And so it begins! Adventure #1

ADVENTURE #1: Run A Marathon

It's an idea I never even considered growing up: running a marathon. Yet here I stand today seriously humoring the thought! I was "kind of" a runner when I was younger, if you'll accept heavily shuffling once every harvest moon running. It hasn't been until recently that I really started to get into this running scene. I began seriously running several months ago, mostly to give me a break from the day's craziness, to feel that wind in my face, and to help me destroy those nasty extra pounds I felt that I had carried throughout my life. Well, it satisfied all conditions! I'm a runner now. It just thrills me to be able to say that.

I'll be honest, though, my runs maxed at about 3-5 miles, a measly distance when compared to the expanses that most other runners cover. Am I a runner? You bet. You want me to run a marathon? Psh. But that's what my Personal Health & Wellness teacher (who happens to be a seasoned marathoner, having ran 10+ marathons in his life, and who also happens to be my father) asked of my class. He said that if we trained properly, regardless of our current fitness-level, we could be well on our way to running a marathon in a matter of months. Then the thought hit me: I wasn't in terrible shape NOW. I could do this marathon! I could accept this challenge!

Both of my parents are runners, and as a kid I just sat on the curb and cheered them on as they ran past. I feel like I spent too much time as a kid sitting on a curb, never wanting to venture forth and risk having an adventure. But not anymore. I'm leaping up and joining the parade! And that parade is going to have to do some serious sprinting to keep up with this guy.

So for about the past two months, I've been training for a marathon. Which, sadly, isn't going to work out (the marathon, that is). Given the fact that I'll be leaving my home in 80 days (a matter I'll discuss in a later post) I cannot physically ready myself to run a marathon in such a short time. So my adventure has had some slight modification...

Adventure #1: Run a HALF-Marathon.
The race: The Salt Lake City Half Marathon. The date: Saturday April 16th, 2010. 

(I figure that is 13.1 miles more than I've ever ran in a race-setting before, so that's better than nothing.)