In the beginning...

I've decided I'm going to run a half marathon.

I've been wanting to start running for a while.  Granted, I haven't gone so far as to actually do anything about it, but the desire's been there.  When I saw a friend post on Facebook that he was going to run the Disneyland Half Marathon I thought, "I can do that".  And I can, theoretically.  I just have to, you know, DO it.

I'm great at lofty and arbitrary future goals--I'll devote more time to painting, I'm going to learn French, I'll be a Person who Runs--but I'm shit at execution.  However, here we have a hard and fast date for a goal to be accomplished: on September 6th, 2015 I will run a half marathon in Disneyland.  I think the Disneyland thing is important. Sure, I could just pick a date and run 21k at home, but doing it in Disneyland provides a built in reward system for accomplishing my goal.  I also have to pay a not insignificant sum of money to do it, so if I give up I'm not only letting myself down from the running perspective, but I'm out $200 USD and a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.  Those seem like good reasons to keep going through the inevitable blistered feet, sore legs, and "ugh I just want to sit on the couch and eat potato chips for forever".

The internet seems to think that I can be ready for a half marathon in three or four months, give or take, depending on my fitness level.  While I've already started taking better care of myself physically, I don't think I'll start training in ernest (3+ days a week) until I'm officially moved for two reasons: 1) I have so much to do before moving, I really need to buckle down and focus on that instead of using this to procrastinate, and 2) It's cold and icy outside and I don't have access to a treadmill.  Paying for a gym membership here for 8 weeks seems a little silly.  I'll intensify the home workout routine I've been doing since the beginning of the month, but I think actual for realzies training is probably going to wait until March, which still gives me a solid six months.  Even if the internet is WAY off in its estimate, this should be plenty of time to get me ready.

I'll be checking in with this blog periodically to update my progress, bitch about how hard it is, and muse on running, fitness, and life in general.  Hope you enjoy the ride!

220 days.