Sheridan, you've got some training to do!

I'm not a runner.

This may sound silly to say, seeing as last month Tom and I ran in the Broad Street Run, which is a 10 mile race. And we did complete it, at a steady jogging pace of just over thirteen minutes a mile. In case you are as clueless about running as I was (still am) when I signed up for that race, that is slooooow. And it felt slow, but I refused to go faster because I just wanted to survive. I just wanted to cross the finish line. We did! I was happy, elated, accomplished...

Looking cocky after the Broad Street Run

Sort of. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed with myself, even though I probably acted like I was. Part of it was that I didn't feel like I was pushing myself that hard. Which is great, right? I ran ten miles and DIDN'T feel like I was pushing myself hard?? Well, it's ok. I guess I felt like I should have run faster, felt confident to push myself harder even if it meant at some point I might have to slow down. I was afraid if I ever slowed down, I wouldn't be able to pick up the pace again.

Also, I suppose I just feel like if I can do something, anyone can do it. You can call it a complex or just call it the truth. Unless you have some kind of debilitating injury, YOU can run ten miles. I did. Seriously, I'm not a runner.

So, I guess since I didn't get enough of the rush from that race, I needed to sign up for another. Some friends at work were casually discussing the Philadelphia Half-Marathon (same day and place as the full marathon, just shorter). With little thought, I was in. In fact, I was the one encouraging people to sign up! Why would I do that to anyone? I was stressed training for Broad Street, why put myself through that again, and take friends down with me?

Well, there is significantly more time to train. When we signed up for Broad Street, we had about two months to train. That was two months from barely being able to run a mile, to running ten. Now, I wasn't so out of shape. I can hold my own on an elliptical, but running is different. And running outside is totally different. I dig it, though. The treadmill is so boring, I can't push myself more than a couple miles. But given the right temperature, the right mindset and the right breakfast, I can now run 4, 5, or more miles outside and not be dying. That's a vast improvement.

Thirty three minutes = almost 11 minute miles on the elliptical

I don't just want to finish the half-marathon, though. I want to be proud of my performance. I don't have a time I want to finish in mind. Not yet, at least. Maybe after I get a month or so of training under my belt I will think about that. Right now I am still getting back into a routine of working out since I kind of blew off working out over the past month and a half in favor of enjoying my wedding and honeymoon. Plus, even if I wasn't as impressed with myself over Broad Street as I would have liked, I do like things that give me an excuse to be lazy. Cutting out the lazy excuses is another thing on my to-do list.

Fitness magazine routine. This is no joke.

I need to put together a more formal "Half-Marathon To-Do List", but basically I am trying to run one long run a week and cross train in other ways. For example, this morning I did the workout routine pictured above. It's hard! I read Fitness and Self magazine, more for motivation than anything else, but they always have routines in them to tone your back, tone your front, tone this, lose that, etc. Every now and then I try to tackle one of them and every time I feel like a total failure because I can't even DO some of the exercises, not the way they describe them anyway. The above workout calls for using 8 lb. weights and I literally can't do one of them with that much weight. It's sad. But, I will do my best not to let that get me down.

Me post-workout. Done.

I'm also going to try to keep up a healthy diet, watch the booze and start doing some leg strength training. I never felt the need to do much leg work, because if I have any strength anywhere, it's in my legs. That is more a comment on how little strength I have in other places than it is on how strong my legs are. I've worked on my feet for most of my life, not that that means much for fitness, but I'm not particularly sedentary. I've been told by a number of REAL runners that leg training is really crucial to a good performance. So be it. Squats anyone?

Healthy spinach and goat cheese salad for lunch

Enough of all that. Expect plenty more updates on training as that is a big item on the semi-long-term to-do list.

Tomorrow is Sunday. I've been making an effort to get more chores and errands done during the week so that I have Sundays free to relax, visit friends and family, or, my favorite thing, chilling with my husband. I have a bit more on the to-do list for tomorrow, but I'm hoping to wrap things up early and get a good bit of hanging out in the late afternoon/ early evening. My sunburn is still present, so the couch and a movie sounds like just the ticket.

Sunday To-Do List

- hot yoga @ 10am (it's already paid for, so I gotta do it, even though at 11:49pm Saturday night I really don't feel like getting up for it)
- super fast shower
- noon time breakfast with Tom, Quinn and Mo
- supervise Tom and Quinn while they work on my car (aka, stand around and try not to be in the way)
- drop off my thesis to my mom that she has been dying to read
- attempt to make salsa verde
- Sunday Spa night (face mask, mani-pedi, general pampering of Sheridan)
- watch a new movie instead of the usual re-runs we always end up watching that we don't even care about  

Thanks for tuning in again! Your to-do list item is to give me any advice on training for a long run you may have. I have found that runners love to talk about running. Even non-runners like myself enjoy talking about how much it can suck. And how much it can not suck, too, I guess. As a reward, I will leave you with a picture of the delicious fish tacos I just ate.

Happy Sunday-ing!

Taco heaven