What am I thinking???

Okay...  a half marathon?  Really???

I remember when friends or family would talk about running a 5k, thinking kind of wistfully and nostalgically about the days I could run, knowing that was never going to be part of the conversation for me.  I had a time where I didn't think I could ever do something like that again, that was something for when I was in my 20's.

And then I did it, 2 years ago.  I did it again this year.  I'm not just talking a mixture of jogging/running, but running the full distance.  Yes, it was slow, very slow, but...  I did it.

But those 10K people, they are out there more.  That's an accomplishment.  Maybe a bit more extreme, but still...  that's pretty darn good.  A year ago, I walked the Bolder Boulder 10K (talk about a party!), this year I did the full run with 2 minute walk 2 minute run splits.  Now, so far, that's not totally something that I ever saw as a huge accomplishment, especially walking because even at my worst I've always known I could walk, even several miles, when needed.  But I know a lot of people who thought that was an accomplishment though.  I felt good with this year's run, but still, those people who could run the whole thing...  that's fit.

And then there are those marathon and half marathon people.  Now we're getting insane here.  That's over the top.  That's just torture.

So...  here I am, signing up.  Hesitant, but looking forward to it.

13.1 miles?  Are you kidding me?

So here's what it is.  My wife teaches at Red Rocks Community College.  She was telling me about a course that a friend was teaching called Change Through Challenge.  It's actually a business course, but it's about the soft skills a person needs to be successful in business such as goal setting, perserverence, discipline, etc.  But it's not just about learning what those skills are or look like, but it's built around developing those skills...  by training for a marathon.  The final for the class is a marathon.  I remember thinking that was just brilliant.  They have a flyer on it here:  http://www.rrcc.edu/pdfs/ChangeThroughChallenge_12.pdf

Anyway, later she came to find out they were doing a special course of it, for faculty, that is adapted around a half marathon.  She's done a couple of half marathons before, something that I think I always figured I'd never be able to catch up to her on, you know?  But anyway, something about it was intriguing, she was thinking of doing the course and of course I blurt out, well if I could get into it, I can do with you.

Me and my big mouth.

And here I am enrolled.  Class starts Wednesday night.  I've committed myself to this whole half marathon thing.  We do our long training runs Sunday mornings, though I think the initial one is just a mile.  Now lately I've not been running as much, I ride my bike in to work most days of the week, I go to the Y a couple nights a week for weight training, I even signed up for a Taekwando class with my kids (another what was I thinking moment)...  so I get in a run maybe once a week now.  But I did get out Saturday to just try a one mile run..  so after a bit of a walking warmup, I got in a mile at just over 13 minutes with no walk breaks...  I'll take that.  I could have kept going really, maybe I should have...  but it's still like... I'm happy to be at that point I can begin this.

I'm not sure if 338 pounds is a great spot to be at running a half marathon.  That could be a bit brutal on my joints.  And yet I find my joints seem happier being abused by running and such than not, which really makes me question the sanity of my joints...  but anyway...  It begins this week.

So, if I don't end up posting in a long time it means one of two things.  I'm still really bad at posting frequently.  Or, I'm wrapped up in intensive care somewhere because this was just really reallly stupid.