Training Update

So I am now officially half-way through my half marathon training program.  Six weeks down and six more to go.  I am very pleased to announce that the woman who once could barely run around the block can now run six and half MILES!!!  Yes, ladies and gentlemen....miles.  I am so excited by the new found energy and body this training has brought me that I'm even considering running a second half marathon at the end of November.

In the six weeks of my training I have lost almost 10 pounds and I've dropped 2 pant sizes.  I am constantly restraining myself from going on a bender at the mall buying new cute clothes.  I have however, dropped a surprising amount of money on 'running gear.'  I have a GPS watch that tracks my pace/distance.  There are now two pairs of running shoes in my closet.  Four pairs of running capris and two running skirts are in my bureau.  An undisclosed number of wicking shirts have been added into my rotation.  And a portable hydration system joins me on my long runs. 

All of this makes me wonder 'what did people do before modern day training?'  I guess in caveman days, you only needed to be faster than the slowest person to avoid being eaten by animals.  And in pioneering times, you worked for 16 hours on the homestead. After a day like that, one didn't need to run for recreational purposes.

So this morning I was all geared up and out the door bright and early for my weekly long run.  While my endurance has improved dramatically, I am still by no means a fast (or graceful) runner.  So it came as no huge surprise the encounter I had on today's run.  I'm about 4 miles into my run at a blazing 11:25/mile pace.  I live in a very rural area and so there is basically not much except forests and farms along my route.

All of a sudden I hear panting coming from behind me and the sound nearly made me jump out of my skin.  From the corner of my eye I see this very slender woman racing up to me.  "Hello there," she says.  "I've been chasing you for the past 1/4 mile. Catching you has been my challenge." I looked at her and said "Catching me is no body's challenge." She barely looks like she has broken a sweat and says to me "I am just recovering from knee surgery, catching you after my 15 mile run is my challenge."  Is this woman for real? She then tells me to have a good day and that she's off to meet back up with her running partner. 

After she trotted away from me a thought crosses my mind. If she and I were living back in prehistoric times, I was so the one getting eaten by the Saber Tooth Tiger.

[Caffeine consumed during the making of this blog: 1 Diet Dr. Pepper]