Week of Jan 21-27

The weather cleared up for a couple of days this week. I was able to log a 20.46 mile week. This is the first week I have run over 20 miles since the middle of December when I first hurt my back, then got the flu, then fell on my tailbone!

I had a wonderful run outdoors yesterday morning. The video was taken about 2 miles into it. It was so great to be outdoors running, I was perhaps a bit too excited about the sun rising.

Disclosure: I started this blog in "new" blogger, seemingly totally separate from my other blog in "old" blogger. When I migrated my other blog into New Blogger - this blog went with it. I am too tired to start all over with this one, so I guess you all know (f you have seen my other blog) I am a recovering alcoholic. Which, by the way, is not a bad thing. It is however an AA tradition that we AA members always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. So, you have my first and middle name... and I will now remove the picture of me, since it shouldn't be included if I am identifying myself as an AA member.

And thanks to anyone who has read this.

Week of Jan 14 - 20

I Managed to run 18.3 miles this week. I only ran 4 days, due to weather. I hate running on the treadmill, but half of the miles were on the treadmill, including a 10K on Monday morning.

Yesterday I ran 6.2 miles around Clement Park. It was nice. It was cold and there were still patches of snow and ice, but it was nice. See above picture, taken after my run. It is of poor quality, taken on a cell phone, and it is certainly not a thing of beauty - but I want a reminder of what this past month has looked like, and that is definitely representative of the last month.

This week starts with more snow falling. I had planned on getting out to a park and running another 6.2 miles this morning, but I will wait and hopefully the snow will slow down. Perhaps I can get out later and put in a few miles on the dreaded treadmill.

I hope I never forget this dreadful winter. When I wake up on a spring or summer morning, the sun is shining, and I can go directly outside in shorts and a shirt and run safely on dry pavement, I hope I remember these dark, cold, snowy, and icy days.

Training for a Half Marathon

I registered for my first Half-Marathon on Friday, January 12. It is the Colorado Colfax Marathon on May 20. I am very excited about this. My daughter also registered with me.

Let me say that I am 55 years old. I smoked 2 packs a day for 25 years, but stopped 15 years ago. I had a cervical diskectomy and fusion of C3-C5 in 1999 and never thought I would run again. Sometimes when I am running I just smile from ear to ear because of the joy of it!

I ran in my youth (even though I smoked), but never real seriously. I always wanted to run a marathon, but never considered it even remotely possible. I started running again in 2003. In 2004, I trained for and completed my first sprint distance triathlon. I enjoyed it so much, I did another the next year, and another the year after that - and my 27 year old twin daughters joined me on that one!

In August of 2006, I purchased the Nike+ iPod stuff, and it has opened my eyes to the world of running. With the Nike + I have kept going and going when I would have quit before. On New Year's Day I ran 10 miles, and that is when I knew it was possible for me to train for a half-marathon. I am slow, but I am also old!

I have no idea how to do this. This morning after my 10K run, I went to the bookstore to buy a book on training for a marathon, but they didn't have any. I will order one online.

What an exciting journey! I hope there are other bloggers out there who can share in this journey with me.