Just a little bit nervous

Good Morning and here we are again!!

I decided to try something totally different earlier this year and ran the 10-mile Broad Street Run.
The training was tough considering I had never done any kind of distance run. Prior to starting to train last December, the most I had walked was back-and-forth to the refrigerator.
To say I was out of shape, well, that would be an understatement. I was the poster-boy for couch potatoes. When they talked about how American's didn't exercise enough and ate too many fatty foods, they were talking about me.
So, I was proud of myself for not only turning that part around, but actually completing the run. The fact I found it hard to walk the next day only made it better for some reason.
Two days later, my brother started texting me about running even further.
"You ran 10 miles, 3 miles more won't be so much," he pleaded (at least that's the way I see it). "There's a half marathon in Philly in September. Let's do it."
It took about a month of begging (OK, maybe he wasn't begging but I let myself believe it), I signed up for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Philadelphia.
I started my running again and tried (sometimes unsuccessfully) to eat right.
Well, the 13-mile run is this Sunday.
Really, can't you give me a couple more weeks?

Time to lace up the sneakers

Good Morning and welcome to the river!

In a couple of days, I'll be doing something I never thought about doing. I was pleasantly (if not healthy) happy with my sedentary lifestyle. I liked watching TV. I liked having a few (too many) beers in the backyard. I enjoyed pizza and burgers.
It was all fine with me until one day I did not feel well. I stood up and got dizzy and thought, "Hmm, maybe I should do something."
So, I joined the YMCA and started working out on the machines. I hadn't done it for years, so it was a slow go at first.
One day in November, another member was wearing a Broad Street Run T-shirt.
Once again, my brain started talking. "There's a goal for you."
So, I worked out. I ran on the street. I put in miles. I ate better. I had setbacks (my calves are still painful enough that I have a slight fear I won't finish). I started a Facebook page where friends have been offering encouragement and kept me going.
This Sunday, I'll be attempting to run (very, very slowly mind you) all the way down Broad Street in Philadelphia with about 40,000 other people. Most (if not all) will finish before I will.
It's not a race for me, though.
This is a change. I'm determined to show my children you can do anything you want. Don't let others bring you down. Don't let others say you can't do something.
Now, who wants to let me borrow their hot tub Sunday afternoon?

Running? More like walking

Good Morning and welcome to the new day!

For some reason late last year, I thought it would be a good idea to set a goal for myself. So, I thought, wouldn't it be great to train for the Broad Street Run?
I have never done anything like it. I was told by some I would never be able to do it. Of course, that meant I was going to do it come hell or high water.
So, the run (I won't call it a race, because I'm not racing) is Sunday. I have a week left and, as it turns out, a weak right leg.
I was so resolute in my training, I fear I may have overdone it. Last week, I started to get cramps in my calves.
It all came to a head Saturday night when I used the Haverford Twilight 5K as my final training run. Well, OK, it was a training walk. About a mile in, the pain in my legs started. I wasn't going to stop, though, and I still finished in 40 minutes (what I was really shooting for).
Of course, when the 90-year old with the walker passed me on the course, I thought I might be in trouble.
So, I'll use ice, I'll eat a lot of bananas (saw on the Internet) and I'll be ready Sunday.
Well, that's the plan anyway.