I'm Back!!!

Whew, that was a nice 2-month break from blogging. I honestly was running out of things to write about, and just needed a break from training and blogging.

Now I've had my break, and I'm ready to be WalkerRuns again. This year I'll be taking my running to a whole new level-- shooting for a full marathon in July, and then perhaps a speedier half in November (but we'll cross that bridge after July).

Unlike last year where I had lots of races and lots of goals and new activities (swimming, biking, triathloning), my non-workout life is just too complicated now to handle multi-sporting. And so I've decided to have one clear and simple goal: to run the Missoula Marathon on July 12.

Because I can't imagine running 15+ miles on my own, I've joined a training class that's organized thru the local running club, Run Wild Missoula. Over the next 18 weeks we'll meet twice weekly for group runs-- a mid-distance run on Wednesday nights, and a long run on Sundays. The routes will be pre-determined (and chalk marked!), and there will be aid stations along the way! We'll have guest speakers come and talk about various aspects of training-- PT, nutrition, etc-- and will have access to several seasoned marathoners for advice. And everyone was given a training schedule that will at least lay the framework for the training-- with options for modifying based on personal needs/schedules. But Sundays and Wednesdays are the group runs.

I'm psyched for the class. It takes a lot of the thinking & preparation off of my plate. I don't have to worry about taking time to map out a route, drive around and drop of water bottles, beg friends to run part of it or ride their bike along with me for company... I just show up and run with other folks who are crazy enough to want to run a marathon, too! I don't know anyone doing the class yet, but am looking forward to making some new running buddies as time goes on.

I'll write more in the coming weeks about why I've decided to do a full marathon (I'm sure that question will run through my mind more than once!), and the experiences I have along the way. So stay tuned!