So, I Guess I’m Doing a Trail Half-Marathon

I just signed up for a half-marathon (13.1 miles) trail run just under 4 months from today.* EEEEEK! Your reaction to this probably depends on when you know me from.

If you knew me when I lived in Jacksonville, Florida, where I racked-up 40+ running races including 4 half-marathons and a full marathon in a 4-year period, this probably sounds completely consistent with my personality and easily achievable.

If you know me from California, you might be a little skeptical or even concerned, wondering things like, “Don’t you run / walk when you show up to beer runs every few months?” (Yes) and “Haven’t you skipped the run part of the beer run entirely?” (Yes) “Isn’t dance more of your thing?” (Not really, I just love it.)

If you don’t know me at all, your thoughts probably depend on your own running prowess. If you’re a runner, half-marathon, even on trail with some climbing, probably sounds like no big deal. If you’re not, it might sound a bit daunting, like you might advise me to try the shorter 10K option (6.2 miles) in the race.

BUT regardless of what you think, I am committed so I’m going for it. I’m hoping that my love of dirt balances out my lukewarm feelings towards running these days. The main goal is to finish. But saying that is honestly, a bit of sandbagging. I also don’t want to be last…I don’t even want to be last in my age group.

It’ll either be a lesson in what you can accomplish if you put your mind to it and train or a lesson in managing expectations. Either way, for the first time in years, I have the desire to train for something and push my limits and I’m excited for the pain ahead!

What I’ve Done to Prepare So Far:

Reviewed training plans including ones from Hal Higdon, Backcountry, and REI;
Copy / pasted two training plans into Excel;
Ran three miles consecutively (Yes, THREE. Yes, 10.1 less than a half-marathon);
Followed-up a hike with some climbing (which I’d love to say was training but was really just for fun) with a 4-mile run walk the next day;
Said “training starts tomorrow” a few times;
Thought about how I’m going to need more sports bras;
Tried to learn about trail running shoes from the internet and got stressed out;
Came across http://www.runforefoot.com/with shoe reviews for forefoot strikers (I am but not intentionally);
Bought trail-road shoes!!!! Went with Brooks Womens Mazama 2 (which were not on the list but I thought I should ease in before going full-on minimalist considering I don’t exactly run frequently these days so my calves are not the monsters they once were).