So, I decided to run a half marathon…

“I hate running.”  I severely overused this phrase between the years of 2003 and 2007.  I was playing Division I basketball and just the small whisper of a track workout made my insides dance.  I have never feared anything so greatly as the thought of running 1.5 miles on the track for a time I was certain I could not reach.

It pissed me off actually: “Why am I trying to run 1.5 miles?  When, during a basketball game, do you EVER run for 11 straight minutes?”  The answer to the last question is: Never.  It didn’t make sense to me then and it doesn’t really now, either.

So, in January, I decided I would run a half marathon.  Because 13 miles makes sense, I guess.  “When, during life, do I EVER have to run for 2.5 hours straight?”   The answer is: April 6th, 2013.

If you know me, especially from my college days, you are probably thinking: “Seriously, Dan?” (Emily Hardy, I know you just thought that, maybe out loud).  But I hope your second thought was, “Okay!”

As I neared the end of my professional basketball career I thought I really wanted to try to run a half marathon.  I knew after I was done with competitive games I would want to work for something that would be difficult for me (I can’t think of anything more difficult except maybe a full marathon).  I am looking forward to pushing myself and doing something I’ve never done before, not even in my dreams (or nightmares, I guess).

The first step is deciding to do it (check) and the second step is training for it.  That’s where I am now.  Tanna and I are going to run it together and she found us a “beginners training schedule” and we’ve just begun.

We chose a 12-week training plan (mainly because we had about 12 weeks) and actually began it about two weeks in.  There are SO many online but we chose the plan from www.halfmarathons.net and away we went.

The longest I have ever run consecutively was six miles.  That was about three years ago and the reason I remember it is because that was the only time in my life I had run for an hour.  I do run fairly regularly, however, usually between two and three miles so the training so far hasn’t been too bad.  The most I’ve run in this training is four miles and I’m feeling pretty good.

I want to keep track of my feelings throughout the training for anyone who might be interested in doing it themselves. So, here goes:

Week One:  I am feeling a bit more hungry than usual after running ten miles in a week.  It makes sense since the treadmill told me (after a four mile run) that I burned about 600 calories!

My knees are kind of sore.  I have done a lot of banging on my knees through all the sports I played so I am just guessing they are tired.  Plus all of my running, so far, has been on a treadmill (hello!  It’s January in Maine!).

My lower back is a bit tight as well, something I also attribute to a treadmill.

I’m craving fewer sweets than usual and I feel skinny when I look in the mirror. BUT I will not yet attribute this to the running, as I think the world might have turned on a different axis or something: both of these feelings are very strange.

I’m feeling excited about my runs!  I am also feeling a little nervous.  I’m sure as the weeks go on those feelings will shift positions.  We’ll see!

 

I’ve also posted the training calendars on the wall in my room so I can keep track.  Conveniently, they are located right next to this sign:

Danielle Clark

About Danielle Clark

I am 28 years old and for 5 years out of college I played basketball for a living. I was a professional basketball player in Europe so I spent most of my years there and came back to Maine for summers and a couple weeks at Christmas time. I thought my years there would open my eyes to what I want to be when I "grow up." That didn't happen. I have discovered, however, that I just have to try something. Just do things and toss myself into them. I have currently tossed myself into being a college basketball assistant coach and one on one reading tutor. I grew up in Corinna, Maine and have been a resident Mainer. I love sports, reading, writing, cooking, baking, watching movies... everything. I have lots of hobbies and not enough time in the day!