I'll never again make fun of people who talk to themselves on the Riverwalk. Because on Saturday, I joined that elite club.
It's time for an update on my half marathon training, folks.
That's right: The goal is still intact. Perhaps my lack of updates made you think I'd abandoned my mission.
What?!? A blogger promises regular updates on a topic and then inexplicably abandons it completely? What a foreign concept.
For about the past month, I've met with a local running group at 6 a.m. Saturdays at the National Infantry Museum. Join us if you'd like.
I did 5 miles the first week, and increased my distance by a mile every Saturday. I've paired those challenge runs with 30-minute runs throughout the week.
This past Saturday was the most challenged I've been so far. I did 9 miles.
I say "did" instead of "ran" because I succumbed to walking's lure briefly toward the end, thanks largely to the extreme humidity.
Anyway, the local marathon and half marathon isn't until November, so I guess I'm on track.
Right now I'm most concerned about hydration during the race. I never carry a water bottle during shorter races, but my most recent run was a wakeup call that I need to have some sort of fluid with me during the half marathon.
Problem is, I hate holding a water bottle and I worry about the extra weight of belts that carry water bottles. Suggestions?
That aside, my half marathon training has already offered the focus and discipline I desired.
I work in an industry where it seems traditional job responsibilities change monthly. My lifestyle is still nomadic enough to produce too-short friendships and too-short family visits.
That's why, amid the aches and pains, the certainty of "nine miles this week, 10 miles next Saturday" is actually kind of nice.
Even when you end up chanting lines of encouragement to yourself -- out loud -- before 8 a.m.
