Greetings from Week 5 . . . I really can’t believe I’m already in my fifth week of training. I am 11 weeks away from the Austin Half Marathon and I honestly feel pretty good!

My New Running Shoes!

I ran my first 10 Kilometer race last Saturday (12/4). It was in Spicewood, TX, which is out in the hill country west of Austin. The course was very hilly and I had to take it pretty slow, but I finished and felt strong!

I realized during the race that I have never run more than 5 miles in my entire life. . . SO that was a pretty big accomplishment for me as well.

Getting Ready To RUN!

I’m learning a lot in this training program. . . One of the biggest lessons is that of impermanence. Every week I seem to have a new and different physical challenge, but by the next week, it’s gone. I’m really enjoying having a goal, but not being attached to the outcome and understanding the process happens in small pieces and it happens differently every day.

The other thing I realize daily about this is that showing up to train represents half the accomplishment. At the beginning of every run, I am doubtful that I will complete it, but by the end, I’m amazed. I still haven’t quite reached the point where I can run 3 miles consecutively without stopping to stretch once or twice, but my time is improving, though I can’t feel it in my pace. On Monday, 2 days after the 10K, I did 3 miles in 30 minutes, which was a record for me in the course of this training.

It’s also been awesome to share parts of this experience with others who are training or running. They’ve been great resources for advice and motivation. . . Here’s a little video of the group of awesome ladies I did the 10k with. Enjoy!