One Year of Running

This month of March has sure kicked off in a very interesting way. I was looking forward to this month as it marks my first year of running on a regular basis. However the celebration was cut short. Last Tuesday, my mom suffered a heart attack. She had just received an award in the Capitol in recognition of her contributions as a woman and leader in the labor movement. (Congratulations to all women this month by the way) She collapsed while I was driving her to the office.

She is alright now. We called an ambulance and took her to the ER. Thank goodness, they found no obstructions in her arteries and she is now resting in her house but you all can surely understand how freaked out we all were.  Still are actually.

As if I needed any more reinforcement that this running "thing" I'm doing is important, something like this happens. I would love to tell you this is the first time this has happened but I can't. My dad went through the same situation a couple of years ago but much more serious. After a severe heart attack, they found several clogged arteries and it took several trips to the hospital to work it all out. He was forced to stop smoking  after that though so at least something good came out of that.

Life sure makes you put things in the right perspective at just the right time. A week ago I was still riding high after my first 10K, thinking I had accomplished so much this past year. Now, not so much.

On my last post, I had asked for advice about an upcoming Half-Marathon, which by the way, thank you all for your suggestions, encouragement and motivation. It was sure great to read all different points of view on this. I was just thinking about writing on the blog regarding my decision when all this happened. I had decided to to go for it and train for this Half. Here what my decision boils down to:

1. First off, I'm in no rush to run this race but I do want to race it. There is nothing in the "Runner's Codex" that says you have to run a Half-Marathon before you run a full. But...

2. I do however, want to push myself a bit more. When the upcoming race is another hurdle I have to overcome, it helps me focus and work harder.

3. This also doesn't mean I'm not aiming to improve my times in the 5K and 10K. There are actually 3 races before this Half that I sure want to race (and one I already signed up for) and I'm not gonna do them just for the pleasure. I have some time goals I would like to reach and that means racing.

4. I have time. If I see further down my Half training that I'm not ready, then I won't sign up for it. It's that simple.

The bulk of advice I got can be summed up like this: I was asking the wrong question. I shouldn't have asked "Should I run this race?" or even "Can I run this race?" The real question was "Do I want to run this race?" And the answer is yes! I do want to run it so I'm gonna get ready for it.

This week I started the beginner's Half-Marathon training plan from The Big Book of Marathon and Half-Marathon Training from Runner's World. I will let you know what's it all about and how I'm doing on the next post.