Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Marathon (wo)Man?


Because just learning how to be a good SAHM (stay-at-hom-mom) isn't enough,  I've crafted a list of Commitments to keep and Goals to accomplish during this, my one year at home.  In brief, I've committed to myself and my little family that I will make a home, I will write (UnPlain and other projects), and I will be fully present for P (the reason i'm doing this in the first place ).  On the goal side, they are few and simple.  Goal 1:  Become conversational in Italian via the Rosetta Stone.  Goal 2:  strengthen my existing friendships and make at least one new, real friend.  Goal 3:  Run 10 miles.  Simple right?  I mean, languages don't take years to learn, friendships time to build and running? Well my idea of running for many years was running from the couch to the pantry.   I totally got this. 

Whether I like it or not, I am now deeply entrenched in goal number 3, running a distance of 10 miles.  Simple to some, unheard of to others.  I personally am never one to be outdone, not even by myself, so I went ahead and signed my overambitious ass up for the Newport Liberty Half Marathon in September.  If I can run 10 miles by the end of the year, why not just make it 13.1 by the end of the summer?

Say it with me, Go Big or Go Home.  Whether it's gambling, throwing a party or running a mini marathon, for better or for worse, this is the only way I know how to do things.  So one day, after a poolside afternoon of sangria and guacamole led to a discussion about the Jersey City half marathon, I slapped down my forty dollars and signed myself up, 100% convinced that I'm equipped to take this on.  Immediately after, I Googled "half marathon training schedule" and happily filled the next 9 weeks of my calendar with days marked 4.5miles, 6 miles, 10 miles and so on.  The steadily increasing long runs look perfectly achievable, laid out daintily on my calendar.  Oh look, two weeks from now, I'll run 8 miles.  Lovely.

Cut to week one of training.  Now, my max ever (ever, ever) run is six miles.  Six huffing and puffing miles around beautiful Montclair township, NJ.  My average Saturday run is 4-5 miles and these have all been done sans a 25 pound baby (or is he a toddler now?) in a 17 pound stroller.  But now, on a schedule of two weekday short runs and one weekend long run, I must perform those weekday short runs pushing 42 lbs mostly up hill around the lovely Brookdale Park.  So how am I doing?

I completed my first 3.5-mile, mostly-up-hill, pushing-baby short run with only a mild (I use the term lightly) degree of difficulty last Wednesday, to be followed by a 5 mile solo run on Saturday.  How'd Saturday go? It didn't.  Remember, I go big or go home, so on Friday night, I went big into about four hearty glasses of Sauv Blanc and woke up Saturday morning with the first real hangover I've had in months.  Run - derailed.  13.1 mile dream - fading.  But it's too late.  I've signed up, I've put it out there and I am not one to easily admit failure (without a good excuse anyway).  Good thing I managed to put myself back together Sunday and hit my 5 miles with ease, followed by 3.5 with P in the park this morning. (OK, I'm lying - it only did 2.5, but I was tired and its uphill and did I mention I'm pushing 42 LBs?!)

Looks like I'm back on track for now, but with eight weeks of training to go, I really am hoping I stay on track because I do actually enjoy running these days.  This is as opposed to 6 years ago, when T and I lived in the city and I only pretended to love running when my real hobbies including running around Manhattan at all hours of the night, wearing a napkin and heels, looking bored and pretending not to care that I got into Bungalow 8 (when it was cool). So please, wish me luck.  I need it.

Advice from runner's welcome!




Parenting Sidebar:  Whilst writing this post, I turned away from my beloved Mac and my beloved 5-o'clock glass of cabernet to find P snacking happily on a cardboard book...perhaps I should look back at my commitment to be fully present for P...and commit to it.

Coming Up This Week:  An update on the 6 Month Challenge and a Perspective on Play dates.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

This is awesome, Jane!!!! First, love the blog. Second, I ran my very first half marathon this past June and loved every agonizing moment. If you can run that far pushing 42lbs of baby, you can totally tackle the half!!! If you've never ran in a race before, you should sign up for a 5or 10k before the half to get the feel of a race. I wear a water belt even though it's not the most stylish (but it does accentuate my waist!) bc I avoid water stops at all costs. People have no idea how to navigate them and it messed with my pace. Good luck!!! You're going to do great!!