My Official 2009 Running Goal

Alright, I've decided to committ to running the Seattle Rock N' Roll Half Marathon at the end of June. By proclaiming it here, on my Facebook, and to anyone who asks, I'm committting myself that much more. Frankly, I need the risk of semi-public embarassment if I don't complete this to motivate me, because it's going to be difficult. I can run a decent distance now, but I am not fast, nor do I absolutely adore running like some freaks out there. Well, maybe after this I will. Anyway, I really just want to see what's it like to basically be in peak physical shape: see what I look like, see what I feel like, etc. If I lose some weight, sweet, if I stay exactly the same, well that obviously proves I was meant to be a size 14. And then if a doctor/trainer/whatever ever critizes my weight I can have the satisfaction of saying "well, this fat ass of mine can run a half marathon, so fuck off!" This lovely piece in Newsweek echoes my sentiments nicely, and this woman is my hero.

Here is my training schedule (my weeks will be Sat.-Fri.)
Jan. 3-9: 2, 3, 3, 2 Total: 10
Jan. 10-16: 4, 2.5, 3, 1.5 Total: 11
Jan. 17-23: 4.5, 2.5, 3, 2 Total: 12
Jan. 24-30: 5, 2.5, 3, 2.5 Total: 13
Jan. 31 - Feb. 6: 5.5, 2.5, 3, 3 Total: 14

And so on and so forth....basically I am doing one long run a week, increasing that mileage by half a mile each time. Then, I only want to increase my total mileage by 1 mi/wk just to make sure I am totally comfortable with the distance and so my body doesn't crap out on me. On the shorter runs (specifically like 2.5 miles or less), I'm trying to run at least .2-.3 mph faster than my latest 5K time, so I can gradually speed up.

It should be an interesting experience, to say the least!!!