Friday, January 14, 2011

For the Bling of It!

I know you guys haven't heard from me in awhile. I've been quietly gaining back 30 of the 60 pounds I lost last year. The combination of going back to college, prepping for the holidays, and picking up dinner through the drive thru each night has taken its toll.

After running my first half marathon in October I wasn't sure that I would ever do something like that again. It was tough for me. But then I ran the Hot Chocolate 5k with my daughter, Courtney, and had the time of my life! I walked most of it since this was her first race of any type and she had not really prepared. It was an accomplishment for her just to finish the distance. Walking with her under the beautiful Chicago skyline I realized I wanted to just take off and run. But she wasn't up for more than a jog, so I held back. It was then that I realized I missed running. Of course I stayed with her and loved sharing each moment with her - this was not a race for a PR. It was much more important than that.

Afterwards, I had no upcoming race. I had no goal other than finishing my semester at school with the aspiration of maybe, someday, getting to sleep eight hours in a row. I didn't run. I didn't exercise. I ate dinner out of a paper bag. And I fueled myself with a delightful combination of coffee and M&Ms. So, in three months, I managed to pack on weight like a Sumo wrestler trying to make his weight class. I did finish my classes with my GPA intact though :) So all is not lost.

Now that I've had a few weeks to catch my breath, I'm giving into this nagging voice inside my head wanting me to update this blog. I've been a little perplexed as to what sort of goal to set for myself this year. I know I want to return to the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. I want to be better prepared so that I can enjoy the experience more. I want to have time to stop for pictures rather than using up the only precious minutes I have at the bathrooms. But - I also wanted something more than that. Running my first half marathon was a BIG deal and I didn't want my goal for this year to just be a do-over.

Thankfully, Lesley and Sherry over at http://runfortheblingofit.blogspot.com/ came up with a challenge for me! So I will be running 12 races this year and writing race reports about each. In addition.....

wait for it.....

I'm attempting my first FULL marathon in November. Ambitious? Perhaps. But some people didn't think I could do 13.1 last year either.



Of course I'll need to actually start exercising again and back away from the M&Ms....

14 comments:

  1. That's so cool!! Congratulations on making the big decision. I swear we'll all owe Lesley and Sherry a huge thanks at the end of the year when we are in amazing shape and covered with bling! This challenge alone is motivating me to sign up for even more races than I already had planned!

    Good luck with your training!!

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  2. Thanks! I'm excited for the upcoming year. I can't wait to read more of your race reports too!

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  3. Kelly,
    This is awesome! I am very, very tempted to start running...very tempted. Mostly because I want an excuse to come run at Disney World and get some of my own bling (and meet all the TGMers I know run in person)!! Ok, not really mostly for those reasons, but for sure a little bit because of them! Really because I miss being the thin athletic person of my youth! Of course in my head as I sit here typing this I am making excuses as to reasons I can't (i hate to run, no time, maybe going to try to get pregnant this year, too hard, did i mention i hate to run, etc, etc) But there's a little voice inside of me saying "but maybe I could do it"...
    You are truly an inspiration and I look forward to following you on your journey!!

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  4. That's a pretty impressive schedule you've got there. How did you end up with a full in Tulsa?

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  5. Melissa - I think getting to run in Disney is a mighty fine reason to start running! If you decide that this is something you want to do there is no doubt in my mind that you can do it! Thanks for reading!

    Lynn - Not really sure how that happened. I think it just picked me, actually. I'm a big fan of Route 66 and the kids and I have been through part of it and this seems like an excuse to explore more. Plus they give out a special medal if that is your first marathon - so, I mean...that can't hurt :)

    Plus....you need to keep a secret here....I wanted to get a full under my belt before January of next year in case I feel a little "Goofy" :)

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  6. Kelly I just sat here and read your Wine & Dine report with tears pouring down my face. You are such an inspiration! I am terrified about doing the Royal Family 5K next month and here you did a half! I am going to keep the Hot Chocolate in mind for November. Big hugs and love to you!

    Kara

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  7. Oh Kara! YOU are the one who is an inspiration! I struggled to lose 60 pounds last year and then put half of that back on. You lost a whole person last year! That is amazing! You shouldn't be scared of the 5k. You will do awesome! And you have amazing support! I ran my first 5k all by myself and still managed to finish. So you will have NO problem with it. Enjoy it! It will be such a wonderful day for you and I wish I could be there to be part of it. I will absolutely be thinking of you and looking for updates and pictures on FB :)

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  8. OH MY GOD. You really ran a half marathon? The idea of running (as you know) terrifies me. This is very inspirational. I'll be following your blog!
    xo GP

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  9. GP - Thanks for stopping by! Running is still scary for me. But it really makes me feel good and I want to get better at it - so I will trudge along :)

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  10. Kelly I'm so glad to hear that after a short break from running you are actually missing it! I have to have a race scheduled or I'm just not motivated to run! 12 races in 12 months sounds awesome! Keep us posted...I would love to read about your adventures!

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  11. Thanks, Lisa! I'm looking forward to all the different races too. It'll be lots of fun!

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  12. You can totally do the full! Glad I came across your blog!

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  13. Can't wait for the Soldier Field 10 Miler!

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  14. Victoria - Thanks so much for stopping by! And for the extra encouragement - the full completely freaks me out at this point!

    Tippy - I'm reallly looking forward to that one too! We'll have to plan a time to meet up before then.

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