Kelly's Fitspiration!

A big thanks to my dear friend, Kelly... who constantly conquers the world and somehow questions herself along the way! You can view her amazing blog (she's an English teacher, and could draw you into one of her posts even if it were about watching paint dry....) by clicking here!

And here's her Fitspiration:

Confession: I am obsessed with Pinterest. The site is pure GENIUS. Bursts of colorful visuals + words? Hooked. I have completely suspended the disbelief that one site cannot solve all of my problems. Because Pinterest totally can. There's probably even a category for it. Or at the very least -- a topically-related motivational quotation print or poster.

Anyway, I'm clearly thrilled to write a post about my current marathon training program I found on Pinterest. 

A little history: 

I started running in 2004, two years after I started teaching. When I first started running, I was 30 lbs heavier. Post-College. Job stress. Marriage stress. (Add ten pounds for each and throw in some carbs for the bad days.)

Anyway, when I first started running, I actually couldn't run. Well, I could, but just a block at a time. I literally had to take rests after each block. But that's how I originally got started. We had just bought a house in Colonial Place, so four or five nights of the week, I would run around the neighborhood, gradually increasing the number of blocks I could run without stopping. The first time I ran Mayflower Rd. (a long, winding street along the Lafayette River), I actually cried. 

Shortly after that, my department chair of English at the time, Sharon Blumenthal, encouraged me to run a 5k at the Oceanfront. The idea of running an official race terrified me, and I felt a little ridiculous. I mean, I'm not a "real runner." Who was I to be in a race? 

But I did it. And for me, a non-runner, it was exhilerating.

The 5k turned into a 10k and so on and a little over a year later, I ran the Shamrock Half-Marathon. Since then, I've run 5 half-marathons, a couple 20ks, and many other shorter-distance races.

So, I run, but I still don't consider myself a "runner," mostly because I feel that there are too many connotations associated with the term. Too many expectations.

Here's what I love about running:
What I get out of it is relative to what I put into it. And what I get out of it is mine, and nobody can take it from me, because it was me getting my ass out of bed and beating the streets. There's no greater self-confidence boost than that. Not for me, anyway.

On the 26.2 Beast:
Past:
I have failed both attempts at a marathon. My first race (that I trained four months for) was a disaster. I missed the turn-off on the course that separated the marathoners from the half-marathoners. My second race never happened because I got injured on a 20k training run.

Present:
I have decided to give the marathon one more "college try." To that end,I registered for the Freedom Marathonm which takes place the second weekend in November in Norfolk, VA. I have been slowly building up my mileage for the last six weeks or so to prevent injury. I have worked up to a solid 25 miles a week, which I feel is a good start.

I knew I needed to find a training program that wouldn't make me hate my life. I am a teacher, so much of my training will fall right at the beginning of the school year. In the past, I have followed Hal Higdon's programs, but I thought perhaps I needed something different. After much searching, I found this program on Pinterest:

http://pinterest.com/pin/231583605809527198/

This week marks my first week of training! So far, so good.

Only 15 weeks left. No big deal, right?

Send your posi-vibes my way.