When I first started running again this past summer, it was with the goal of doing a half marathon and checking that off my bucket list. I did not count on getting hooked. I saw a flyer at Yogaloft (http://www.sheboyganyoga.com/) for an Enlightened Training program which would culminate in a half marathon or full marathon. I didn't think I would be able to do a full marathon, so I thought for sure I could do a half if I put my mind to it and followed a reasonable training program. Marci Tousey developed the yoga portion of the training and Debbie Posewitz developed the running program and provided each of us with a personalized training program. It was a hot, humid summer and I followed the schedule as closely as I could.
Each of our long runs (once we got past 6 miles) was longer than I had ever done, so I felt an ongoing sense of accomplishment all summer long. The 9 mile run in Elkhart Lake was a bit rough with the hills and the 8 mile and one of the 10 mile runs coincided with my period - oh joy! Men are so darn lucky they don't have to deal with that.
The Fox Cities on September 18 rolled around quite quickly. Race day! Good thing for chip timers, because I got to the race after the gun was fired and was trying to find my training buddy, Michelle, for 8 miles--trying to spy her black and white checkered arm warmers. When I finally caught her, she did not have them on. We ran together for a bit, but she was generous and told me to go ahead, so off I went. I finished in 2:04:26 and felt as if I could have kept going at that pace for many more miles.
A couple of weeks afterwards, I was giving Debbie a massage and she asked me if I had considered qualifying for Boston. I hadn't, so I joked that if we did, I have friends in Beacon Hill and could stay with them. After she left, I checked the Boston website and found out that it would be doable. Qualifying times for females aged 50-54 is 4:00:00. Now to find a few fast and flat marathons.
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