Sara, Owen and Bob for 5-miles. We took off at 7 AM with a brisk 35 degree temperature. The other 4 had run an 8K (5 miles) last Saturday while I skipped due to my Mom visiting. The first three miles were fine, but the final 2 were painful at best. Skipping workouts (time off) is not a good thing when you finally return to running.

The official start of insanity

This week, I have begun to ponder the quest to run a half-marathon. Several of my fellow runners are ready, so we have discussed it and believe that we're actually going to start training next Saturday. The first run is just 5 miles, which we will do tomorrow outside of this 16-week prep program. Next week is another 5 miles, then it goes up from there. It's not that I can't run the 5 - 6 mile distance, I run 4 - 6 most Saturdays, but it's the 7, 8, 9, and 10 milers that have me worried. My most pressing concern is if I will actually be able to make the mid-week distances.

The mid-week runs are not long, but are very regular. The training goes like this:

Saturday - long run

Tuesday - 3 miles, later 4 miles

Wednesday - longer mid-week run (4 or 5 miles until week 9, then 6 or 7)

Thursday - match the Tuesday run

The footnote states that Sunday should be a cross-training or additional running day. That's 5 days of running each week, every week for 16 weeks. Doing the math, that is a total of 80 runs and just under 350 miles - in under 4 months.

I will start with all intention of finishing. In the back of my mind, I know it will be tough to find the time and commitment to complete the entire program. However, if I do complete the program, it will be an easy 13.1 miles in mid-March.

what you when all you have is residuals...

Today, "Slater" from Saved by the Bell was at the local mall for a charity event.

He is now apparently hosting the TV show "Dancing with the Stars" and the old ladies went ga-ga over him signing autographs.