i did it! 2 years after my wife signed me up for a half marathon, I finished one today! It’s hard for me, a former distance runner, to be super impressed with myself but I know I should be. Now the accomplishment isn’t huge but I’m proud of myself. Mostly for sticking with a goal. I blogged last December about our fitness goals and the challenges of squeezing in runs with our family life. Two years ago one of the first things she did when we were just getting to know each other was sign me up for a half marathon. While this was a pretty big motivator, I wasn’t able to do that race for one because it got cancelled and I was suffering from shin splints.

I’ve been telling people lately that when I started running again two years ago after a decade long hiatus as well as bearing 4 children, it was harder than I thought. It was kinda painful. I never want to feel that out of shape again or feel that terrible on runs. I realized that time is catching up to me. I don’t see not running as a real option (my wife is 7 yrs my jr so I need to keep it together!) so I don’t want to ever have to start over. I limped along this past year and a half, realizing that when there were times I couldn’t make running a priority, even once a week was enough at least to maintain without losing it all. So I’ve been barely keeping fit and trying to squeeze on at least a 3-4 mile every once in a while. This Christmas Day we upped it to a 10k and I felt so accomplished! It seemed like a really long distance.  I wanted to complete a half marathon in May while my wife ran a full. We upped our long runs a couple miles each week. It turned out that when I registered for the May race it had already closed so we registered me for one nearby this weekend. I’m glad I only had a few weeks out to worry about it but was already running 11-12 anyway.

It was easier than I thought.  I’ve struggled to keep chugging along if I have to run by myself.  My wife met me around mile 8 or 9 and ran the last few miles with me (she actually ran a 20 mile run that morning!), but I found I was able to get into a rhythm on my own as well.  I think I’ve finally hit my stride so to speak!

Next up?  I would love to complete a few sprint triathlons this summer and get back into the sport that I love the most!  Of course, I would be nothing without my pit crew!