Brews and Running Shoes

Like most good stories, this one starts with a few beers.  It was almost a year ago when I was enjoying some cold ones (Sweetwater 420 & Bell’s Two Hearted if I remember correctly) at a friend’s pool.  Somehow the conversation had drifted from boys, to summer travel plans, to a half-marathon in Charlotte that fall.  I had recently gotten back in to running as therapy to escape from my crappy job & crappy boyfriend (both of which I did quit).  I thought running a half-marathon would be an excellent idea given my recent return to running and the fact that I had never run a half-marathon before (neither an actual race nor a 13.1 miles run).  My friend encouraged me to sign up for the half that day because the prices were going up the following day.

After too much sun and probably too much beer, I strolled back to my apartment to get ready for the night’s festivities.  Never to miss out on saving a few dollars, it didn’t take me long to crack open my laptop & google “Thunder Road Half-Marathon.”  As the search results pulled up, I was in for a surprise…there’s a full marathon too?  Well hell, why run a half if there’s a full? 

That day may have forever changed my life.  It has, at the very least, changed my life this past year. 

The next day, all sobered up, the full weight of my impulse purchase sank in.  I had no clue how to train for a marathon.  Tempo run?  Does that have something to do with the music you are listening to on your iPod?  Like many people, my initial goal was solely to complete the marathon.  Check that box on the bucket list.  However, I am still amazed at what training can do to the body (and the mind).  I still remember when the idea of a BQ (Boston Qualification) first crept in to my mind.  According to Hal Higdon, who taught me so much & cured me of my marathon ignorance in his book Marathon: Ultimate Training Guide, I should not even think about a BQ since it was my first marathon.   Well, sorry Hal.  I thought it.  And as my strength & confidence grew, I began to think, I probably won’t get a BQ, but I think it’s a possibility.  About a month later, I thought, I think I have a real shot at coming in right under the 3:35 qualification time.  By race day, I thought, I got this.  I completed the Thunder Road Marathon in 3:16:11, about 20 minutes under the BQ cutoff.

I am now coming up on a year of consistent running, and I think it’s safe to say I’m hooked.  I recently signed up for my second marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon this fall in DC.  I am already getting butterflies in my stomach about that race.  Training starts in just six weeks, and I will be tracking my progress through this blog.  I also hope to share some of the life lessons running has taught me and in case you wanted to know, what exactly I’m thinking about when I’m out running for 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon.

This Week’s Mileage: 40

This Week’s Beer Choice: A Go-To Fav: Flying Dog’s Snake Dog IPA