Run, Run

Since about April of 2011, I've been running pretty regularly. Before then, I never ran. I exercised sporadically, but the last real running I did was in lifeguard training in high school. In 2011, I ran 539 miles, including my first half-marathon (13.1 miles). I ran the half marathon in September, in 2 hours and 18 minutes, which puts my pace at a little under 11 minutes per mile. That's really slow. But, it's running.

MK runs, too, and has completed two half-marathons. We'll run together at Lincoln's half-marathon this year, and I'm excited. I wish I had started running with her earlier - she's been encouraging me to exercise for years. Max is getting in on some one-mile runs. Charlie rolls with us in the stroller.

Anyway, my summer running was much more consistent than my fall running, though my fall wasn't shabby. I've promised myself to improve. This year, I'll run my first marathon. That's twice the distance (not surprisingly) of a half-marathon: 26.2 miles. If I don't improve my pace, it'll take me 4 hours and 36 minutes. I'll likely run the Omaha Marathon in September. It's well-organized and it's where I ran my first half.

Most of the time, I run on a treadmill. My bee allergy makes it difficult for me to run long distances outside in warm weather. I prefer running outdoors.

I'm reading a book by Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (thanks, Lesley!). I can relate to Haruki's take on running, though I'll talk more about that in a later post. In the picture above, those are my tracks, coming and going.