March Winds

I am so glad that the month of March has finally been ripped off the calendar. I have struggled this entire month to get my runs completed. The last week of March was not any different.

My plan was to get one more training run in before my planned 7 mile run on Saturday. I knew this would be tough because I had a field trip scheduled on Friday and that evening we were headed out of town to NC. As it worked out, I did not complete either run or any run for that matter this past weekend.

That has been the theme is seems this month. I will say that starting the month with a “low grade” tornado and going out of town for the past two weekends in a row has not been beneficial to the ultimate running goal. I have a routine and schedule that I follow in my daily life as well as with regards to running and when that is off kilter then I usually do not find much success accomplishing the items on my “need to do list.”

However, I am proud to say that I have not given up nor thought about giving up. (this would be my usual moment to cease training for an excercise based goal---when it gets tough and begin again “later”) However, I am still trudging forward albeit slowly to meet the goal that I have set before myself. I am still running. I am 13 weeks into the training and I am still running. I am a nonrunner that has been consistently running for 13 weeks. I am just as shocked as my readers!

From the start, I have placed no expectations on how I would get to my goal, just only the determination to achieve it. I am trying to focus on the positives and let the March winds blow away the setbacks.

I was back out on the pavement today for a short run of 2.5 miles. Tomorrow another run is planned and then a long run on Saturday. I have many milestones that I plan to reach this month. Perhaps the most important one will be to officially register for the marathon. April 30th is sign up day!! It is my hope that 28 days from now I will have accomplished the following:


APRIL GOALS –weeks 13-17

• First Race ---5k---April 12 (my time goal?? Lets’ go for my typical 12 min mile, so 38 minutes—gotta have a buffer)
• 10-13 training runs this month
• 3 more long runs 7 miles, 8 miles, 9 miles
• Dare I even type it??? Finish the month or begin May by hitting the double digits---a 10 mile long run!
• Make it official---sign up for the USMC Marathon April 30th.
• Choose a specific marathon training program to follow beginning at 20 weeks before the marathon date. That is seriously coming up…YIKES!

Quote for week 13: Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.