I Don't Like Running

Well, I may have done something very stupid the other day. This being said - here's the back story...

I got inspired at my last Weight Watcher's meeting. The topic of "activity" came up. (WW doesn't like the word exercise for some reason.) My meeting leader basically said we become active for one of two reasons. Reason 1: We actually like the activity we do, i.e., dancing with some Zumba, relaxing with some yoga, hitting the trails on your bike, etc. Reason 2: We don't necessarily like the activity, but we like the reward. I guess I never really thought about it that way. I realized the reason I bike: I like it. The reason I run: I like the reward.

The other integral event in this story, the Tallmadge 5-K Memorial Run. I'm used to going to races to watch the Viper run. But this run was different, a friend of mine who popped out a baby less than a year ago ran. She wasn't a runner, she hadn't run before her pregnancy, she just did a couch to 5k program. She ran, she finished and she was very happy. It reminded me of how I felt when I started running - the sense of immense accomplishment from hitting one mile for the first time, then TWO and so on... Something inside of me was stirring, my word - was it MOTIVATION?

After all this my head was wondering, "Could I run a half-marathon?" I never thought I could run a 5-K, but I did. I bounced this idea off Viper, he had nothing but the utmost confidence in me. That's when I realized - "If he thinks I'm so damn able, then let him be in charge of this whole endeavor!" Hence, a coach is born.

So, this is where I am. I am in Akron, with my man, coach, Viper (Note: We are not married, we live in sin. Hopefully, this will change. ;-o ) I have no real idea why I'm doing this but I just feel like I need to do this. I will run the Akron Half Marathon and I will finish. Damn skippy.

I leave you all (and myself) with some happy words of motivation from Marathoning for Mortals.

Who you can be doesn't depend on who you have been.

And a cute pic of Dobson.

My Plans

I've been off enjoying life south of the Mason-Dixon line for a while... and now it's back to reality.

My tooth is all better now - I had to have an emergency root canal. The thing is: the root canal felt soooo good after dealing with all that pain. What was not good was having to cancel my classes thus pushing back my exams a week. (Lord knows I'm not going to re-write a whole exam!!) Being a professor can be hard work ;-)

I wish I could say I got in a great run once I got back from my mini-vaca, but I didn't. I have come down with some sort of illness - no, not 2009 H1N1, it's likely just an upper respiratory infection. I brought box of tissues to work with me today - my students looked at me like I was a whack job when I set it down on the podium. I was up there hacking and sneezing and wheezing while talking about sexuality and reproduction in art. This wasn't one of my note worthy lectures, that's for sure.

So all I can do with this blog is plan. I am going to let the blog world in on a little secret of mine: I'm thinking about running in the Cleveland Half Marathon! I really want to get my mileage up and the thought of running through my hometown excites me. (I live in Akron now, but I was born on bred in the west-side suburbs of Cleveland.) I have a long way to go, but this is something I really want to do. I figure I have until February to work on getting up my weekly mileage then I can begin a training plan. The only flaw - this means training in northeast Ohio during some seriously shit weather.


This was last November... and if you can imagine it was worse in February. I don't have an indoor track to go to, so I guess I'll just have to learn to like running in sub zero temperatures with snow and ice.

It can't be that bad... can it?