Week 13: The Beginning

Today I kicked off my extended base training phase today. My first goal is the Austin Half Marathon on February 15th. There's a couple reasons for setting this traditionally COLD race as my first goal. First, it's local. That's a big plus since I'm trying to stay closer to home for a while. Second, it's soon; just three months away. That will force me to get to work NOW rather than later. Third, I've sat back and watched this race being held for the past two years when I actually was in good enough shape to finish with a respectable time. I told myself after last year that, if at all possible, I didn't want to let the race pass me by again.

Lesson for the day: Never do less than all you're capable of doing. It robs the soul of dignity and our lives of character. We are created for more.

So, as I started out saying, I began my training today. I'm doing a 12 week half marathon training program that's targeted for novice runners. I'm not a novice, but I am out of shape. So, earlier tonight, in the crisp November air, I quietly put on my stocking hat, laced up my shoes and put one foot in front of the other for just over 3 miles. To finish, I did 4x100m accelerations, ran through a quick strength training session and finished with a full body stretch.

Total time: 59 minutes.

Today was a good day.