Walking Down Stairs Sideways

No - that is not a euphamism, code, or metaphor for anything. I've been literally walking down stairs sideways for the last two days. Why? Because I went to Day 1 of half-marathon training on Saturday, thinking it would be what MOST first training sessions are like, run 15-20minutes, slow pace, etc. Nope - right out of the gate, boom - a 4 mile run. I signed up with a group that was supposedly the 12 minute/mile or slower group. Nope - they took off and as best I can tell were probably running 10.5 min/mile based on when the finished in front of me. Seems like it could be a really fun bunch of people but that we might not actually train together because their pace is already far faster than mine. We'll see - it was only week one, but let me tell you - going from basically sedentary (or at least no strenuous exercise) to running 4 miles, yeah - that = pain. I'm into it though - what in the hell does that say about me??!! I am off (which you already knew) and running (which now you know!)

Arisen - Half Marathon Training

Wow, I haven't even looked at our blog since the last post in friggin' OCTOBER! You would think that it's taken me two and a half months to recover from the Tigers' World Series debacle. Not the case, but I won't rehash every little moment since then that's kept me away from writing. I was sick, we traveled a lot over the holidays, my grandfather passed away, I started a new grant project and am teaching a new course, bla bla bla... Mostly, I just haven't been into it. After I get back from work where I read/write all day, one of the last things I want to do is come home and write some more.

I saw a picture on Lara's blog today from a run we did last summer. It nudged me a bit to send up a post and I actually have something running related to report! Last year's Detroit half-marathon was a bust - my running partners bailed, the Tigers lost the World Series, and I got really sick. This year, I decided to start earlier and to train with a group. The race is at the end of April - not October so the winter will not be wasted time. I registered yesterday for the training program for the Borgess Half Marathon. It's right here in my own city so there will be no hotels, drive times, and I can train with a community of runners which will hopefully be a positive experience. I've never done it before but many friends who have, have always enjoyed it.

OK - off to work - I'm back on the boards!