I'm pretty confident that I can do it, but I think I will be doing it very, very slowly. Brother Darren reassured me that that's what these early events are for. If nothing else, hopefully it'll help me see where I'm really 'at.' I think I can already safely assume that where I'm currently 'at' is nowhere near where I'd like to be...
In any case, I ran a solid 7 miles last night, making it my longest "recorded" run EVER. It's still a far cry from a marathon, but at least I'm headed in the right direction. Most surprising/encouraging of all is how relatively normal and pain-free I'm feeling today. (In other news, I've also upgraded from Absorbine to IcyHot!)
I also started flipping through Running Like a Girl: Notes on learning to run by Alexandra Heminsley last night. It chronicles the adventures of a British woman who takes up running in her 30s. Upon hearing her brother mention that he's contemplating signing up for a marathon (the London Marathon, in this case), she suddenly decides to do the same... Sound familiar? I can't quite relate to all of her initial qualms about running, but the bits about attempting to find the right gear, (and wearing said gear in public while assuming that everyone is judging you for the novice that you clearly are), and the desire to stubbornly try to figure it all out on your own felt very spot-on. It's a quick read, and has so far been very encouraging.
Next up on this ol' blog, I hope to have some contributed content via an interview with a friend and veteran marathon-runner. In the works, coming soon, etc.! Until then...
The Totals:
Running:
- April: 19.0
- 2014: 73.6
Biking (non-stationary):
- April: 18
- 2014: 35
