I Get By With a Little help From My Friends

I've got a buddy from school who is working on getting his pilot's license.  He did a speech on it for toastmaster's competition this year.  The theme of the speech was conquering your Mt. Everest.  As a speech teacher, he asked (probably unwittingly) for my input on his speech.  He got more than he bargained for!  In helping him work on this speech, we've become motivational forces for each other--I've tried to encourage him to finish up that pilot's license, despite difficulties; and he has provided me with the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back that made me go ahead and register for my first FULL MARATHON. 

That's right.  December 3 will find me in lovely downtown Memphis, TN (actually, all over Memphis), running 26.2 miles.  And I blame Alan Kirby, the pilot.  I also blame the people on The Biggest Loser.  I sat on the couch last spring, watching the marathon episode, thinking to myself, "If that person who weighed 500 pounds 4 months ago can do this, then surely I can."  And now I will.

Now you see why I've been struggling with my lack of motivation as of late.  A typical training plan takes 16-18 weeks.  The plan I'm using will start the very same week I return to school in August.  However, I must stay in good shape now so that I'm ready come that magic week in August.  This, I have not been doing.

Until this week.

Monday, the future pilot gave me a mental butt kick and I got myself off the couch and to the Y.  I've been training and doing my weights.  Now, if I could only lay off the soda and the junk food (baby steps, people), I'd be set!  I'm about to go for a long run in just a bit, and it will feel GREAT.  (See, that's how you know the crazy has set in...)

I'll keep you posted on my training and my progress.  I'm set to run at least 3, possibly 4 or even 5 more half marathons as part of my training plan for this full.  I will actually post photos one day.  For now, I'm just too lazy to go to the other computer in the basement, where all the pictures are stored. (Isn't it nice to know that some things actually don't change?)