I hope to ride the confidence I got this weekend through the coming weeks, because the pressure is on to have another strong performance to produce the momentum I want to have to head into my spring goal, which I am announcing publicly. I will run in and complete the Pittsburgh Marathon on May 3. It's my home town and my folks live about a 25 minute drive from the starting line at the convention center. The clincher was that it will be exactly 364 days from when I first set foot in the gym, and started working with Jake, having made the decision to get in shape. So we will (hopefully) be able to say I completed a marathon within a year of the start of my training.
I have been warned that the timing is not ideal and that a later race would be better because training for this one will have to start mid-January. December and early January will be "off season" with no structured running. The plus side of a May race is that it shouldn't be sweltering. The idea of a marathon in the heat of mid- or late-summer just does nothing for me!!
I want to join a pace group that runs for a particular goal time (time tbd) so I will have a group and some extra motivation. I'm so excited for this already!! Who knew???? I NEVER thought I would have the courage (insanity?) to commit to this kind of goal. But I know I can do it and enjoy it. I know it won't be easy, but it's doable.
On another topic, I've been eating too much junk since Friday. Today was OK but starting tomorrow I need to cut out the crap. And I will. Really.
Can I also add that I'm really glad we are no longer in sandal season. Had I been warned about the impact of running on my lovely painted toenails, I may have reconsidered. I'll spare you the details, but two of the ten are no longer available to receive nail polish!!
