A New Challenge

Recently, I decided I'm going to train to run a half marathon. I've always wanted to do it, but I found myself making excuses like, "Oh, that's impossible for me to run that many miles with my body type," or "I just don't have time to train for something like that," or "I know I would end up being the last person to cross the finish line and that would be embarrassing," or "I hate running anyways, so I wouldn't even last very long in the training phase," and the list of excuses goes on and on. Deep down, I just didn't believe I could ever do it.

Until one day, I was looking at a friend's facebook page, and saw a picture of her at the finish line after running a FULL marathon. Now, that might not seem like a big deal, but here's the thing. She is about 30 years old and get this... SHE HAS FIVE CHILDREN!!! And all of them are young... ranging from infant to elementary school age. As I stared at the picture, my jaw dropped in amazement and immediately I thought to myself, "Aja, you are 22 years old with NO children. You have NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER! If she can do it, you most certainly can! So get over yourself and get moving!"

Hence, the jump start of my journey to running a half marathon (which, in case you didn't know, is 13.1 miles). I started pre-training to get my body used to running outside... and boy, let me tell you something. Running inside on a treadmill and running outside are two completely different things! I realized early on that I'd be able to run 3 miles on a treadmill with no problem, but when I ran outside, that 3 miles got cut down to a measly 1 mile. And that was even a struggle. On a treadmill, the surface is flat, smooth, slightly bouncy and stays exactly the same the entire run. But with outdoor running, you have uneven terrain, and you're running on pavement which we all know has no bounce flexibility whatsoever, so the full impact is on your legs. And don't even get me started on all the variations in weather that can mess with you too.

I see it as a challenge. I'm refuse to let the pavement break me! I want to conquer it. I'd like to train for 7 months before running the race. They say you should choose the race you want to run so you have a goal to look forward to. I'm planning on running the "Holiday Half Marathon" in Pomona, CA in mid-December.

Historically, I tend to have a love-hate relationship with running (I've always been more of a swimmer... I'm a water-baby!) But I'm determined to learn how to love it. I've got my training schedule together and should officially start in May once I feel like I've passed pre-training.

I don't know what I'm getting myself into, but in the end, I think it's going to be an awesome feeling to do something I initially thought impossible for me to do. With some hard work, consistency, determination, a positive attitude, (prayerfully no injuries!) and the Lord's help, I'm going to run that race.

(P.S. Unfortunately, I've missed the past two weeks of conditioning because I went on a business trip for a week and then got very sick... but as soon as this sickness passes, I hope to be at it again! I'll do my best to give updates about my journey! Stay tuned...)

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