My last marathon was run in 3:39. At that time I weighed 160 pounds and felt pretty indestructible. I was aiming for a 3:10, but had a cold (which turned out to be pneumonia), and didn't quite make my goal. 3:39, however, was more than an hour faster than my only other marathon, which I ran in 4:45 after failing to consider that training might be important.
After Tim passed, two things happened. First, my exercise went out the window. Second, I ate everything I could find. Eating really helped me to not think. By November, I crossed the 200 lb mark. It was at this point that I started earnestly thinking that I needed some motivation to get back on track, and that's when the idea of running a marathon took shape.
I ran a few times in November and December, while battling the eating that accompanies the holidays, and got down to 195 by January 1st. Then, I started to ramp up the running. I ran about 75 all purpose miles in January, and got down below 180. My best run of the month was my first 10k distance. It was my first run of more than 5 miles since re-starting, and it was my fastest pace of the entire month! It felt really good to have time and distance records combined into one run! I look forward to sharing more about my February runs and progress toward my pace goals in future posts!
Wow! You really carry the weight well, which is bad for the motivation to run as it doesn't look like you "need to". I am so glad that you have a goal not only for the health reasons but for Tim too. I just got my letter from the McKenzie River Trust -- the letter from Joe Moll, Executive Director, is a tribute to you and to all you are doing in memory of Tim.
ReplyDeletethanks for the self-esteem boost, but I definitely do 'need to' take off the weight! I would prefer not to have to carry this extra 20 pounds for 26.2 miles! :)
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