Last Place Runner

When I started running in October, I wanted to throw myself into it completely. I wanted to do the 5k training and roll right into the half-marathon training. But I hesitated.

I’m glad now that I did. The half training program only takes 250 runners and by the time I decided that maybe I didn’t totally hate running, it was full. I asked at the activities center to get on the wait list, and I did, but one of my coaches warned me that even the wait list was long.

I’m OK with that now. I don’t want to burn out on running my first year.

This time of year is crazy and busy, but I’ve kept up my running. Even this morning when it was raining. It was 49 degrees at 6:20? Yes, I’ll take it.

I decided to make up my own schedule to include intervals and easy runs during the week and at least one official 5k distance during the weekend. I did my “5K for one” in the neighborhood on Saturday. Yes, I walked some. But the running I did was great. It felt good. When I was about half a mile from home, I really kicked it into gear, just the way Coach had taught me in training. I ran hard all the way to the finish line, which was my driveway.

We had Christmas with my side of the family Saturday afternoon. My parents own an old farmhouse in the country. The living room leads to a bedroom which opens into a sun room, which goes right into a mudroom, which connects to the kitchen, and the kitchen connects to the dining room and the dining room leads right back into the living room. My nephews have spent years running laps around the house, so this year I decided to join them. We ran 13 laps around the house, which was kind of funny because they’re just kids and I’m damn-near 40. I racked up another 4,000 steps and I didn’t need to collapse on the couch to catch my breath like the kids did. It was really noisy and wild, like Christmas with the family should be.

My current contract work assignment ends at the end of January. That’s getting uncomfortably close. And while it’s the right time of year to make a commitment to the goals we have for the coming year, I’m nervous about putting this out there: I want to run a 5K race each month of 2015. But racing has registration fees. I hope I won’t be out of work at all, or for a very short time. But my husband says I can’t let that interfere with my goals.

My first race of 2015 is on Jan. 1. I have a race in February and one I think I’ll do in March. I’m looking into out-of-town races for the spring, when the threat of ice and snow is past. And because I’ll have to make that decision in 2015, another goal is to register for the half-marathon training for the 2016 half marathon.

Changing from bad to good is as easy as taking your first step!