I never would have expected to start a blog about running. First of all, a blog seems rather self-indulgent. I mean, who wants to hear the mundane details of my running? I really don't expect anyone read this...except maybe my parents on a slow day. However, I like to write. I even wrote a series of novels in kindergarten (about a fictional family--the Kits; my mom still has them). I've been encouraged to keep a running journal of some kind. The value of a running journal is that you can see the progress that you've made, but it just seems boring. Maybe a blog could be a way to keep a running journal for myself. A running journal that is a little less boring.
I begin by saying that I am not a fast runner. I've done 5ks, 10ks, 1/2 marathons, and even one marathon (although the full marathon was a combination of running and walking). I've been running seriously (or maybe a better word is regularly) for about 6-7 years. My PR for the 5k is 22:30, although my usually time is between 26:00 and 30:00 in the past couple of years. In fact, I think that the course I ran the 22:30 on might have been mis-measured. Maybe not. Maybe I just had a good day. I'm usually around 2 hours for a 1/2 marathon. If I come in under 2 hours, I call the day a success. I've won some local races in my age group. However, many of those wins have come when there were four or fewer people in my age group. Once I won a 10k women's division. I was the only woman in the race.
I had minor knee surgery this past August. I was unable to run all summer, and (as my husband will tell you) I was a complete bitch. I saw people running along the road and wanted to hit them with my car. Okay, I am exaggerating, but it was rough for me. I was able to get back to running by Oct. 1 and ran/walked a marathon with my mother-in-law on Oct. 18. Overall, I call it a success. After a summer off, I am just thrilled to be running again.
I have somewhat of an obsession with running gear. I tend to be very cheap in some ways, but I do not hesitate to splurge on running gear. I've learned that it's worth it. Winter running gear is my latest passion. I have found the best cold-weather tights, the best hats for keeping your ears warm when it's below 0, you name it...I think my obsession with gear keeps me running. I HAVE to go running to justify $60 tights.
My latest toy is the Garmin 405, which keeps track of my time and mileage. I had an older Garmin, and I have to say that Garmins have come a long way. My new Garmin is worth every penny. I should say "our" Garmin, although my husband hasn't used it as much as I have thus far.
Oh, and my husband, Bill. Bill is a much faster and somewhat more accomplished runner than I am. He's done several marathons, and ran cross-country in high school...he got into running in high school. I didn't really pick it up until my mid-20's. Bill is one of the big reasons I got interested in running. I ran before I met him, but he showed me that "real" running and racing was something that wasn't beyond my reach. He's also the reason that I started doing triathlons. He and his father were planning to do their 1st one and Bill had a book about how to train. One night, when I couldn't sleep, I picked up the book and had a revelation. Maybe I could do it. And I think I've done maybe 6-7 of them (sprints)--some more successfully than others. I've also done a few as a part of a team, and that's always fun.
I have two regular running buddies. One is Bill--although I probably do more runs without him than with him. The other is Murphy, who is our beagle mix from a local shelter. He's about three years old now. He can run forever. However, it's winter now, and I hesitate to take him out on the snow and ice. He's certainly not a Husky. He isn't always fond of winter weather, and I worry about snow and ice getting stuck up in the pads of his paws. In the spring, he'll be back on the trails with me. You can see Murphy below. He's the one in the middle. (Yes, all three are our dogs.)
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